Table of contents for Issue 277 in Heritage Railway

THE big threat facing the heritage sector from the loss of steam coal mined in the UK was raised in the House of Lords on January 21, when imminent legislation banning the sale of bituminous coal to households was also mentioned. Heritage Railway Association president Lord Faulkner of Worcester tabled a question asking the Government of its plans to ensure that heritage organisations have access to sufficient supplies of locally produced coal to continue operating after 2021. In response, Lord Gardiner of Kimble (Conservative), the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, said that the legislation coming into force from May to end the sale of bituminous coal to households in England will lead to significant health benefits. “While we acknowledge the indirect impact that this…

➜ WORCESTER Locomotive Society-owned GWR 0-6-0PT No. L92 (No. 5786) is to remain on hire to the Gwili Railway until December, the west Wales heritage line has confirmed. The railway hopes to be able to announce operating dates for the year ahead on March 1 – the target being to commence on April 3, Covid-19 restrictions permitting. ➜ THE Gloucester Railway Carriage and Wagon Museum has launched a £1440 appeal to raise funds to transport LMS ventilated goods wagon No. M187085 from a storage facility in Worcestershire to its new home by end of March. Donations are invited at tinyurl.com/GloucVan ➜ THE Williton-based Diesel & Electric Preservation Group has opened an online shop. Located at https://depg.org/shop, the range includes booklets, key rings, mugs, pens, polo shirts, baseball caps, sweatshirts, T-shirts…

A CORE element of the Chasewater Railway has remained open during the pandemic and continues to provide a vital income stream. Conforming to Covid-19 lockdown restrictions and faced with the loss of revenue through the enforced lack of trains, the heritage line turned its Sidings tearoom at Brownhills West station into a takeaway in June, and the service has continued. Buoyant Trustee Dan Weeks said: “It has had a really good response and is keeping the railway buoyant through the pandemic. “It is busiest at the weekends with walkers in Chasewater Country Park. We maintain social distancing rules and require customers to wear a face covering at all times. “Our onsite model shop has also brought in much-needed funds with predominantly online sales at chasewaterrailwayshop.com – we also offer a…

THE Severn Valley Railway has been in mourning for John Hill, one of its founding fathers, who drove the first steam locomotive on the heritage line and also the inaugural public train from Bridgnorth on May 23, 1970. John, 82, who lived in Bewdley and had been a BR driver at Saltley and Tyseley depots before he joined the SVR, passed away on January 14 after a period of ill health. Highlights On March 25, 1967, as the embryonic line’s only qualified driver, John and fellow BR fireman Garry Carter drove Collett 0-6-0 No. 3205 to Bridgnorth to a rapturous reception and widespread local press coverage after it arrived on the line from Stourbridge. He also drove the inspection special over the line on March 31, 1968. In the 1970s,…

CLASS 142‘Pacer’No. 142023 has been bought for preservation by the Plym Valley Railway (PVR), returning a‘Skipper’to the West Country. It was unloaded at the line’s Marsh Mills headquarters in Plymouth on January 26 after a long journey from Heaton depot, Newcastle-upon-Tyne. The two car set is one of the original ‘Skippers’ which worked services in Devon and Cornwall during the 1980s. In common with many other heritage lines, the PVR said the acquisition of the ‘Pacer’ will allow it to operate low-cost passenger services on off-peak days. Meanwhile, it has emerged that a solitary Welsh Class 142 has been secured for preservation. Details of the new owner of No. 142006 remained to be confirmed as we closed for press. The final Welsh Class 142 for disposal, No. 142085, was despatched…

AROUND 80,000 people watched the start of the Isle of Wight Steam Railway’s 50th anniversary celebrations on January 24 – but very few of them were on the island for the occasion. With the UK in lockdown and local coronavirus infection rates rising – before Christmas, the island was one of only three areas of England designated Tier 1, the lowest lockdown category – the event was marked by a small private ceremony at Havenstreet station, and broadcast over social media. Viewers watched the line’s flagship 1891-builot LSWR O2 0-4-4-T No. 24 Calbourne publicly return to steam, following the completion of its overhaul and repainting into Southern Railway malachite green livery. It was 50 years to the day when crowds of well-wishers flocked to Newport station and lined the line…

TWO Conservative MPs have pooled their efforts to reopen two stations on the Dartmouth Steam Railway to main line traffic. Anthony Mangnall (Totnes) and Kevin Foster (Torbay) want to create new transport opportunities for local people. They also want to enable passengers from London to travel directly to Kingswear. Under the Government’s Restoring Your Railway Fund announced last year, grant aid is being made available for feasibility studies into reopening lines and stations. Proposals The Department for Transport says it will fund 75% of costs up to £50,000 for successful proposals to help fund transport and economic studies and create a business case. The line was part of the BR network until November 1, 1972, when it was transferred to private ownership and became a heritage line. The MPs have…

