Table of contents for Issue 285 in Heritage Railway

→ VINTAGE Trains will now have train running control provided by the Rail Operations Group after DB Cargo withdrew its services, but DBC is still providing train crew and competence management support. Meanwhile, there will be no Tyseley Locomotive Works open weekend this autumn. VT chairman Michael Whitehouse said that building and improvement work would be occupying the site, with further enhancement of the 15in gauge line underway. → PACER DMU No. 144001 was placed in the grounds of Airedale General Hospital on September 5 for use as a communal area to support patients and their families. It is the third of three such units to find new community uses as part of the Department for Transport’s ‘Transform a Pacer’competition, the others having gone to a mental health charity in…

→ A3 Pacific No. 60103 Flying Scotsman will be making return trips on the Mid-Norfolk Railway on October 2, 3, 9, 10 and 16. Between trips, tickets can be purchased to see the train at Dereham. → LLANGOLLEN Railway Trust-owned Kitson 0-6-0ST No. 5459 of 1932 Austin 1 is to stay on the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway at Midsomer Norton until January. It will take part in a photographic charter on October 9, the end-of-season gala on October 23-24, and Santa specials on December 11/12 and 18/19. → THE privately-owned Richmond Light Railway has acquired Quarry Hunslet 0-4-0ST No. 827 of 1903 Sybil from the Brecon Mountain Railway. Built for the Pen-Yr-Orsedd slate quarry near Caernarfon, it was preserved in 1968 by BMR founder Tony Hills.…

BAGNALL Austerity 0-6-0ST No. 2746 of 1944 The Duke is coming back together at the Ecclesbourne Valley Railway, with the return of its overhauled boiler. The boiler was craned back into the locomotive’s frames at Wirksworth on July 21 following repairs at Locomotive Maintenance Services of Loughborough, including replacement of the firebox foundation ring, the firebox backhead, the lower sections of the outer wrapper, both tubeplates, the ashpan and the smokebox. Tim Oaks, of its owning Bagnall Locomotive Group, estimated that “the total cost of the overhaul so far is somewhere over £250,000.” To raise funds, the group is commissioning limited edition OO-gauge wagons from Dapol, with recent releases being inspired by the 1937 comedy film Oh! Mr Porter (see Model News, issue 282). The latest item is a ridge-roofed wagon…

MEMBERS of the Waggonway 1722 project – who unearthed what is believed to be the UK’s oldest waggonway during excavations on site in June 2019 – dug up more revelations in September this year. The industrial archaeologists’ excavations have revealed that the Tranent and Cockenzie Waggonway was rebuilt twice, leading to new wooden rails and sleepers being placed on top of the original, and, again, on top of its replacement, when each wore out. “This is, in effect, a triple-level railway,” said Ed Bethune, Waggonway 1722 chairman. “It gives us a unique insight into railway construction and maintenance methods of the 18th century. The sleepers and rail sections we’ve dug up are most revealing. “We’ve also found some rail fittings dating from the relaying of the line from 4ft 7in…

A GERMAN railway museum is seeking a GWR 4-6-0 on medium-term loan for display as the ‘Hogwarts Express’. The Bahnpark Augsburg in southern Germany has locomotives from France, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Luxembourg and Portugal, and would like to add a GWR Hall or other 4-6-0 in ‘Hogwarts’ red livery, like No. 5972 Olton Hall. The locomotive need not be in working order and ownership would remain with its owners, although a purchase would be considered. The museum will arrange and sponsor its transport, restoration and upkeep. Any offers can be directed to Marcus Hehl at markus.hehl@bahnpark-augsburg.eu…

WORK on the overhaul of A2 No. 60532 Blue Peter at Locomotive Services Ltd in Crewe is currently focused on the alignment of its frames. This follows the replacement of the Peppercorn Pacific’s middle cylinder – which also required the two outside cylinders to be removed – but has also been prompted by the locomotive’s infamous wheelslip at Durham in 1994. In this incident, which saw the locomotive reach an estimated speed of 140mph while almost standing still, its driving wheels moved on the axles, which were subsequently repaired along with replacement of much of the motion.“But we don’t know whether there was any frame movement,” said Peter Greenwood, a trustee of its owning Royal Scot Locomotive & General Trust. The A2, which last steamed in 2002, is the main…

