Table of contents for Issue 453 in Steam Railway

London’s status as the start and end points of main line steam could soon be over with the breaking news that West Coast Railways has been given notice by Network Rail to leave its operating base at Southall. In any case, coincidence or not, West Coast is admitting that running in and out of the capital is becoming too complicated, as is, indeed, all activity on the East and West Coast main lines. It can only be speculated whether this statement has been inspired or instigated by NR. With so much new rail development in London, with Crossrail, Thameslink and HS2, plus soaring passenger numbers, there simply isn’t the platform space for bespoke passenger excursions that there was even half a decade ago. After steam returned to the main line…

IT WAS a locomotive, not a 7ft 4in statue - or indeed a duck - that stole the show at London’s King’s Cross station on April 6, when friends and family assembled to honour Sir Nigel Gresley, the man who designed the East Coast steam ‘Pacifics’ Flying Scotsman and Mallard . ‘N2’ 0-6-2T No. 1744, in light steam, resplendent in GNR green, and accompanied by an equally immaculate LNER teak coach loaned by the Severn Valley Railway, had been carefully positioned close to the end of nearby Platform 8. Campaigners for the reinstatement of the duck at Gresley’s feet were conspicuous by their near-total absence, apart from a modest protest from the balcony overlooking the concourse, so small that a couple of duck…

Reincarnated ‘Grange’ No. 6880 Betton Grange is on course to have a virtually complete ‘bottom half’ for its appearance at the Warley model railway show on November 26/27, with the final parts obtained to give a complete set of Stephenson motion. A connecting rod for the left-hand side - originally from ‘Manor’ No. 7802 Bradley Manor - has been acquired from the owner of ‘2884’ 2-8-0 No. 3814 at the North Yorkshire Moors Railway. The last piece of motion - a right-hand valve extension bar - has been produced by Harco Engineering, while the crossheads and pistons from ‘Hall’ No. 5952 Cogan Hall have been sent to Tyseley for refurbishment. No. 6880’s frames have been placed on stands to ensure they are level while the cylinders are aligned using laser…

To add to the preservation of rolling stock and other hardware, the Railway Performance Society has set up a charity to ensure that train performance logs can be saved for future researchers. The Rail Performance Data Foundation (RPDF) will provide access to what is almost certainly the largest archive of its kind in the world - currently approaching half a million entries, from 1888 to the present day, and covering both the UK and overseas. The foundation is keen to hear from anyone who wishes to add their logs to the database, and bequests will also be welcomed. The society has a website at www.railperf.org.uk and more details can be obtained from Chairman Frank Collins (frank@frankcollins.co.uk) or Frank Price (frank.pricen@btinternet.com) Frank Collins said: “This will offer a tremendous resource for…

The last chance to see both preserved Beattie well tanks in steam for the foreseeable future will be at the Bodmin & Wenford Railway this autumn, with a final visit by No. 30585. The Buckinghamshire Railway Centre-based locomotive is to visit for the B&WR’s ‘Autumn Steam Gala & Real Ale Festival’ on September 10/11, with its boiler certificate due to expire the following day. No. 30585 and its Bodmin-based sister No. 30587 (the latter temporarily returned to BR livery) are to be rostered for a special farewell day on Monday September 5, when they will ‘top-and-tail’ or double-head service trains. That morning and evening, they will be paired with china clay and goods trains for a photographic charter organised by Ben Harding and Ollie Ridge (see pages 20-21). An earlier…

DFR MOVE APPROVED The relocation of Griffithstown station building to the Dean Forest Railway is set to go ahead, after Torfaen council gave its approval in March. An alternative proposal had been made to leave the building in situ and convert it into a café. DEESIDE EXHIBITION An exhibition of photographs and memorabilia is being held at the St Peter’s Heritage Centre in Peterculter, to mark the 50th anniversary of the closure of the Aberdeen-Ballater branch - part of which is now the Royal Deeside Railway. ‘TRAINWORLD’MILESTONE Belgium’s new national railway museum, ‘Train World’, at Brussels Schaerbeek station, has welcomed its 100,000th visitor since its opening on September 25. The milestone figure was reached on March 11. ‘B17’ GETS BUFFERBEAM The North British Locomotive Preservation Group has taken delivery of…

Symbolic moments in the overhauls of two separate high-profile ‘Pacifics’ have taken place within weeks of each other, with the lifting of the boilers of both Blue Peter and Duke of Gloucester. The removal of No. 71000’s boiler from the frames took place on April 6 at Tyseley, which is overhauling the unique BR ‘Pacific’. The ‘Duke’, which hasn’t steamed since 2012, is owned by 71000 Steam Locomotive Ltd. Dismantling of sole surviving ‘A2’ No. 60532 Blue Peter reached a similar key point at LNWR Heritage in Crewe roughly a fortnight before, on March 22. The Peppercorn engine last ran in 2002 but is now being resurrected by the Royal Scot Locomotive and General Trust, which acquired it in 2014 (SR434). Blue Peter needs a new middle cylinder, which is…