➜ PETER Robinson’s GWR 2-8-0 No. 3814 moved from the Llangollen Railway to Northern Steam Engineering at Stockton-on-Tees on February 8, for its restoration to be completed. The tender will remain at Llangollen to be used by No. 6880 Betton Grange until that locomotive’s new tender is available. ➜ A NEW dramatic and musical performance celebrating the key role of Irish migrant workers in the creation of Marc Brunel’s Thames Tunnel, and staged in the Grade II* listed Tunnel Shaft, is to be released online by Rotherhithe’s Brunel Museum on March 17. More details are at www.thebrunelmuseum.com ➜ FOR its 125th year, the Groudle Glen Railway is undertaking a huge project to renovate its main Lhen Coan station. Following on from the new platform already undertaken, the next step is…

PROGRESS has continued on new LMS Patriot 4-6-0 No. 5551 The Unknown Warrior despite lockdown restrictions. At the Midland Railway-Butterley’s West Shed, the machining of tail rod bushes for the valve gear and expansion link bushes has been completed. Lubrication pipework has been fitted as far as the axleboxes and horn guides, while the valve chest drain is now machined and completed. Driving wheel weld repairs have been carried out and safety documentation requirements have been agreed in detail with Ricardo, the appointed approvals body for No. 5551. The repaired trailing driving wheels await pressing back on to the axle, while delivery of new axle material is awaited from South Africa to enable the trailing wheel set to be reassembled. Following January’s commissioning of a new press at the West…

THE Severn Valley Railway has announced the biggest gathering of diesels on the line since 2019, with its May 13-16 Spring Diesel Bash featuring Clayton Type 1 Class 17 D8568 in BR blue livery. In January 2020, D8568 arrived for work on the Paxman engines, attention to its bodywork and the repaint. To ensure passengers can book with confidence, the SVR is backing every ticket with a Covid Guarantee, so that in the event of cancellation, ticket holders can transfer to an equivalent event or date, or receive a full refund. Visitors will select one of four train sets, each running three round trips. Train 1 will be hauled by Class 50s and tickets went on sale on February 12. The other three trains will be hauled by combinations of…

WHILE progress continues with the erection of the‘bottom half’of the new-build Corris Railway Hughes Falcon 0-4-2ST No. 10 at the workshops of Alan Keef Ltd, the design of another major feature is almost complete - ahead of quotations being obtained for the cutting of the metal. The locomotive cab will follow the general design and appearance of that carried by No. 3 during its time on the Corris, but will stand taller in order to accommodate 21st century footplate crews. It will have the coal bunker inside the cab, unlike the arrangement which No. 3 now has on the Talyllyn Railway, where it runs as Sir Haydn. To accommodate this while allowing for ease of coaling at Maespoeth Junction, there will be a hinged upper cab side sheet on the…

SCOTLAND’S longest-serving transport museum director is to retire after 38 years in charge of one of the country’s most successful heritage venues. Mike Ward MBE, who has been at the helm of Aberdeenshire’s Grampian Museum of Transport since 1983 and whose national honour recognises his work at the popular venue, will step down at the end of the 2021 season. The search to find a replacement has begun. Mike has worked with trustees, staff and volunteers for almost four decades to develop the Alford museum, which covers private and commercial motor vehicles, steam road traction, stage coaches, buses, railways bicycles and trams, including the Great North of Scotland Railway’s Cruden Bay tram. His philosophy, which he passionately believes that all heritage railways, museums and vehicle owners should adopt, is to…

THE Mid-Norfolk Railway’s (MNR) trust council has announced the appointment of Damian John as the line’s first-full time permanent way supervisor. Damian has worked for several specialist railway contractors on Network Rail projects, most recently with the railway engineering infrastructure division of Essex-based RCU Solutions. He began his railway career in 2001 as a trackman working for Mowlem Railways, which included working on the construction of HS1 from the Channel Tunnel to St Pancras station, before joining Keltbray Rail. He will work for the MNR’s volunteer permanent way manager, and be responsible for the day-to-day maintenance of the railway’s track system. Mid-Norfolk Railway Preservation Trust chairman Charlie Robinson said: “His appointment is the last in this round of full-time appointments that the railway’s trust council has decided was needed to…