THE Severn Valley Railway has won a TripAdvisor Traveller’s Choice Award for the second year running. Based on visitor feedback submitted to the online platform, the award – which also went to the SVR’s Engine House visitor centre at Highley and King & Castle pub at Kidderminster – puts the Kidderminster-Bridgnorth line in the top 10% of visitor attractions worldwide. The railway has received more than 300 five-star reviews in the last 12 months, boosting its ranking in the Kidderminster, Worcestershire and West Midlands categories. Michael Dunn, head of visitor experience at the SVR, said:“The Severn Valley Railway has always been synonymous with a quality service – from our customer service team to our dedicated volunteers. “We continue to improve all areas of the railway and value customers’ honest feedback…

PROJECT 62, the group overseeing the restoration of two Yugoslavian-built Class 62‘Yankee Tank’ copies, will be holding an open day at the North Dorset Railway’s Shillingstone station headquarters from 11am to 3pm on Sunday, October 24. Visitors are invited to meet the volunteers restoring No. 30075 (formerly JZ No. 62-669, which was acquired from Store Steel in Slovenia in 1990) which is out of service pending firebox repairs and a full overhaul. The group is also involved in the project to rebuild No.62-521, which was acquired from ArcelorMittal Zenica in Bosnia Herzegovina in December 2006 with the new identity of No. 30076. The Class 62s are a pattern build of Second World War USATC S100 Class 0-6-0T shunters designed by Colonel Howard G Hill, many of which saw service in…

THE disused Lancashire &Yorkshire Railway signalbox on the main line at Hebden Bridge is to become a community-run heritage centre – and visitors will be able to stay in it overnight. After three years of campaigning in conjunction with the Friends of Hebden Bridge Station, the local Calder Valley Community Land Trust has been awarded a £99,600 grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund to preserve the Grade II listed building. It has been empty since 2018, when the line’s signalling was modernised, and has suffered from bouts of vandalism. The structure still contains the original L&Y signal lever frame which was installed in 1891. The trust will oversee the restoration of the interior of the signalbox and will install a computer simulation, allowing visitors to use the existing signal…

HAD not the Swanage Railway enjoyed a tremendously successful August – more than 10,000 visitors turned up over the bank holiday weekend alone – U class 2-6-0 No. 31806 could have stepped in to work the Railway Touring Company’s ‘Dorset Coast Express’and ‘Swanage Belle’on August 2 and 9 respectively (see separate story). However, James Cox, Swanage locomotive carriage and wagon superintendent, said that because the railway was so busy throughout August, all three serviceable engines were needed to cope with traffic. However, he did voice the thought that if the demand is there for No. 31806 next year there would be no reason why the engine should not spend a spell based at Southall, ready to work trains over the former Southern Region routes – with destinations such as Portsmouth,…

VINTAGE Trains is to recreate the time when steam banking up the 1-in 37 Lickey gradient, including the‘Pines Express’, was an everyday event. On November 20, the Tyseley-based tour operator is planning to run ntwo trains ‘up the hill’from Bromsgrove, using GWR 4-6-0 No. 7029 Clun Castle and LMS Princess Coronation Pacific No. 6233 Duchess of Sutherland following, supported by 0-6-0PT No. 9466. A morning train sets off from Tyseley, calling at Birmingham Snow Hill for Bromsgrove, behind the Castle, followed by an afternoon departure with No. 6233. Undoubtedly both trains and the linesides will be packed for the occasion. On October 30, when No. 6233 first returns to traffic following recent repairs by its owning group which caused it to miss the Severn Valley Railway’s autumn steam gala, will…

WR blue-liveried Class 52 D1015 Western Champion was failed with by a seized Maybach engine during a test run between Kidderminster and Bristol. Due to make its comeback after a lengthy overhaul working Pathfinder Tours’ ‘Champion Torbay Express’ from Eastleigh to Torquay, Paignton and Kingswear on September 25, Peter Watts instead hired the Class 50 Alliance’s Nos. 50007 Hercules and 50049 Defiance. In the build-up to the festive season, Pathfinder will be visiting York and Harrogate on November 20. The ‘Northern Star’, hauled by a DB Cargo Class 67, departs Salisbury for Warminster, Westbury, Trowbridge, Chippenham, Swindon, Oxford, Banbury and lastly Leamington Spa. A pair of Class 50s will be used to haul ‘The Christmas White Rose Express’ to seasonal markets and attractions in York, Durham and Newcastle on December 4. The…

