Table of contents for Issue 286 in Heritage Railway

METROPOLITAN Railway E class 0-4-4T No.1 has again returned to Amersham and this time for keeps – not on London Underground metals, but on Talyllyn Railway tracks! No.1 worked the last steam-hauled LT passenger train in 1961 and survived in use until 1965; it is now preserved at the Buckinghamshire Railway Centre. In 2013, the 150th anniversary of London Underground, No. 1 was loaned to London Transport Museum for the Metropolitan Railway 150 celebrations honouring the anniversary of the first Underground journey in 1863. No.1 has visited Amersham since, most recently in 2017. However, No.1 can now be seen on a grass verge at Oakfield Corner, across the road from NatWest bank, together with a pair of Jubilee first and third class coaches – all standing on track supplied by…

NEW tyres have been fitted to the driving wheel sets of BR Standard 8P 4-6-2 No.71000 Duke of Gloucester. The six new tyres were fitted at South Devon Railway Engineering, with the process being overseen by Rob Evans, the new general manager of the engineering business at Buck fast leigh following the retirement of Rob le Chevalier. The wheel sets will now be returned for profiling at Tyseley Locomotive Works, where the Riddles Pacific is under overhaul for an expected return to the main line next year. BR Class 8 Steam Locomotive Trust chairman Trevor Tuckley said: “The trust and Tyseley are working towards completion for the middle of 2022. “However, following both Brexit and Covid-19, materials and delivery times, along with costs, are very unpredictable. Like all such projects,…

TEARNE Transfer & Digital Print Ltd, the firm that supplied British Railways with its steam-era crests and cab side numbers, has closed down after 165 years. Founded in 1856 as Tearne & Sons, the Birmingham-based firm started out by producing cycle transfers but quickly became a major supplier to railway companies around the world, including East Africa and Nigeria. In Britain, it supplied London Underground with transfers, and BR with the ‘lion and wheel’ crests, cab side numbers and power classifications for steam locomotives, as well as crests for ‘Big Four’ and pre-Grouping companies. It closed down at the end of September as directors Christopher and Pat Hall retired, but some of its artwork and a limited stock of transfers are still available to preservationists. These include BR early and…

AN £8400 appeal has been launched to cover transportation costs of a Cadbury diesel shunter from the chocolate manufacturer’s base in Birmingham to its ne who me at the Llanelli & Mynydd Mawr Railway. Registered charity the Gloucester Railway Carriage & Wagon Museum aims to cover the crane hire and transport of Hudswell Clarke 0-4-0DM D1012 of 1955 Cadbury No.14 from the car park of Cadbury World, in Bournville, to its base at Cynheidre, where a restoration and overhaul will take place, bringing D1012 back to its former operational condition, complete with original Cadbury livery and the addition of vacuum and/or air braking systems. No. 14, which has a Gardner 107hp 6lw engine, was supplied new to the Cadbury’s factory at Moreton on the Wirral in September 1956. It worked for…

JOE Duddington, who drove A4 Pacific No. 4468 Mallard on its record-breaking run in 1938, has finally been honoured 68 years after he was buried in an unmarked grave. The Friends of Hyde Park Cemetery in Doncaster had raised more than £5000 to place a headstone on the plot where the LNER driver was buried after he died in 1953, alongside his wife Mary, who died in 1921. Fireman remembered The appeal had originally aimed to raise £2000, and the extra money has paid for a bench in his memory, depicting the famous Gresley 4-6-2. It also covered kerbing, decorative stones, and a plaque on the grave (also including an image of Mallard) commemorating Tommy Bray, Joe’s fireman on the record run. Fifty people attended a service to mark the…

TWO narrow gauge lines have cancelled their Santa specials this Christmas. Emlyn Pritchard, general manager of the Llanberis Lake Railway, stated: “Due to the continuing uncertainty regarding the coronavirus pandemic as we move into the autumn and winter months, we have regrettably taken the decision that we will not be operating our Santa trains for 2021. “This has been an extremely difficult decision to make, but the health and safety of our staff, customers and, of course, Father Christmas and his team is of paramount importance. Lack of volunteers “While we fully understand the disappointment cancelling our Christmas trains will cause to all those who travel with us during the festive period, we sincerely hope that our Santa trains will return in December 2022.” Meanwhile, the South Tynedale Railway announced:…