THE last paddle steamer built in the United Kingdom has been thrown a £35,000 lifeline to weather the winter in the face of the Covid-19 crisis. Balloch-berthed Maid of the Loch has been awarded the cash by the Wolfson Federation, a charity which has already given a £1.2 million grant towards the restoration of the Loch Lomond, the 1953 Glasgow-built steamer which had been commissioned three years earlier by the British Transport Commission, the owner of the newly-nationalised British Railways. John Beveridge, Loch Lomond Steamship Company’s chairman, said: “We are very grateful to the Wolfson Federation for this generous grant. It has allowed us to re-employ one member of staff and will help us get through this difficult winter period. “We were open to the public for only 10 weeks…

SINCE the founding of Heritage Railwayalmost 22 years ago, I have been a massive fan of the Middleton Press (MP) Ultimate Rail Encyclopaedia offering. Drawing on archive and modern-day photographs, track plans and vintage maps, each volume condenses years of painstaking research into a handy facts-at-your-fingertips hardback, available to the general reader at a bargain price. Every significant point on the particular route covered in each volume is featured, from stations and locomotive depots down to industrial sidings and ancillary points of railway interest. I have never read an MP volume where I have not been delighted by the discovery of ‘something new’ to me. The expanding series is to railway history what Ordnance Survey maps are to cartography, and the value of each volume as an indispensable reference work…

REMAINS of a railway last used in the 1930s have been unearthed by contractors undertaking the controversial removal of the Weymouth Quay branch. It is believed that the old track, discovered by the Cosens Quay car park, was part of a loop on the branch which was replaced by a larger curve to allow bigger locomotives for the port’s Channel Island ferry terminal. A group of local campaigners who were calling for the 1¼-mile quay branch to be reopened had collected a petition containing almost 4000 signatures in the hope of reopening it for tourism. However, Network Rail and Dorset Council said that the branch could not be reopened because of the state of the track.…

THE East Somerset Railway’s Cranmore Train Maintenance business is currently working on a‘Thumper’DEMU set. Class 205 cars Nos. S60117/1118, which are based at the Lavender Line, have arrived for attention to the bodywork. Most of the lower side panelling and the rotten ribs behind are being replaced, together with the end. The roof has also been stripped back to bare metal. A rust hole was discovered, which it is believed was largely to blame for the condition of the side. The roof has also been receiving attention.…

FEBRUARY 21, 1970 saw 28 enthusiasts gather for a meeting in Cinderford’s Swan Hotel, called purely with the initial intention of saving a GWR steam locomotive. However, a mighty oak was to spring up in the forest from a small acorn planted that day. It was agreed that not only should a locomotive be acquired, but also a section of track on which to run it, and during the meeting, a likely candidate emerged, for British Rail had recently announced that it intended to close the line from Lydney to Parkend – the last survivor of a labyrinthine network of railways which had once penetrated the Forest of Dean. One of the surviving ancient woodlands of Britain, the Forest of Dean became a medival royal hunting forest. From Tudor times…

UK RAILTOURS was set to reschedule its March and April excursions as this issue went to press because of the ongoing Coronavirus lockdown. In the firm’s latest newsletter, manager Elizabeth Morris said: “Given the seriousness of the situation we find ourselves in, it is unlikely that we will be unable to operate our March and April trips as planned. Therefore and sadly, the effected tours will be postponed to dates later in the year, hopefully beginning in May.” Elizabeth was hoping that a return to the rails might materialise on May 1, with the‘Doctor Syn’ excursion across the marshes to windswept Dungeness on the Kent coast. Departing Derby, the tour is due to pick up at East Midlands Parkway, Leicester, Kettering, Bedford and St Albans. Leaving London, the trip is…

NAMEPLATES from four main line 4-6-0s built at Swindon and Crewe within just over six years of each other and withdrawn fewer than four years apart will headline GW Railwayana’s sale on March 13. They are from a previously unknown collection recently discovered in Somerset, as reported in last month’s issue, and comprise GWR trio Knowsley Hall, BamptonGrange and Barcote Manor, and a sole LMS representative, Leander. The Hallplate is from No. 5905, built in May 1931 and withdrawn from Fishguard Goodwick (87J) in July 1963. That from the Grangewas carried by No. 6802, which entered traffic in September 1936 and was withdrawn in August 1961 from Pontypool Road (86G), and the Manoris from No. 7803, a January 1938 product that ended its career in April 1965 when allocated to…