The end of main line steam in 1968 spurred thousands of enthusiasts to emulate the successful early preservation schemes like the Talyllyn, Ffestiniog, Keighley & Worth Valley, Dart Valley, Bluebell and Severn Valley railways and devise similar projects of their own. However, it was only a matter of time before questions were asked – what about running steam specials on the network once again? Having a fleet of main line steam locomotives on a heritage line is indeed a superb achievement. Yet there were many who, while admiring the preservationists, remained more than a little disappointed. Heritage lines run under the provisions of the 1896 Light Railways Act, which set a maximum speed of 25mph. Seeing a glorious green, red, black or blue giant from the halcyon age of steam…

A SOUTHSEA Tramway ticket numbered 000 for a second class journey from Shanklin to London Bridge via Ryde was the runaway winner with a realisation of £2050 in Paddington Ticket Auctions’ postal and email 900-lot sale that ended on August 31. Overseas tickets then took centre stage, led by two lots of Kowloon-Canton Railway tickets that each fetched £1250, followed by a collection of 10 Tasmanian Government Railways’ examples mostly dated 1934 that also went for £1250. Prices exclude buyer’s premium of 10% (+ VAT).…

RACEHORSE names may have been a favourite theme for the LNER, but the eight ClassV2 locomotives to be named bucked the trend by honouring regiments, public schools, or, in the case of the class leader, an express freight train. One of the five regimental names stretched to 11 words and another 10, but headlining Talisman Railwayana’s October auction will be the sole one-worder in the 184-strong class. It is Coldstreamer from No. 60873, which emerged from Doncaster Works in May 1939 and was withdrawn by BR from Edinburgh St Margaret’s (64A) in December 1962. ‘Arthur’ and ‘Scot’ plates Three other nameplates will also be going under the hammer, including Sir Hectimere from King Arthur No. 30798 and The Life Guardsman from LMS No. 46150. The Southern Railway 4-6-0 was built…

GWR nameplate Jackdaw from Bulldog 4-4-0 No. 3447, a December 1909 Swindon product that was withdrawn from Worcester (85A) by BR in April 1951, will be joined by two smokebox numberplates and totem and Southern Railway station target signs in the Transport Auctions of London sale on October 30. The smokeboxes accompanying Jackdaw are 3012 from a GWR ex-ROD 2-8-0 and 31808 from an SR Class U 2-6-0. Among the totems is Betws-y-Coed, a former LMS station deep in GWR territory, and signs include an SR bridge weight restriction notice that is believed to be of a type used in only the New Forest. From the capital comes a Metropolitan Railway & LNER enamel direction sign to Watford station probably dating from November 1925, when the station was opened as…

WEST Somerset Railway plc chairman Jonathan Jones-Pratt said that the line’s financial fortunes during the peak summer period were better than expected. July showed a profit of £49,503 compared to a budgeted loss of £29,036, while income during the month mainly comprises fares of £123,794, retail income of £49,588, locomotive department income of £14,255, and restoration income of £11,264. “While the results for July are very encouraging, we still have work to do here,” he said. “When we set the budgets, we were cautious and forecast a loss of £416,458 for the year to the end of July. We have achieved a better result, with a smaller loss of £148,594. “We don’t yet know the complete fare income for August, though early returns are promising and most trains are well…

CAMPAIGNERS fighting to save the Midland & Great Northern Joint Railway’s Bridge 234 in Bourne from being knocked down as part of a new housing scheme have won near-unanimous backing from district councillors. At their meeting in Grantham on September 16, members of South Kesteven District Council’s planning committee voted 8-1 against approving developer Bellway Homes’ application for a ‘pocket park’ and children’s play area on the site of the bridge adjacent to the Lincolnshire town’s Elsea Park housing estate, on the grounds that it did not go far enough to protect its heritage – in the form of the bridge. As previously reported, Bellway wants to build 373 homes on land surrounding the late Victorian overbridge, and has said that while it wants to demolish it, it plans to…

THE Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway hosted a double celebration on September 4 when Krupp 4-6-2 No. 11 Black Prince returned to traffic after seven years and the new heritage centre at New Romney was opened. General manager Danny Martin welcomed Paul Thomas, the Mayor of New Romney, to cut the ribbon to declare the centre open. The association worked during the lockdown to complete the installation of panels and showcases inside the centre, set up inside the old New Romney paint shop. After Black Prince (picture, page 106),YEC 4-6-2 No. 10 Doctor Syn will be the next locomotive to be overhauled. RHDR Association trustee Nigel Whitburn said: “The funding of the rebuild of Black Prince is an example of our ongoing financial support and now the establishment of the…