ATRIAL assembly of the front bogie frame for new-build Clan 4-6-2 No. 72010 Hengist has taken place. The BR Standard Pacific’s bogie frame was assembled at its engineering base of CTL Seal in Sheffield (also the base of the B17 project) on October 4, by members of the Standard Steam Locomotive Company who have been trained to use the firm’s overhead cranes. During late September, the motion brackets and slidebar mountings were also trial-fitted to the locomotive’s frames. Other work on the frames has included the removal of the smokebox saddle for some high spots to be ground off, ensuring a steam-tight joint between saddle and frames. An order has been placed with South Devon Railway Engineering for the bogie axles and tyres, the wheels themselves having already been cast. The bogie’s…

THE Blue bell Railway has add edits support to campaigners fighting National Highways over its latest controversial plan to in fill a long redundant railway bridge. Designed by civil engineer Frederick Banister, the bridge in Church Road, Barcombe, was built in the early 1880s as part of a line connecting Lewes and East Grinstead, the northern 11 miles of which are occupied by the heritage line. The structure carries a narrow minor road and is assessed as having a capacity of 24 tonnes. Its brick parapets and wing walls have been subject to movement for many years, with cracks recorded as long ago as 1994. National Highways has proposed infilling the bridge with about 1000 tons of aggregate and concrete, using Permitted Development powers which leaves objectors without a voice. While…

A MAJOR gala is planned at the Mid-Hants Railway next spring to celebrate 45 years since the line reopened in preservation. The event will be held over the weekend of April 29/30, marking the anniversary of the first passenger trains over the 2½-mile section from Alresford to Ropley on April 30, 1977. The reopening train was hauled by Maunsell Nclass 2-6-0 No. 31874, which is now under overhaul at the Swanage Railway’s Herston Works, but the Water cress Line intends to gather as many locomotives as possible to represent classes that were previously resident at or have visited the line in the preservation era. “We can’t say very much more at the moment because it’ll be a lot of work to pull together,” said MHR general manager Simon Baggott, “but…

PLANS to close a major arterial road through York, thereby making way for a major extension of the National Railway Museum, have been given the green light by the Government. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has approved proposals by the York Central Partnership to close Leeman Road despite a petition signed by more than 1400 local residents objecting to it, which led to a public inquiry being held. The closure is essential for the NRM to go ahead with a proposed major project to build a new central gallery across the road to link the two existing sides of the museum. Before Leeman Road can be closed, a new road must be built through the York Central site.…

FURTHER to lastmonth’s report aboutLMS4-6-2No. 6201 Princess Elizabeth being taken out of traffic, the situation regarding the engine’s boiler was till to be clarified as Heritage Railway magazine closed for press. The boiler inspector said No. 6201waswithdrawn from service on July 23 due to a leakage in the central stay area of the throatplate, and a non-destructive test had been carried out.” No. 6201 is now in a queue of engines, each taking their turn to be given attention and remedial treatment at West Coast Railways’ Carnforth base. The withdrawal is a setback for members of Locomotive 6201 Princess Elizabeth Society, who had been looking forward to an extended run working the ‘Northern Belle’ during September and October. The inspection will not take place until Princess Elizabeth’s boiler has been lifted.…

UK Railtours’ Elizabeth Morris said that she was frustrated at losing two planned pre-Christmas trains because DB Cargo was unable to supply crews – leaving her with one festive departure, to Beverley on December 18. However, the ‘Doctor Syn’ trip from the Midlands to the Kent coast along the nine miles of freight-only track to Dungeness was virtually sold out by mid-October. The ‘Hampshire Pullman’, comprising the Belmond set behind Bulleid 4-6-2 No. 35028 Clan Line at the sharp end, on November 6, has sold out in all classes. Departing London Victoria, the Pullman train runs down the South Western Main Line to Basingstoke on towards Salisbury, then to Romsey before heading via Southampton and Winchester and back to London. On November 27, UK Railtours heads for the Blackpool illuminations, with a trip…

MEMORIES of holidays in Britain before overseas destinations became de rigueur were evoked by a ‘Scarborough Flyer’ head board in Railway an a Sales’internet and telephone 60-lot auction that ran from September 27 to October 3. The board, from a King’s Cross to Scar borough and Whit by express that ranfrom1950-63, featured brass sunbursts in the top corners and sold for £4700. Station totem signs inevitably made their presence felt, led by BR(M) Burnley Manchester Road at £3350, BR(NE) Slaithwaite (£2000), and BR(S) Sheerness-on-Sea at £1750, and a Tyer’s single-line tablet from the Newport South to Shide section of the Isle of Wight’s Newport Junction Railway also got in on the act with a realisation of £2050. At £1800 came a Glenfinnan signalbox nameboard, and at £1250 each, a Reading…