■February 26 Vectis (model trains) (Live online, email, telephone and postal) ■February 26-28 Justaclickago (photographs, negatives and slides) (Online) ■March 6 Great Central Railwayana (Live online, email, telephone and commission) ■March 12-13 GW Railwayana (Live online, email, telephone and commission) Are you a user of online professional networking website LinkedIn? If so, follow the recently launched Heritage Railway magazine page on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/ company/heritage-railway-magazine/…

SOUTHERN Railway and LMS nameplates have been selected by Great Central to head the cast list in the second of its series of monthly 200-lot auctions on March 6. They are Sir Urre of the Mount – what delightfully idiosyncratic names some of those King Arthurs carried – from No. 30788, Seahorse from Jubilee No. 45705, and Honourable Artillery Company with badge from Royal Scot No. 46144 making its auction debut. No. 30788 was built by North British of Glasgow in September 1925 and withdrawn from Eastleigh (71A) in February 1962, while the Jubilee, given a name used by the Royal Navy on 11 vessels between 1626 and 1932 and by the US Navy on three, was built at Crewe in May 1936 and taken out of service from Manchester’s…

THE Western Locomotive Association has launched an appeal to overhaul the bogies of Class 52 D1013 Western Ranger, with the aim of having it back in Severn Valley Railway traffic to mark the 60th anniversary of its entry into service in December 1962. Over the last few years, D1013 has benefitted from thousands of hours of volunteer help, including a full electrical rewire, component overhauls of such items as pre-heaters, fuel pumps, cooler groups, cooling fans, cardan shafts, exhausters, air receivers, cab desk rebuilds and internal paintwork, along with current work to overhaul its two 65 litre V12 engines, to at least the standard or better than BR would have achieved. Focus Attention is now being turned to the bogies, which will include D1013 being lifted for the first time…

WHILE the West Somerset Railway is aiming to restart some services at the end of April, the full refurbishment of the Seaward Way level crossing must be completed before trains can run into Minehead again. What is the first complete rebuild of the crossing since it was built 20 years ago is being fully funded by Somerset County Council, as the railway was there before the road was built. Since the crossing was first opened, safety requirements have changed, technology has advanced and road traffic increased considerably. Accordingly, the legal requirements for the crossing design are now much more significant. The design for both the crossing and the associated railway signalling have now been completed and submitted to the Office of Rail and Road. The new crossing will be operated…

TRIBUTES has been paid to former Science Museum director Dame Margaret Weston – who in 1973 has announced the establishment of the National Railway Museum inYork – who died on January 12 at the age of 94. Dame Margaret also became the president of Association of Railway Preservation Societies, which later became the Heritage Railway Association, standing down from the position in early 2011 when she became its patron. The daughter of two headteachers, Margaret Weston was born in Oakridge, Gloucestershire, and attended Stroud High School. She gained a degree in engineering at the University of London and became an electrical engineer at the General Electric Company (GEC), one of only three women among 300 apprentices, and specialised in high-voltage insulation. She was eventually appointed to the senior technical staff…

THE Swanage Railway Trust has reached agreement with the National Railway Museum for LSWR T9 ‘Greyhound’4-4-0 No. 30120 to remain on the Purbeck line following the expiry of its boiler certificate last August. The agreement includes storage on the line and provision for limited disassembly, including a boiler lift, for the trust to assess the potential for the 1899-built locomotive to be returned to steam. Withdrawn in 1963, it later joined the National Collection. Overhauled at Bill Parker’s Flour Mill workshop at Bream in the Forest of Dean for service on the Bodmin & Wenford Railway in 2010, it moved to Swanage in 2017. Since then, it has proved to be a popular and reliable member of the line’s fleet, and a firm favourite with visitors and footplate crews alike.…

THE Chinnor & Princes Risborough Railway features in the latest Netflix blockbuster The Dig, which reimagines the 1939 excavation of the fabled Anglo-Saxon burial mounds at Sutton Hoo in Suffolk. The heritage line had been steadily increasing its filming activities over the last few years until the Covid-19 pandemic struck, bringing a halt to this income-generating business. Location filming for a Dutch soap, a Bollywood saga, Top Gear, The Grand Tour and the BBC crime series Silent Witness (with a fake third rail!) took place at Chinnor, the latter 11 weeks before scenes for The Dig were shot on the line on October 7, 2019. Directed by Simon Stone and based on the 2007 novel of the same name by John Preston, it stars Carey Mulligan, Ralph Fiennes, Lily James,…