THE first phase of work to refurbish the Severn Valley Railway’s Bridgnorth shed is almost funded, with an appeal having passed the £360,000 mark. As reported last issue, the ‘Home and Dry’ appeal aims to raise £475,000 to replace the shed roof, improve the lighting and install an overhead crane. Shelagh Paterson, executive director of the SVR Charitable Trust, explained: “The roof has a very limited life span – just two years at most. It’s critical that this is addressed as soon as possible, with the crane being installed after the building is made safe and dry. The total cost of this first phase is £380,000 and so we are already very close to being able to fund this in its entirety.” The latest figure includes a grant pledge of…

WITH the relaxation of Covid-19 restrictions, work to convert a GWR coach into a fully accessible buffet is progressing at the Severn Valley Railway. The 1928-built coach, originally Collett bow-ended Corridor Third No. 5043, is being rebuilt as a 1930s-style Art Deco buffet with a passenger saloon accessible for wheelchairs. The project is funded by the SVR Charitable Trust and is being undertaken by the LNER Coach Fund. The vehicle is being restored from a gutted shell, having ended its BR career by being converted to a mess coach for the Swindon breakdown train in about 1960. It has been given the new identity of No. 9581 after a GWR Diagram H33 composite dining car. Its floor structure has been completed, along with the underframe wiring, the communication valve and its…

THE Gresley Society has launched a £100,000 appeal to complete the overhaul of its N2 0-6-2T No. 1744 (BR No. 69523). It is the oldest surviving locomotive built to the design of Sir Nigel Gresley having been outshopped by North British for the GNR in February 1921. Owned by the society since 1963, and a popular performer, it came out of traffic for a heavy overhaul in 2018. The society at first believed that it had sufficient funds to complete the overhaul, and Northern Steam Engineering was contracted to do the job, with work starting at the beginning of 2019. However, not only has Covid-19 had an impac on the opverhhaul projectt, in terms of both timescale and the cost of materials, but the number of items requiring replacement were found…

A GWR former broad gauge carriage is one of three items of rolling stock that the National Railway Museum is offering to give to a new home. Six-wheel tri-composite No. 820 of 1887 was converted to standard gauge a few years later, and then became a camping coach. Stored at the Locomotion museum in Shildon, it has no interior and externally is in poor condition. The NRM has decided to dispense with it as it is ‘duplicated’ by the LSWR tri-composite and Midland Railway six-wheel carriages on display at Station Hall. Also on offer are LNER four-wheeled long-wheelbase tunnel inspection van No. DE470818 of 1940 with footsteps for working inside tunnels, and NER six-plank sand wagon No. DE14974 of 1912. An NRM spokesman said:“We occasionally transfer items from the collection if…

THE Bishop’s Castle Railway Society has opened its new Weighbridge Railway Museum after years of hard graft. The society was established in 1989 to preserve remaining artefacts from the Shropshire railway that opened in 1865 after local businesses raised the money to build it, but closed in 1935 after all but one of its operational years made a loss. The Station Street museum explores how it brought prosperity into a small isolated community by facilitating cheaper goods to be brought in, local produce to reach wider markets, and making travel to bigger towns possible. Opening times are currently restricted to 11am to 3pm on the second and fourth Tuesday in every month. One of its first events was a model railway society meeting on September 7.…

Usually, the prevailing and sensible school of thought in railway preservation is that you should buy a locomotive because of its condition, not for its name. Certainly that’s the case when setting out to preserve today’s heritage diesels; it’s no good saving a celebrity ‘namer’ with a special livery if it’s got thin tyres or high engine hours, or the copper thieves have been at it. Things can be different when it comes to steam locomotives, though. When intrepid preservationists began rescuing survivors from Dai Woodham’s famous Barry scrapyard, many of the first engines to find buyers were indeed those considered to be in the best nick. Most were back in steam within a relatively short time, and some even still had original BR tubes in the boiler. Nonetheless, there…