LIVE steam models in 5in gauge headed Dreweatts’ transport sale on September 21, with the leading realisation of £11,000 being achieved by GWR No. 6019 KingHenryV, as reported in the news section of this issue. Behind came Midland Railway 990 class 4-4-0 No. 999, which went under the hammer for £7000. The locomotive on which the model was based emerged from Derby in 1909 and was a regular on the challenging Settle-Carlisle route before its withdrawal by the LMS as No. 809 in 1929. The 5in gauge leaders were followed by two gauge 1 models and a pair of 3.in gauge examples, the former being Royal Bavarian State Railways’ Gt 2x4/4 class 0-8-8-0T No. 5772 at £3000 and LMS Princess Coronation Pacific No. 6233 Duchess of Sutherland (?2800). First of…

LNER posters issued in 1930 promoting Scotland and Skegness will feature in a vintage poster auction being held by On slows on November 26. The former, titled ‘East Coast Route to Scotland, ’was the work of Frank Mason (1875-1965), depicts an A3 Pacific on ‘The Flying Scotsman’, and is estimated at up to £6000. The Skegness poster, which carries a top estimate of £2000, was the work of John Hassall (1868-1948) and shows the iconic ‘Jolly Fisherman’ skipping along the beach under the title ‘Skegness is so bracing.’ The auction is live online and starts at 1pm.…

THE Manchester Model Railway Society has cancelled its annual exhibition in December amid coronavirus safety fears. The Christmas Model Railway Show was scheduled for the weekend of December 11/12, and the society had been exploring possible ways to stage it, including postponement until the spring of next year. However, the society stated that, “after thorough deliberation, they have reluctantly come to the conclusion that it would not be financially viable to stage the event in a way which ensured the safety of everyone attending, while maintaining the variety and quality which is the society’s objective, and which their visitors have come to expect. With great regret we have taken the decision to cancel this year’s show. “As the only model railway society to stage an exhibition in the centre of…

I WAS interested to see the letter in issue 285 about the recreation of ‘pre-Grouping trains’ from your correspondent Derrick Martin. About 1995, I found myself one of two partners owning one of the locomotives to which he refers, former Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway ‘Ironclad’ No. 957. This was not by design, but as an unintended consequence of arranging sponsorship for the locomotive’s acquisition and restoration by a friend, acting as an intermediary between him, the then owner and the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway of which I was then its secretary. I was happy for this to happen, but in the event, it cost us the best part of £150,000 each; had we not formed a charity to be the legal owner of which we were the trustees, then…

SCOTTISH farmer John Cameron, owner of A4 4-6-2No. 60009 Union of South Africa and K4 2-6-0 No. 61994 The Great Marquess, was taken to hospital following a fall from ladder while working in his garden at Balbuthie in Fife on October 3. A statement issued by the Cameron Trustees said: “He is being cared for in Ninewells Hospital, Dundee, where his condition is described as serious but stable. “The Cameron Trust has extended its thanks on behalf of his family to friends and neighbours whom it knows will be wishing Johnwell. “The family has requested privacy at this difficult time.” John is known throughout railway circles as a leader in the Scottish steam who, as outlined in our feature on pages 41-45, bought No. 60009 out of BR service and…

GWR 4-6-0 No. 7812 Erlestoke Manor’s boiler passed its out-of-the-frames steam test at Tyseley Locomotive Works on October 18. The boiler, last steamed in 2017, will be lagged, clad and lifted onto the frames before final stages of returning No. 7812 to Severn Valley traffic will begin. THE Swanage Railway is to run an extended Christmas season of Steam and Lights illuminated trains on 17 selected evenings between November 27 and December 31. The twice-nightly trains will replace the traditional Santa specials which won’t run because of anti-Covid-19 measures. Bookings may be made at www.swanagerailway.co.uk/tickets SERVICES on the Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway recommenced on October 16, having been suspended since October 3 while the line’s permanent way gang cleared a landslip and relaid the track. THE remains of a Class…

THE Llangollen Railway Trust is confident that the reopened line can over come its latest financial setback. The trust has been advised by lawyers acting on behalf of administrators that £30,000 which had been placed in a separate bank account by the directors of Llangollen Railway Plc’s trading arm, intended to cover sales of tickets and experiences in advance, must be made available to the general body of creditors. In March, the plc announced that it had invited its bank to appoint receivers after recording a loss of £350,000. The move was followed by a sale of rolling stock owned by the plc, before the trust formed a new body to save and reopen the line. The trust’s financial director, Phil Freeth, said: “We are disappointed with this outcome and wish…