EAST Renfrewshire Council is opposing Highways England plans to block up four Lanarkshire & Ayrshire Railway (L&A) bridges on the old formation between Neilston and Uplawmoor as it wants the four-mile length of former double track retained in the first instance for a cyclepath and for possible longer-term use to reopen the railway itself. Highways England, working on behalf of the Department for Transport to manage the Historical Railways Estate, says that infilling the four bridges, which have not seen a train since the line was closed in 1962, is the safest and most economical way forward. Significance The bridges were built in characteristic L&A concrete with the line in 1903, to link the Lanarkshire coalfields with Ardrossan harbour. The L&A was absorbed by the Caledonian Railway and initially carried…

ENTRANTS have up to November 1 to enter the 2021 Young Railway Photographer Of The Year Awards. The Bahamas Locomotive Society is supporting the competition, which allows youngsters to showcase their railway photography, alongside the National Railway Museum, Network Rail, Jessops, Mortons Media, Bauer Media and TimeLine Events. Entrants need to submit a diverse portfolio of six photographs taken since January 1, 2019, based on the theme of‘The Railway Seen.’ Entries must be submitted as RGB jpegs, with a maximum file size of 10mb per image and a minimum of 3000 pixels along the longest edge. The first of two categories is for photographers under 18 and the second for photographers between 19 and 25. Prizes include a Nikon Coolpix P900, courtesy of Jessops, magazine vouchers and railway experiences, as…

➜THE Gwili Railway recently received a donation of 54 rails and three turnouts from Mekatek UK Limited, which has offices in Carmarthen and Rhymney. The track components will assist in the line’s northern extension plans. ➜ FREE rides have been promised on the day the 10¼in gauge Watford Miniature Railway reopens after repairs to damage sustained in floods on October 3 and 4 last year. It is hoped to restart services at Easter, pandemic restrictions permitting. ➜THE archaeological remains of Japan’s first railway embankment, which dates back to 1872, have been found in a dyke in the shallow waters of Tokyo Bay near Takanawa Gateway station in Minato Ward, Tokyo, which is currently being developed by the East Japan Railway Company.…

CLARKSTON stationmaster’s house - saved from demolition after East Renfrewshire councillors rejected a planning bid by its owner, businessman Sabah Hassan, to demolish the 1882-built classic Caledonian Railway building - has been sold to a private buyer. Marketed by Clyde Properties at offers over £185,000, the property was sold before its March closing date. The buyer, who is as yet unknown, is limited by the council decision rejecting demolition and development of the site to refurbishing the property as a dwelling house. Information from Clyde reminded potential buyers that they were strongly advised to talk to council planners before buying. Coun Ian Miller, one of the main movers for conservation of the railway property, said he was pleased. “Clarkston stationmaster’s house is very much part of the railway heritage of…

THE Tarka Valley Railway has appealed for funds to help build a visitor centre and shop at its Torrington base. The completion of the first phase of its project at the station – the laying of the siding to its restored coal dock – will see all rolling stock moved from the public platform area. That will allow the recently-extended railway to become operational, but it also means that it can no longer use its Mk1 TSO as a shop. The carriage will be moved to the coal dock for restoration. Anyone who would like to contribute to the fund to build the visitor centre is invited to send donations to: The Treasurer, Tarka Valley Railway CIO, Torrington Station, Torrington, Devon EX38 8JD.…

THE RailwayTouring Company (RTC) cancelled the opening stages of its 2021 programme following the January 4 England-wide lockdown announcement. RTC’s traditional opener, the‘Winter Cumbrian Mountain Express’from Manchester to Carlisle on January 30, and the Euston departure, with steam on at Carnforth, on February 6 and February 27, were written off. Likewise the‘Valentine’s Bath & Bristol Express’from London Victoria via Westbury, Trowbridge and Bradford Junction on February 13. RTC’s Kelly Osborne was left hoping that the Covid-19 Government-imposed pandemic restrictions would be sufficiently eased for March, when six excursions are planned. Still being advertised to run as we closed for press were: March 6:‘The Yorkshireman’, Ealing Broadway toYork; March 13:‘The Cumbrian Coast Express’, Euston to Carlisle, steam on at Carnforth; and on March 20,‘The Edinburgh Flyer’, York to Edinburgh. Although subject…

THE Heritage Railway Association (HRA) is backing its members in their search for overseas supplies of steam coal with the end in sight for UK fuel. Britain’s heritage railways are being forced to accept that the battle for continued domestic coal supplies is lost, with environmental protestors winning the fight against opening new mines once existing ones close. Despite Government support for the continued burning of coal by heritage operators, the political tide elsewhere has turned decisively against the opening of new mines. HRA chief executive Steve Oates said: “Over the past five years, every planning application for a new mine which could have produced the kind of coal we need has been refused. “There are some limited stocks in reserve, and the last producing mine in the UK, Ffos-y-Fran…