UK Railtours’Elizabeth Morris, who has taken up the reins that her late father John Farrow held so successfully for many years, said the business is back to something like its old self. Admitting that times had been difficult, Elizabeth told how she was pleased with the manner in which business was getting back towards the norm. “Once we get through the remainder of this year, 2022 should put us in a position to run excursions during the bulk of the new season,” she said. One big disappointment was when the‘Merchant of Norfolk’, featuring Bulleid Merchant Navy Pacific No. 35028 Clan Line’s first visit to Norwich on August 28, had to be cancelled because train operator DB Cargo was unable to supply a crew. Looking forward, October 16 sees‘The Cotswold Lion’heading…

WALES is soon to get its first two London Underground trains. The two tube train sets – Nos. 483006 and 483008, which were delivered to the Underground in 1940 and latterly saw service on the Isle of Wight’s Island Line as BR Class 483 – were acquired by the London Transport Traction Group following their withdrawal. The group has now reached agreement with the Llanelli & Mynydd Mawr Railway at Cynheidre for the sets to be based there, and will deliver them in the coming months. While No. 483008 requires significant work to make it accessible to the public, it is hoped that No. 483006, which formed the last Class 483 service on January 3, may be opened for inspection by visitors soon after its arrival. It is believed that…

FOLLOWING major restoration of the Llangollen Railway’s Berwyn station house, the property is now available to book through holiday letting companyHoseasons. More than 600 hours of volunteer input has gone into this project. In addition to work by outside contractors, the building has received repairs to its trademark timber and the chimney, cleaning and repairs to gutters and downpipes, repairs to the lime render and block paving, and repairs to and a repaint of the window frames. After several weeks encased in scaffolding, the external repairs and repaint of the station house have been completed. The station is once more revealed in its black-and-white mock Tudor splendour, with internal redecoration also completed to allow for letting the three-bedroom property as holiday accommodation for the first time in 18 months. A…

CARRIAGE restorers have completed a £5000 project to return 1955-built Brake Second suburban compartment coach No. E43359 to working condition at the Llangollen Railway. The York-built coach, which seats 72 persons in six separate compartments, has taken three years of volunteer effort to restore it at Pentrefelin Carriage & Wagon Works. On September 10, No. E43359 was taken for a trial run attached to the rake of four suburbans forming the 11am departure from Llangollen behind Class 26 D5310. It recreated a scene from the late 1950s when such trains ran on the Eastern Region lines into King’s Cross, and the assembled five suburbans offered a unique train operating formation on the heritage line. As reported last issue, the opportunity was taken during the restoration to provide additional capacity for…

THE first of nine cylinders has been cast for a planned fleet of new-build Lynton & Barnstaple Railway Manning Wardle 2-6-2Ts. Following its successful construction of replica Baldwin 2-4-2T No. 762 Lyn for the revived L&B at Woody Bay, the 762 Club now plans to construct replicas of all four of the original line’s Manning Wardle 2-6-2Ts – Nos. 759 Yeo, 760 Exe, 761 Taw and 188 Lew. The first cylinder has been produced at Cerdic Foundry of Chard, using the original patterns from the construction of Ffestiniog Railway-based L&B 2-6-2T No. 190 Lyd, which was completed in 2010. Some improvements to the cylinder design have been made in the light of experience with this locomotive. The first casting was sent to Boston Lodge works on the Ffestiniog Railway for…

DESPITE having staff placed on the Government-supported furlough payment scheme during the coronavirus pandemic during last year, the Vale of Rheidol Railway’s Aberystwyth workshop is now back at 90% production capacity and much engineering progress has been made. As reported in issue 283, the contract to overhaul Beyer Peacock 0-6-0T No. 822 The Earl for the Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway has been completed. The lowloader that took back The Earl then returned with ex-Sierra Leone Railway Hunslet 2-6-2T No. 85, which has not worked since 2010. VoR staff have stripped the locomotive and reported on its condition. No. 85 is now in storage and the WLLR’s decision on the next step to be undertaken is awaited. Next in line for works attention is the completion of the overhaul of…

PLANNING permission and listed building consent has been granted for the Severn Valley Railway’s refurbishment of Bridgnorth station. As reported last issue, the SVR plans to renovate the Grade II listed 1862 building with internal alterations to the waiting room, an extension to the bar area of the Railwayman’s Arms pub, and the reconstruction of the parcels office at the northern end which is suffering from structural movement. The SVR is now seeking Building Regulations Approval and preparing the structural calculations required, sending invitations to contractors to tender for the main works, and obtaining quotes for the electrical work, fitting out the shop and refurbishing the pub. The project will include interpretation of the building’s history, and the SVR is appealing for historical photographs and stories about the station –…