BATTLE of Britain No. 34081 92 Squadron is being prepared for a return to service at the Nene Valley Railway after eight months out of action for fire box repairs. The air-smoothed Bulleid Pacific, owned by the Battle of Britain Locomotive Society, failed in February with a wasted fire box crown sheet. It was sent to Locomotive Maintenance Services of Lough borough, where it has received patch repairs and new stays. It returned to the NVR on September 10 and passed its steam test on September 30. Its cab was due to be refitted in mid-October, followed by the boiler lagging and air smoothed cladding, but a date for a return to service is still to be confirmed.…

THE superheater header for new GWR 4-6-0 No. 6880 Betton Grange and the outside steam pipes were fitted by Tyseley Locomotive Works in October, completing the upper half of the locomotive other than an amount of lubrication pipework. The first steaming and movements of No. 6880 are now likely to take place in the New Year at a private event for 6880 Betton Grange Society members. THE Lincolnshire Coast Light Railway has bounced back from the Covid-19 lockdowns with a record season in 2021, carrying an estimated 2700 passengers – a 30% increase over 2019 and a five-fold increase since 2014. The line had remained closed in 2020, its 60th anniversary year, because of the pandemic. IN A JOINT project between the Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway and the Friends…

VISITING from the Moseley Railway Trust’s Apedale Valley Light Railway, War Department Light Railways Hunslet 4-6-0T No. 303 was the star of the Lynton & Barnstaple Railway’s September 25/26 gala, the first in two years. The engine, works number 1215 of 1916 was repatriated from Australia by the War Office Locomotive Trust. Its restoration team’s leader Martyn Ashworth joined No. 303 at Woody Bay and drove it during the gala. The event saw an intensive time table of both passenger and mixed services, as well as shunting and locomotive movements. Also in action were the 762 Club’s new Baldwin 2-4-2T No. 762 Lyn, Kerr Stuart 0-6-0T No. 2451 Axe and John Uphill’s 0-4-2T No. 8 Faith. North Devon residents in Victorian attire who visited the railway on June 13 during…

A STEAM-whistle salute was blown at full blast by the Dart mouth Steam Railway as a mark of respect prior to the funeral of one of the pioneers of the heritage railway movement in South Devon. Bob Hill, a former sports editor of the Herald Express, died recently at the age of 81. His funeral took place at noon on September 29 in the church of St Mary the Virgin in Churston Ferrers – a short shunt a way from the Brixham branch which closed in 1963. Bob worked on several heritage lines as a fire man and later a driver. When bosses at the DSR learned of his death, they wanted to contribute to his send-off. DSR managing director John Jones arranged for the locomotive hauling a service train…

THE 50th anniversary of the final steam trains running in London Underground service was marked in style by the Epping Ongar Railway’s October 8-10 annual London Transport weekend. The themed event celebrated there a when the line was part of the Underground. It featured three locomotives in London Transport maroon livery, including the Worcester Locomotive Society’s GWR 0-6-0PT No. 5786, which ran in LT service and was bought by the Worcester Locomotive Society. Based at the South Devon Railway, it was on loan to the Gwili Railway in 2020 and currently carries the LT number L92. It was joined by Bill Parker’s GWR 2-6-2T No. 5521, which, with its cab cut down to negotiate the lower head room of the tube tunnels, starred in the 2013 celebrations marking the 150th…

A MEMORIAL honouring 10 navvies known to have died while building the GNR’s 7503 ft Queens bury Tunnel between Brad for dand Hali fax has been in stalled by campaigners battling tore open it as a walking and cycling route. The memorial, erected by the Queens bury Tunnel Society, comprises two rows of wooden sleepers either side of the path linking the Great Northern Railway Trail to the tunnel entrance. The materials were mostly donated by the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway. Each sleeper is dedicated to one of the men and has a QR code on the back, linking to online bio graphies. When opened in 1878, the tunnel was the longest on the GNR. The line closed in 1956. The tunnel is owned by the Department for Transport and…

THE Railway Preservation Society of Ireland unveiled its newly-restored bogie Guinness wagon, former Great Northern Railway of Ireland No. 504, on September 26, at its White head base. A ‘stout’job has been done on the steel frame and wooden body of Dundalk-built No. 504 of 1911, constructed to transport 104 butts, or 52 hogsheads of Guinness from St James Gate Brewery in Dublin to destinations across the GNR(I) system. The van, which runs on unusual Fox’s bogies, is the sole survivor of a fleet of 12 sister wagons, built by the GNR(I) in two batches – six in 1903, and six more in 1911 – to the same diagram. It was converted to a grain wagon in 1938 and saw further service with the GNR(I) and the Ulster Transport Authority before…