THE Hythe Pier Heritage Association has launched a new membership supporter scheme to increase its numbers and expand engagement with the local community. The association was formed in early 2017 to preserve and protect the pier, its 2ft gauge railway and associated structures from further deterioration, and turn it into a community feature. It now hopes to increase the available volunteer pool. A donation of £10 per annum will provide access to a private Facebook group to discuss project progress and plans with other members and free ‘lectures’ throughout the year. More details are available at http://hythepier.co.uk/…

THE heritage sector worldwide has been in mourning following the sudden passing of Marina Linke, managing director of Golden Eagle Luxury Trains, who had been credited with sparking off a Russian ‘steam revolution’. Russia-born Marina, along with founder Tim Littler, played a pivotal role in the growth and development of the international railtour firm from its early days to the successful travel business that it is today. She died while they were taking their dogs out for a walk near their Cheshire homes on January 4. She was 53. “Russian steam preservation would be where it us today without Marina. She was the catalyst from the beginning,” said Tim. “On our first trip to the North Caucasus in 1992, she was working for Russian Railways. In 1995, they fired her,…

DOCUMENT management company Cleardata has begun scanning 366 of the original Doncaster Works drawings which will aid The A1 Steam Locomotive Trust (A1SLT) in constructing Gresley V4 2-6-2 No. 3403. The V4 will be the third new steam locomotive to be built by the trust, after A1 No. 60163 Tornado and P2 No. 2007 Prince of Wales. These drawings were acquired from Malcolm Barlow, a Doncaster scrap dealer who launched the now defunct Gresley V4 Society in 1994 to build a new example of the class. Scanned from microfiche for completion by late February, the drawings will be uploaded onto the trust’s CAD system. Progress Trust chairman Steve Davies MBE said:“We are in the pre-launch phase of the project. With the order for construction now placed on Darlington Locomotive Works,…

THE General Steam Navigation Locomotive Restoration Society is inviting enthusiasts help the restoration of Bulleid Merchant Navy Pacific No. 21c11/35011 General Steam Navigation by becoming a Trailing Truck Transformer in an exclusive club. The trailing truck currently with the locomotive is unique in preservation as it is one of the later fabricated type that replaced its original cast type in 1955. All other surviving Merchant Navy locomotives have the cast type, which they carried at withdrawal. Progress The truck was removed from the frames at the same time as the successful boiler lift on October 2. It has been fully assessed by an industry and certification advisor, and the estimate for its full refurbishment, overhaul and certification is £15,000. The society is offering up to 30 club members to purchase…

HACKWORTH and Pease have joined forces again, two centuries after playing key roles in developing the Stockton & Darlington Railway, the world’s first steam-operated public line. Architect Matthew Pease, the great-great-great-great-grandson of Quaker woollen manufacturer Edward Pease, the main protagonist behind the line, has been appointed as president of the Friends of the Stockton & Darlington Railway, while Jane Hackworth-Young, the great-great-granddaughter of superintendent engineer Timothy Hackworth, is now the group’s vice president. Achievements In 1975, Jane Hackworth-Young helped get her ancestor’s Shildon home restored, and it is now part of the Locomotion museum complex. Friends chairman Niall Hammond said: “We are delighted that two people bearing such famous railway names, who also have a deep interest in the line’s achievements, have come on board at this crucial time as…

THE Bo’ness & Kinneil Railway received a major boost when the line was handed back by contractors following repairs to five major landslides. On the evening of August 11 last year and early the following morning, much of Scotland was battered by thunderstorms, causing landslips along a mile-long stretch of the railway. Trains were unable to run beyond Nether Kinneil, and the railway was cut off both from Bo’ness and its main line connection at Manuel. Repairs were made possible by supporters who donated almost £130,000 to fund the work. A spokesman said: “We cannot express our thanks enough to everyone who donated and sent wonderful messages of support.”…

PROMOTERS of the Norfolk Orbital Railway (NOR) scheme have launched a final push to raise the last £5000 needed to buy a 190-yard strip of former Midland & Great Northern Joint Railway trackbed for £100,000 between High Kelling and Holt. The Melton Constable Trust needs the land to create a corridor between the North Norfolk Railway’s western terminus and Holt town centre, potentially giving the heritage line a second town centre presence. NOR director and trustee David Bill said such an acquisition would follow the purchase from Norfolk County Council of an adjoining 25-yard stretch of land for £25,000 a decade ago. He said: “It will open the way for talks with the county council to hopefully run the railway alongside the bypass. “We’ll be in a position where we…