HIGH Speed Train power cars have run on the Severn Valley Railway as part of a contract with main line operator Colas Rail. As reported last issue, five of the Class 43 power cars – Nos. 43251, 43257, 43272, 43274 and 43277 – have been in store at the SVR’s Arley station while awaiting a return to main line use on Network Rail test trains. The contract includes access to SVR facilities such as inspection pits to carry out work on the locomotives, and on August 23, Nos. 43272 and 43274 were hauled to Kidderminster by Class 50 No. 50049 Defiance for an exam and brake pad change. The following afternoon, they made a test run under their own power along the length of the SVR, from Kidderminster to Bridgnorth…

THE smiling faces and excited youngsters said it all to Di and Simon Parums – their painstaking transformation of a 156-year-old Lake District former railway station into a café and tourist attraction has been worth every minute of the two years they have devoted to the project. There were ups and there were downs, probably even doubts as to the wisdom of their decision to undertake the work, but the dream became reality in early August. The station is Bassenth waite Lake, which was opened by the Cockermouth Keswick & Penrith Railway in January 1865 and closed by BR in April 1966. The Up eastbound platform and goods yard subsequently disappeared under the A66 Cockermouth-Keswick road, but the Down platform, station building, stationmaster’s house and signalmen’s cottage defied all that…

RAIL Accident and Investigation Branch inspectors visited the North Yorkshire Moors Railway following a collision at Grosmont station. The incident occurred on the morning of September 21, when Class 20 No. 20189 running light collided with a stationary passenger train. A NYMR spokesman said:“We can confirm that there was a collision at 10.32am between a diesel locomotive and a stationary set of carriages at Grosmont station. “All passengers were taken off the stationary train and transported back to Whit by. There were no serious injuries reported. “As with all such accidents, it is currently being investigated by the Rail Accident and Investigation Branch.” A spokesman for the RAIB said: “The RAIB has sent a team of inspectors to Grosmont station where a low-speed collision has occurred in a platform between a…

FOOTPLATE experience courses and observation saloon bookings are once again available at the Severn Valley Railway after the 18-month suspension because of coronavirus. Holders of pre-existing vouchers were given the first opportunity to book footplate courses during September and October. The line’s first observation saloon experience since the beginning of the pandemic ran on August 15, with bookings being taken for the rest of this year and into 2022. For these and footplate courses, call 01562 757900. From September 7, the SVR reintroduced flexible hop on, hop off services, with passengers free to board or alight from any train at any station, although exclusive pre-booked compartments are still available.…

A RESTRUCTURE is planned at the Mid-Hants Railway to help secure it for future generations. The existing structure of the line dates back to its inception in the 1970s when a company – then titled the Winchester & Alton Light Railway – was set up with the intention of operating daily commuter services, and the MHR Preservation Society intending to run steam-hauled trains at weekends. The plan for commuter trains did not materialise but the operating company, now titled Mid-Hants Railway Ltd, owns the freehold of the line and a significant proportion of its assets. However, the preservation society, having acquired and been gifted shares to support the railway over the years, now has a 51% shareholding in the company. Under the restructure plan, the MHRPS, which is already a…

WORK is underway in the East Somerset Railway’s Cranmore shed to turn a Mk.1 coach into a permanent exhibition space dedicated to the line’s late founder and well-known wildlife artist David Shepherd. BG No. 81156 was previously equipped for use as a kitchen car on the ‘Mendip Belle’ dining train but was retired in August 2020 after three years’ use in that role. It has been replaced by Mk.1 BSK No. W35487, which has been transformed into a kitchen car with disabled dining facilities. The BG (brake gangwayed) is now being fully refurbished as an exhibition coach. At the end of the season, one of the ESR’s operational coaches will take its place in the shed for a winter overhaul and repaint. The project will then be mainly put on…

A NEW-BUILD locomotive and a Barry restoration project have seen progress boosted thanks to a legacy. Ron Mills, who died in November 2018, left significant sums to the Holden F5 Locomotive Trust, which is building new GER 2-4-2T No. 789, and the British Enginemen Steam Preservation Society, which is restoring LMS ‘Black Five’ No. 45293 at the Colne Valley Railway and where Ron was a volunteer. As a result, both locomotives are now progressing towards the rolling chassis stage; the F5’s frames have been riveted together, its cylinders fitted, and the smokebox, chimney, running plates and buffers are all in place. Design work on the radial trucks and axlebox horn guides has been completed, but the group is waiting to place an order in the hope that the price of…