THE Bluebell Railway has launched a nationwide appeal for at least £500,000 to support the restoration of its ‘jewel in the crown’–Horsted Keynes station. The Grade II-listed station has featured in scores of TV programmes and films, and now officials of the heritage line are asking for public support to finance the repair of leaking roofs and the replacement of rotting beams. Bluebell appeal co-ordinator Trevor Swainson said: “The station buildings were built in Victorian times and are now showing signs of wear and tear. We view Horsted Keynes as our jewel in the crown, and we hope this appeal puts the sparkle back into the station.” Many film crews and TV production companies have used Horsted Keynes station as a location for period dramas because of its look and…

INOUR feature in issue 272 on the Mortons Books publication TheCraft of the Fireman, the book’s author, Trevor Matthews, has requested we clarify the following points: Mr Matthews was not the author of the article. All grammatical errors are the responsibility of the publication. On page 91 column 1, paragraph 5, line 6, ‘to be tanked’ should read ‘to be tackled’; pg 91, col 1, par 6, line 3, ‘the number of interfaces runs were into four figures’, the word ‘were’ should be deleted; pg 91, col 2, par 1, line 1, ‘colourful volume’ should read ‘calorific value’ and pg 91, col 2, par 4, line 8, ‘sheet tonnage’ should be ‘sheer tonnage’.…

FORTY years after the Ffestiniog Railway’s famous ‘Deviation’ line was constructed to Blaenau, work is well under way on another narrow gauge ‘Deviation’ at the Leighton Buzzard Railway. As reported, a road improvement scheme means that the last section of the 2ft gauge railway to its Stonehenge Works terminus has had to be diverted over an entirely new formation. A 45-metre bridge is now under construction, using 46 pre-cast concrete arch sections, to take the railway under the new road. Vandyke Road, which runs parallel to the LBR at this point, is being remodelled as part of the Leighton Buzzard Eastern Link Road scheme, which is itself part of a wider development to provide more homes, retail, community and school facilities in the eastern area of the town. Developer Arnold…

THE Railway Touring Company has scheduled 11 Christmas market trains in its programme between November 23 and December 18. November 23 sees LMS Princess Coronation Pacific No. 6233 Duchess of Sutherland heading the ‘Gloucester Christmas Market & Cardiff' trip from London Victoria, stopping at Staines, Ascot, Reading and Didcot Parkway. On November 25 the ‘Christmas Sussex Belle’ leaves London Victoria with LMS ‘Black Five’ No. 44871, heading for Eastbourne and Hastings. A1 Pacific No. 60163 Tornado heads the ‘York Yuletide Christmas Express’ from Ealing Broadway on November 27, calling at St Albans, Luton, Bedford and Kettering. Varied programme December 2 sees the ‘Worcester Christmas Fayre’ trip with the A1 in charge, starting out of Norwich picking up at Wymondham, Attle borough, Thetford, Brandon, March and Peter borough. Liverpool Lime Street…

MERCHANT Navy Pacific No.35028ClanLine is generally regarded as one of the most reliable mainline steam locomotives, turning in top-class performances time and time again, constrained only at times by the imposition of the 75mph speed limit. This not only holds the locomotive back when time needs to be recovered but can result in excess braking and the use of harder engine working – and there fore more fuel than necessary, especially when faced with a climb after running down hill for some miles. Also, of course, extra wear and tear and higher maintenance costs result from this way of working. Significant extra maintenance costs would accrue if the speed limit were to be raised permanently but I can see no reason why, say, a10mph excess should not be allowed in…

TOBAZ Promotions is bringing back its railway collectors’fairs to Burton-on-Trent town hall on November 6, following the easing of Covid restrictions, a move that will be welcomed by many railwayana collectors and railway enthusiasts generally, due to the event’smix of traders and private dealers selling a variety of railway related paperwork, ephemera and books. Items on offer include public and working timetables, guides, maps, luggage labels, tickets, official publications, signalling notices and rule books, while photographs and postcards are another regular feature, as is railwayana that often includes badges, buttons, and whistles. Tony Hillman and Barry Jones (Tobaz) held their first fair in Stafford in 1995, and ran 36 twice-yearly events there until March 2013, when their regular venue closed. In April 2014 they relocated to Burton town hall and…