THE Royal Deeside Railway has issued a public appeal for funds to help cover the cost of restarting services when lockdown restrictions permit. Due to Covid-19, all services and events - including the popular Santa specials last year - had to be cancelled. A spokesman said: “While we have had no income this past year, we continue to pay bills and maintenance costs. Consequently, the railway now has a funding shortfall and there is no guarantee that services can restart in 2021; operating through Birkenbaud crossing to the new Riverside Halt platform as planned. “We are appealing to our friends, supporters and passengers who would normally travel along the length of the railway to support the Royal Deeside Railway Preservation Society in achieving this aim by donating to our cause.”…

➜ A BOLLYWOOD adaptation by Mumbai-based production company Reliance Entertainment of bestselling novel The Girl On The Train, due for release on Netflix on February 26, includes scenes filmed at the Mid-Norfolk Railway’ Dereham station in August 2019. Volunteers were on hand to give technical advice and featured as extras in several shots. ➜ ROBERT Stephenson & Hawthorns 0-6-0ST No. 7673 of 1950 No. 62 Ugly has been withdrawn from Spa Valley Railway traffic for its 10-year overhaul. ➜ ANDY Savage, executive director of the Railway Heritage Trust and a trustee of the National Railway Heritage Awards, was awarded an MBE in the New Year’s Honours List, not an OBE as incorrectly reported last issue.…

A SELF-CONFESSED eccentric who practised as a dental surgeon, Vic Mitchell was an inventor, author and railway preservation pioneer. Vic was born in 1934, growing up in Hampton in London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, the son of a dental surgeon and, unusually for the period, his mother was a photographer. After schooling in Hampton, he attended Guys Hospital, London, for medical study and training as a dental surgeon. In 1951, after his school exams, he and friend Alan French went to volunteer on the newly-preserved Talyllyn Railway, the world’s first railway to be operated by volunteers, setting a trend that is now emulated all over the world. In the process, he made the front page of the Daily Express which caused consternation in his father’s surgery: “I thought your…

THE last man to drive a United States Army Transportation Corps (USATC) 2-8-0 locomotive in a war situation has died aged 92. Les Jacoby, who was born in Wabasha, Minnesota, and the oldest of 11 children, lived on a farm which had no electricity or running water. He joined the US Army in 1946, and lost much of his hearing during basic training. He struggled with the loss for the rest of his life. Career He served his country as an adviser to the Korean National Railroad and subsequently with the 790th Transportation Railway Operating Battalion, where aged 19 he became the driver of the last USATC steam locomotive to be used in conflict, United States Army No. 101 General Pershing. The locomotive, the only surviving example of 150 Consolidation-type…

THE Erlestoke Manor Fund (EMF) has broken new ground twice over, firstly with the appointment of Jane Preece as its first female company secretary and then making her its inaugural lady trustee at its recent annual general meeting. Well known within the Severn Valley Railway, Jane was also the line’s first human resources manager and ran the Heritage Skills Training Academy from 2016 to 2020, after which she became an SVR working member, closely involved with the volunteer department. Enthusiasm Her love of GWR Manors – in particular for No. 7802 Bradley Manor – stems from her grandfather, Harry Edwards, who was a bridge inspector based at Caersws in the 1950s, and who often travelled on the footplate of No. 7802 to carry out his duties. Jane, who had a…

THE NorthYorkshire Moors Railway’s permanent way staff and volunteers have spent recent months processing track donated by Network Rail from the two-mile relay at Danby on the Esk Valley line, with the final deliveries from the site arriving from late October to early November. Although little of it was of any further use on the NYMR, its scrap value represented a considerable boost to the railway’s income at a difficult time. As the dismantling and stripping progressed, a skip full of cast-iron chairs weighing around 16 tons was dispatched once a week, around 120 tons in total, and around 1750 wooden sleepers had been sold and dispatched from New Bridge Yard, with the remainder stacked and waiting prospective buyers. In addition, around 285 tons of rail from Danby were sent…

THE Talyllyn Railway has launched a £10,000 public appeal to buy a new tamping machine from China. The line’s existing tamper was bought second-hand in 1990 and has now reached the end of its useful life. Officials had been looking for a replacement for several years but found that the available tampers were too big or expensive. However, the line’s engineers were impressed with one which the Bala Lake Railway had imported from China. A 2ft 3in gauge tamper is now on order and is expected to arrive at Tywyn by May. So far, more than £3000 has been raised by the public appeal at https://donate.talyllyn.co.uk/ campaign/home/tamping-machine The railway is also seeking a name for its new item of motive power. Donors are being asked to come up with suggestions,…