SUPPORTERS of the scheme to reunite the two heritage-era Great Central railways have raised £1 million towards the next stage. The money for the GCR Reunification Project has come from the local community and rail enthusiasts who want to see a unique 18-mile heritage main line created between the outskirts of Nottingham and Leicester, using the new bridge that has been built over the Midland Main Line at Loughborough to link the Great Central Railway and what has just been rebranded as the Nottingham Heritage Railway. The new bridge and refurbishment of an original one crossing the Grand Union Canal at Loughborough are two of the seven phases of work completing the link, which will not only create an internationally recognised tourist attraction, but will also sustain and create jobs…

THE fabrication of the cylinder block for the new £6 million Gresley P2 2-8-2 No. 2007 Prince of Wales has begun. Howco Group Plc is using steel castings supplied by William Cook Cast Products Ltd, with delivery scheduled for spring 2022. The A1 Steam Locomotive Trust is aiming to raise an initial £250,000 from 250 supporters each donating £1000 (plus Gift Aid) for the block via The Cylinder Manufacturing Club. The club has already raised £27,000 (plus Gift Aid) just two months after being launched. The trust’s engineering team has completed the work involved in converting the original class P2 monobloc casting into a welded fabrication – the final of four principal areas of major redesign (pony truck, valve gear, crank axle and cylinder block) of the original Gresley design.…

AS reported last month, LMS Stanier 4-6-2 No. 6201Princess Elizabeth had been failed on July 23‘with a water leak’prior to its next-day outing with the‘Northern Belle’over the Settle and Carlisle line, the duty being taken over at short notice by Tornado. As 6201 Princess Elizabeth Society Limited chairman Clive Mojonnier said at the time:“Until I see the boiler inspector’s report, I will not speculate about the cause of the problem.” Throatplate problem Bringing matters up to date, the gist of the inspector’s report said: “The boiler fitted to No. 6201 has recently been withdrawn from service due to a leakage in the central stayed area of the throatplate. A non-destructive testing has been carried out. “It is advised that that the boiler should be subjected to tests and examinations before…

UNIQUE BR 8P 4-6-2 No. 71000 Duke of Gloucesteris receiving modifications to its front end to improve its reliability and ease maintenance. As part of the Riddles Pacific’s overhaul to main line standard at Tyseley Locomotive Works, the design of its pistons, slidebar mountings and lubrication system have all been altered to tackle design flaws – which meant that the Duke and other Standards suffered from heavy piston ring wear. In common with all of the larger BR Standard classes, except for the Caprotti-geared 5MT 4-6-0s, No. 71000’s slidebars were affixed only to brackets from the frames instead of being attached to the rear cylinder covers – meaning that any flexing between the cylinders and slidebars would increase the piston ring wear. The Duke’s slidebars will now also be attached…

FOLLOWING what was a busy summer of railtours, Saphos Trains has surprisingly reduced its main line activities to just two pre-Christmas trips during December. Derbyshire’s Chatsworth House, dressed for the festivities, is the big attraction on December 8 when the ‘Chatsworth Christmas Sparkle Express’ departs from Lancaster, the train making calls at Preston, Wigan North Western, Warrington Bank Quay, Hartford, Crewe, Stafford, Lichfield Trent Valley and Chesterfield. On arrival, passengers will be conveyed to the big house by road. On December 18, the ‘Pennine Moors Christmas Cracker’ starts from Rugby and calls at Coventry, Henley-in-Arden, Birmingham International and Crewe for a circular luncheon tour. Motive power is not detailed but with No. 70000 Britannia, No. 5029 Nunney Castle and No. 60532 Blue Peter still in the workshops the choice on…

AN extensive selection of Winson Engineering castings to build a Standard Class 9F 2-10-0 and two GWR 2-6-2T models sold for £5100 at a Lacy Scott & Knight of Bury St Edmunds collectors’ models sale on August 20. Included in the lot were boilers, cylinders and associated parts. Just below the four-figure mark was GWR 2-6-2T No. 6157 made by Lee Marsh Model Co of Fife in O-gauge (£920), and at £780 came a Reeves of Warwickshire 3½in gauge live steam 0-4-0T Tich, followed by two models each at £720. This pair comprised a 2½in gauge live steam Great Northern Railway Pacific No. 1470 and an O-gauge LMS No. 45126. The GNR model was named Eastern Star rather than Great Northern as carried by the actual locomotive, while the ‘Black…