SEPTEMBER was a bonanza month for model train collectors, with no fewer than five auctions being held up and down the country. Two of them were run by Hansons on September 11 and Dreweatts on September 21, (see separate reports in this column), while the other three were held by Vectis of Thorn a by on September 24, David Duggle by of Scar borough on September 23, and Gildings of Market Harborough on September 14. The best-selling models in the Vectis sale, each at £800, were a Carette of Germany Gauge 1 clockwork 4-4-0 numbered 2350 and an O-gauge LNER A4 No. 4494Osprey made by Ace Trains of London, followed by two further AceTrains’ models in the same gauge, SR West Country Pacific No. 34011 Tavistock (£700), and a Class 9F 2-10-0 in…

STRESSFUL but with positives and good feedback – that was the reaction of Bristol Railwayana’s Jon Baulch after his October 3 sale at Stoke Gifford, the first live sale room auction he had held for nearly two years due to the Covid pandemic. “It was very stressful, as there were a lot of extra things to consider when setting up the venue and having a lot of people in a confined space, but I am blessed with sensible customers who for the most part were good-natured and appreciative of the efforts that go into putting on a live event,” he said. Social gathering “The main positive was the feed back from people who do not like online auctions, and a few individuals who have no web access at all. We…

EDITOR’S CHOICE Forgotten Steam Photographs by Nick Nicolson, compiled by Ron White (hardback, 80pp, Totem Publishing, ISBN 978-1-913893-11-8, £16.50 + £1 p&p, cheques payable to Transport Treasury Publishing, 16 Highworth Close, High Wycombe HP13 7PJ). THE title of this publication is a bit of a misnomer, writes Geoff Courtney. It doesn’t refer to the steam that has been forgotten but features, albeit not exclusively, locomotives on lines that were destined for closure. As compiler Ron White elucidates: “Was a more curious picture book offered to any wondering purchaser? No A1/A3/A4, no Princess Royal/Royal Scot/Patriot, no MN/Schools, no Grange/Manor, no Britannia/Clan/5MT/9F. And yet it shows the real life of the 1950s, the odd corners which would have no future.” Ron, who lives in Chesham and admits to “now rising 90,” is…

THE Great Little of Trains of Wales have long been established as a keystone of the principality’s tourist industry. Now a ‘lost’ narrow gauge line has reappeared after several decades. Shifting sands uncovered the double tracks on Barmouth’s beach in October but the purpose of the line remains a mystery. Local roofer Dicky Sharp, one of the first to see the newly-exposed tracks, joked that he had found the “railway to Cantre’r Gwaelod”– the legendary ancient sunken kingdom of Cardigan Bay. Various the ories were suggested in the wake of the emergence. One said that the tracks dated from 1930 when, two years after a great storm washed away part of the promenade, they were laid to carry materials during the building of a new sea wall. Another suggested they were…

THE Wensleydale Railway has been given a £80,000 grant by the Railway Heritage Trust to move the disused Grade II-listed GER signal box at Hertford East station and re-erect it 214 miles away at Leyburn, where it will control a new passing loop. Dating from 1888, the ‘box stands in the way of a platform extension. The trust’s executive director Andy Savage said: “It’s very close to the track and very close to the overhead wires, so nobody has been able to work out away to use it. “Signal boxes are designed to be relocatable and Greater Anglia is renewing its trains. The new trains are much longer, so they’re having to lengthen the platform at the station to take the new trains. “There is Network Rail guidance on what…

COUNTY Donegal Railways 2-6-4T No. 5 Drumboe returned to Donegal in triumph on Saturday, October 9, following the completion of its cosmetic overhaul by the Railway Preservation Society of Ireland’s engineering arm, Heritage Engineering Ireland, at Whitehead. People lined the route from Whitehead to Donegal, and when the restored 1907-built Nasmyth Wilson locomotive – which headed the last passenger train on the CDR in 1959 – stopped on its low loader at the site of Strabane station, more than 200 local people turned out to cheer it on its way. In scenes reminiscent of a Flying Scotsman appearance, crowds lined the route into Donegal and through Stranorlar, while several drones caught Drumboe travelling through the spectacular Barnesmore Gap alongside the CDR main line trackbed – the section of the railway…

MIKE Ball has been appointed as the new chairman of the Severn Valley Railway (Holdings) plc board. Previous chairman Nick Paul CBE is stepping down after a decade in the role but will continue as a director, while Mike is stepping up after spending the same length of time as deputy chairman. A volunteer on the SVR for 35 years, Mike has worked at a senior level in the engineering and IT services sectors, and played a key role in developing the SVR’s relationships with main line train operating companies to bring in contract work. In another change, the SVR’s general manager, Helen Smith, is to become managing director designate. The railway stated that this “allows her to take complete responsibility for the safe operation of the railway, its financial…