ALTHOUGH he has of necessity reshuffled plans for this year’s programme of tours and holiday trains, Steam Dreams’chairman and owner, David Buck, said that once lockdown restrictions are eased, his trains are ready to run’ However, he has cancelled what had hoped to be the first excursion of the new season, a‘Mother’s Day Special’ from Paddington to Winchester on March 14 – which would have marked 12 months since Steam Dreams last ran a train, to Bath with a‘Black Five.’The ‘Highlands & Islands Explorer’tour on May 6-14 has also been postponed. Hope If pandemic restrictions are eased soon, it could pave the way for the mostly sold-out day trips behind No. 60103 Flying Scotsman commencing in May to go ahead. As reported last month, the first trip is a luncheon…

SAPHOS Trains has cancelled its Leicester-Carlisle‘Lakelander’trip on February 13 and the Nottingham-Cardiff‘Welsh Marches Express’on February 27 because of lockdown. The March 6 Worcester-Holyhead ‘North Wales Coast Express’has been postponed until May 31. At present all subsequent Saphos Trains’departures are open for bookings. The Statesman Rail‘Settle & Carlisle Luncheon Circular’originally booked for February 21 now has a May 3 departure, while the March 20-22 three-day‘West Highland Statesman’tour has been cancelled. As we closed for press, Statesman was taking reservations for its programme from May onwards. Originally scheduled for February 6, the Midland Pullman trip over the Settle and Carlisle line has been postponed until June 12. The Blue Pullman-liveried HST set is scheduled to run again on March 20 with the fully-booked‘Whitby Jet.’On April 24, the three-day‘Royal Highland Pullman’departs for Scotland.…

PATHFINDER Tours has rescheduled its April programme due to the ongoing uncertainty surrounding the easing of Covid-19 restrictions. Its‘Galloway Fifties’day tour to Stranraer from Tame Bridge Parkway and Birmingham New Street, Stafford, and Crewe via Carlisle with Class 50 traction is now set to run on June 5. ‘The Mazey Day Cornishman’from Birmingham tom Penzance via all stations to Bristol Temple Meads behind a pair of Class 50s will hopefully run on June 26. Departing Eastleigh on July 10,‘The Blue Boys Merrymixer’heads for the Midlands, hauled by a variety of Direct Rail Services locomotives stopping at Basingstoke, Reading West, Didcot, Leamington, Coventry and both Birmingham International and New Street stations. Starting from Banbury on July 17, ‘The Cumbrian Freighter’is routed to take in the Cumbrian Fells and the Settle and…

SPA Valley Railway passengers will now benefit from a £500,000 scheme to improve the platforms at Network Rail’s Eridge station. Enhancements at the station, which also acts as the western terminus of the heritage line, include refurbishment of the existing platforms. The drainage system has also been upgraded to prevent future flooding and improve the reliability of the Uckfield branch of the Oxted line. The improvements follow on from the £1.8-million footbridge and canopy upgrade last year, as previously reported. Angie Doll, managing director for Southern and Gatwick Express, said: “We’re giving Eridge a full refurbishment inside and out, including a welcoming new heritage-style waiting room, more seating and redecorated toilets. I would also like to say a special thank you to the local community who we’re working very closely…

IT SEEMS that it will still be a while before we see a return to main line steam operation. Therefore, this time I am looking back at some of the great main line steam performances which the recently retired VintageTrains driver Ray Churchill delighted us with in recent years, plus a rare chance to see the performance of the GWR Steam Railmotor No. 93. First however, as promised in my last column, table one shows the completion of the‘Cumbrian Mountain Express’run from Carlisle on Saturday, October 10, 2020; the section from Hellifield to Preston. Once again I am grateful to Sandy Smeaton for the very full details shown in the table. After a good effort down from Appleby with the 12 coach load driven by Mick Rawling and with Craig…

TWO Underground platform enamel roundels shared top billing in the railwayana section of a London paintings and collectables live online sale held by Essex auction house Sworders on December 15. They were from Oxford Circus, a busy hub on the Central, Victoria and Bakerloo lines, and the Piccadilly Line station of Knightsbridge, each of which sold for £2000. Oxford Circus station is Grade II-listed, and in 2019 handled 78 million passengers, making it the fourth busiest station on the London Underground network. A third roundel, from the Jubilee Line station of Swiss Cottage, went for £650. Prices exclude buyer’s premium of 25% (+ VAT).…