GREAT Central’s October 2 sale will have an Isle of Wight feel thanks to nameplate Shanklin, Southern Railway station target sign Sandown, and an Isle of Wight Central Railway enamel posterboard header. The nameplate, which is making its auction debut, comes from W20, a London & South Western Railway O2 class 0-4-4T built at Nine Elms Works in March 1892 as No. 211 to the design of locomotive superintendent William Adams. It was shipped to the island by the Southern Railway in 1923 and worked there for 43 years before being withdrawn from Ryde (70H) in December 1966. Sandown station was opened in August 1864 and is so today on the electrified Ryde to Shanklin route, although it is temporarily closed due to an upgrade to the 8½-mile line, expected to…

HERITAGE modern traction ruled the roost in the Justaclickago online auction of photographs, slides and negatives that ran from August 23-29. Heading the realisation charts at £880 was a collection of 500 colour slides featuring Class 37, 40 and 47 diesels, HSTs, and Class EM1/76 electric locomotives, all taken during the 1970s up to the 1990s. The popular Class 52‘Western’ diesel-hydraulics featured strongly, with a total of 150 colour slides taken between 1974 and 1976, selling in three lots for £600, £560, and £540, followed by 59 colour slides of industrial steam in the late-1960s (£520). Prices in the 460-lot auction exclude buyer’s premium of 18%.…

→October 2 Great Central Railwayana (Live online, email, telephone and commission) → October 2-20 Talisman Railwayana (Email, telephone and postal) → Ends October 3 Railwayana Sales (Internet and telephone) → October 3 Bristol Railwayana (Live saleroom) → Ends October 12 Great Northern Railwayana (Online) → October 14-November 2 Paperchase (Email, telephone and postal) → October 22 Lacy Scott & Knight (railwayana and model trains) (Live online, email, telephone and commission) → October 22 Vectis (model trains) (Live online, email, telephone and postal)…

THE heritage modern traction generation has been making its presence felt in recent auctions, but Great Central Railwayana’s September 4 sale showed there’s still plenty of life left in the steam traditionalists, for leading the realisations were nameplates from three of the Big Four. The leader of the pack was Winchester from SR Schools class No. 30901, which went under Mike Soden’s hammer for £9400, followed at £7600 by City of Liverpool from GCR Class 1 No. 428/LNER Class B19 No. 1493, and in third place Princess Augusta from GWR Star class No. 4058 (£5000). A final steam nameplate was Carra Castle, carried by LMS-designed Northern Counties Committee of Ireland U2 class 4-4-0 No. 83, although its £3000 realisation was topped by Great Whernside from Class 60 Co-Co No. 60020, which…

GREAT Central’s ‘Bloxham’-style auction on September 11 produced two four-figure realisations, comprising £1200 for a steam-era work-in-progress information board and £1000 for a flamecut cabside panel from a 1983-built diesel. The board, of London & North Western Railway origin, was from Crewe Works and provided updates by way of data slot-in panels, while the flamecut was from Class 56 heavy freight Co-Co No. 56116, which was built at Crewe in March 1983 and withdrawn in February 2003 from Toton in Nottinghamshire, one of the country’s largest rail depots that in the days of BR steam was coded 18A and later 16A. At £920 came a London & South Western Railway 11ft 9in-tall lattice post distant signal and at £800 a ‘Thornaby & intermediate stations’ departure wooden board, followed by a…

TWO early Victorian railway companies feature in late entries in Great Northern Railwayana’s two-week auction that ends on October 12. From the Furness Railway, which started operations in 1846, comes a panel cut from a wooden carriage that carries the company’s coat of arms, and from the Oldham Ashton & Guide Bridge Junction Railway a boundary marker engraved on local gritstone. This 6½-mile line ran its first trains in 1861 and was vested jointly in the GCR and LNWR in 1908. Gauge one live steam models going under the online hammer are LMS ‘Black 5’ No. 44893 and LNER V2 No. 4795 (BR No. 60824), and there’s the whistle from Northern Counties Committee of Ireland U2 class 4-4-0 No. 83Carra Castle, one of whose nameplates was sold at Great Central’s…