THE project to build the seventh example of Sir Nigel Gresley’s P22-8-2s, No.2007 Prince of Wales, is two-thirds complete, The A1 Steam Locomotive Trust has announced. More than £4 million of the estimated required £6 million has now been raised since the ground breaking project was launched to recreate the most powerful express passenger locomotive in Britain. Significant progress has been made on several fronts during the past year. DB Meiningen in Germany is constructing two boilers for the trust, with the first ‘spare’ expected to be delivered in the spring and fitted on Peppercorn A1 Pacific No. 60163 Tornado during its overhaul next year, followed by the second for Prince of Wales in summer 2022. Both boilers are now substantially complete. Eight of nine rods have been delivered to…

STAFF and volunteers at the SpaValley Railway are celebrating a surprise £250,000 donation from the estate of a life long enthusiast who died two years ago at the age of 89. The unexpected bequest will go towards the ongoing overhauls of two of the railway’s 0-6-0T steam locomotives, Class A1X ‘Terrier’No. 650Sutton and LMS ‘Jinty’ No. 47493. The gift comes from the estate of Peter Dunk who for 60 years lived in a terrace cottage in Kew, southwest London, close to Kew Gardens station. It was there that his passion grew for the Southern Railway; in his youth he had hoped to join the company until his parents persuaded him to take a different career path as an analytical chemist. From his teens in the 1940s until the 1960s he…

THE North Norfolk Railway has recorded its busiest ‘normal’ working day in its history, excluding special events. On August 17, the Poppy Line carried 1600 passengers, now being able to operate at full capacity following July’s lifting of social distancing restrictions. General manager Andrew Munden said: “From what I can make out, that’s the busiest single day the railway has ever had apart from during the 1940 sweekends. “We had to close our ticket offices at 11am because we ran out of spaces to sell on the trains.” He said that the railway has recorded the fifth busiest August on record with 31,590 passengers, the best for the month being 32,000 in 2015. Like us facebook.com/heritagerailway Follow us @HeritageRailMag…

FOLLOWING on from the Severn Valley Railway’s successful September 16-19 Autumn Steam Gala, as reported last issue, the corresponding diesel event made a welcome and successful return with it’s own special guestson September 30-October 3. Making its first appearance in a Severn Valley gala was Class 31 No. 31466, after arriving in July from the Dean Forest Railway as cover for Class 33 No. 33108, and the second guest was Class 24 No. 24081 from the Gloucester shire Warwick shire Railway, visiting for a third time. Alongside the two guests were residents Class 09s No. 09107 and D4100, Class 14 D9551, D9551, Class 40 No. 40106, Class 50s Nos. 50007 Hercules and 50035 Ark Royal, Class 52s D1015Western Champion and D1062Western Courier and on-loan Clayton Class 17 D8568 from the…

STEAM Dreams has announced that because of popular demand, its earlier stated plan to run-nine Santa specials from London Victoria has been increased to 12 departures. This latest development means that Steam Dreams has created a new market in the realms of Santa trains traditionally operated by many of this country’s heritage lines. Now for the first time, Santa and his helpers – and excited children–will be seen on trains departing from a busy London main line terminal. Hauled by B1 4-6-0 No. 61306 Mayflower, journeys will last for an hour and 45 minutes, travelling around London’s suburban routes. Departures are scheduled to take place on December 13, 14, 20 and 22, and times are 9.30am, noon and 2.15pm. An extra ‘Christmas Steam Express’ evening dining train will run on…

NOW that working conditions have been eased and that the West Somerset Railway’s Minehead workshops have been reopened, plans to bringGWR4-6-0 No. 6024 King Edward I back into main line traffic are again making steady progress. David Fuszard, spokesman for the 6024 Society, said that most, if not all, of the major work in bringing the Collett 4-6-0 towards its ticket has been completed. Dave commented that the volunteers providing manpower to bring the engine back into steam are all now 10 years older than when they started. He said that the internal pipework of the smokebox had been secured by independent boilermakers and engineers Leaky Finders. Dave said that during his recent visit to Minehead, he enjoyed helping to position a line of springs inside grooved plates supporting the…

THE Railway Preservation Society of Ireland is to resume running trains after a gap of almost 20 months due to lockdowns and Covid-19 restrictions. It will be running ‘Wizard Express’ Halloween trains between Belfast and Whitehead on October 30/31 behind GNR(I) Q class 4-4-0 No. 131. The White head railway museum and Platform 3 cafe will be open, but visitors to the museum are requested to book a time slot online due to Covid-19 precautionary measures. The society has also announced a mini appeal of £3000 towards the purchase of a new authentic Wakefield cylinder lubricator for GNR(I) No. 85 Merlin. Currently on No. 85 is a nonauthentic Silvertown lubricator, fitted because the original Wake field model was missing at the time of the 4-4-0’s restoration. There are two lubricators…

⃾ October 30 Great Central Railwayana ⃾ October 30 Transport Auctions of London ⃾ EndsOctober 31 Railwayana Sales (photographs) ⃾ EndsNovember2 Paperchase ⃾ November12/13 GWRailwayana ⃾ November19 Vectis (model trains) ⃾ November20 Great Central Railwayana (‘Bloxham’) ⃾ November22-28 Justaclickago (photographs, negativesandslides) November26 Onslows (posters) Like us facebook.com/heritagerailway Follow us @HeritageRailMag Connect with us heritage-railwaymagazine…

FIVE name plates from the pre-Grouping, Big Four and BR eras have been added to GW Railwayana’s November 13 auction, bringing to13 the number of main line plates that will be going under Simon Turner’s hammer. The oldest of the newly-arrived quintet is Princess Margaret, from Star class 4-6-0 No. 4056, built at Swindon in July 1914 and the last of the 73-strong class to be withdrawn, from Bristol Bath Road (82A) in October 1957 with 2,074,338 miles on the clock. In support will be another GWR plate, Cockington Manor from No. 7806, which was outshopped by Swindon in March 1938 and taken out of service in November 1964 when allocated to Oxley, Wolverhampton (2B). From the Southern Railway comes Sir Lionel, carried by King Arthur No. 30786, an August…

APAIR of pre and post-Grouping name plates will be fighting their corner in Great Central’s ninth monthly 200-lot auction on October 30, but enthusiasts of Welsh standard and narrow gauge railways will have an eye on four lots not far below the top level. The plates are Alfred Fletcher from LNWR Claught on class 4-6-0 No 1327, built at Crewe in May 1913 and withdrawn by the LMS as No. 5908 in September 1936, and Wellington from SR Schools class 4-4-0 No. 30902, an April 1930 Eastleigh product that was pensioned off from south London’s Nine Elms shed (70A) in December 1962. Welsh interest will be centred on a cabside numberplate, a worksplate, a handlamp, and a carriage numberplate. The cabside is from GWR ‘Dukedog’ No. 9005, which emerged from…

A WOODEN sign bearing the instruction in lead letters ‘All coals to be paid for on delivery’ sold for £1010 at a Thirsk Railwayana sale on September 18. It is believed to have come from Potto station, which was opened by the North Yorkshire & Cleveland Railway in March 1857 and closed by BR to passengers in 1954 and to freight four years later. Ornate bridge relic Two further station signs that each sold for £700were a BR(M) totem from Carnforth and a Station Master enamel door plate, while an ornate cast-iron 4ft 5in high lamp post from the railway swing bridge at Selby used for supporting early navigation lanterns sold for £420. The Grade II-listed doubletrack bridge across the River Ouse was opened by the North Eastern Railway in…

➜ The more powerful lure for young volunteers IN response to Wesley Paxton (Platform, issue 281): while he makes a very good point about encouraging young people to take up qualified trades that incorporate historic preservation and restoration of artefacts of railway interest – and, in particular, steam locomotives – he omits to take one very significant aspect of that paradigm into account. The aspect to which I refer is girls! Yes, it is a sad fact that, while steam is a far more worthwhile subject with which to occupy a young man’s mind, it is an unfortunate fact that, at some strategic point in his adolescence, the fairer sex catches his eye and there’s no turning back! And once that happens, it and its associated facets; like marriage, providing…

YES, we’re a railway magazine, not a classic car title, but this vehicle does have quite strong links with steam preservation… For the past 30 years, a garage in Rochdale has harboured a secret – a British Leyland Maxi owned by well-known preservationist Richard Greenwood, also part-owner of Bulleid West Country Pacific No. 34092 City of Wells. Last used in 1991, the Maxi also acted as a ‘support vehicle’ for No. 34092 during its main line runs in the 1980s, until a BR Mk.1 support coach – Brake First Corridor No. 17019 – was finally acquired in April 1988, with the assistance of BR Intercity special trains manager David Ward. The Maxi was exhumed from its tomb on September 16 and taken away for restoration by a Mr Illingworth, of…