TRIBUTE TO MARK CIVIL Foxfield and Chasewater Railway trains carried commemorative wreaths in late March and early April in memory of Mark Civil, a regular volunteer at both lines, who passed away in late March. At Foxfield, the wreath was carried by Bagnall 0-4-0ST W/No. 2842. Mr Civil and his family were instrumental in returning the locomotive to steam. RSH HEADS FOR SCOTLAND Former Hams Hall Power Station Robert Stephenson and Hawthorns 0-6-0T ‘North Downs’ left the Spa Valley Railway in early April for a new home, understood to be in Scotland. It last ran in 1997, and a later overhaul was put on hold. ‘TEDDY’ TO SHILDON Peckett 0-4-0ST W/No. 2012 ‘Teddy’ is to visit ‘Locomotion’ for its ‘Spring Steam Weekend’ on April 30-May 2. The locomotive will then…

The Welsh Highland Railway’s basic terminus at Caernarfon is set to be transformed, thanks to a £2.1 million boost from the Welsh Government. Its ‘Vibrant and Viable Places’ regeneration programme has allocated £600,000 for the station and £400,000 to improve access to the area. The balance will go towards tourism initiatives for the North West Wales town, all part of a £27.7m European grant to create ten ‘must visit’ destinations in the principality. Caernarfon’s new station is budgeted to cost £2.2m, so the railway will have to raise the balance. The annual ‘The Snowdonian’ fund-raising train, which covers the entire routes of the Welsh Highland and the Ffestiniog Railways, raised over £20,000 last year. The 2016 train on April 16 was fully booked, so a second service, ‘The Snowdonian Limited’,…

CARRIAGE SHED REVAMP A local charity has helped the Groudle Glen Railway carry out extensive refurbishment to its carriage shed over the winter. As well as a concrete floor, it has a 40ft long inspection pit and insulated cladding. Next in line is a coaling stage and secure outdoor storage for PW equipment. NEW USE FOR PEWS A new composite carriage, No. 5, is being built at the Lynton & Barnstaple Railway’s Essex workshop. It will incorporate pitch pine, as used on new stock in 1898, which is made from the pews and floor of a church in Ipswich. ‘YES’ FOR DOUGLAS CASH A £1.1 million scheme to refurbish the Isle of Man Steam Railway’s Douglas terminus was approved by Tynwald in March. The work includes underpinning to resolve subsidence…

One of the ways the ORR has begun to exert influence over the future of charters is through the group set up at last July’s ‘steam summit’ (SR444). With WCRC now back up and running, that now comes out of effective limbo; another meeting is to take place in May. Now, whereas the ORR’s interaction with WCRC has been ‘one on one’, this process includes people from across the industry, such as Network Rail, the Rail Safety and Standards Board, and Britain’s only other current full passenger steam operator, DB Cargo. The idea is to agree a common way forward. Indeed, whereas the ‘substantive outputs’ initially expected by the regulators by January (SR445) haven’t yet materialised, the idea is for everyone to agree on a level playing field with regards…

VINTAGE TRAINS TOURS All bookings for Vintage Trains tours are currently suspended. APRIL SAT 23 ‘The Cathedrals Express’  Paddington-Oxford-Stratford-upon-Avon and return by No. 45699. Steam Dreams. SAT 23 ‘The Salopian Express’  Wigan-Chester-Shrewsbury-Crewe-Preston by No. 44932 or No. 45690 or No. 45699 or No. 46115 or No. 48151. West Coast. TUE 26 ‘The Great Britain IX’ (Day 1 of 9)  London Victoria-Newbury-Exeter-Penzance by No. 34067 and No. 46100. RTC. WED 27 ‘The Great Britain IX’ (Day 2)  Par-Exeter-Bristol by No. 34067 and No. 46100. RTC. THU 28 ‘The Great Britain IX’ (Day 3) Bristol-Hereford-Chester-Preston-Grange-over-Sands by No. 46233. RTC. FRI 29 ‘The Great Britain IX’ (Day 4)  Grange-over-Sands-Whitehaven-Beattock-Edinburgh by No. 46115. RTC. SAT 30 ‘The Great Britain IX’ (Day 5)  Edinburgh-Dundee-Aberdeen-Inverness by Nos. 44871 and 45407. RTC. MAY SUN 1 ‘The Great…

If you were a betting man you could probably do worse than guess that the next man in charge of charters at DB Cargo will be someone well known to SR readers: Richard Corser, long-time 6024 Society activist who, while at Locomotive Services Ltd, did much of the leg-work for the 90mph trips with Bittern back in 2013. At least that was the subject of the chatter on a certain main line trip recently, not to mention the ‘gen’ that’s been coursing along the grapevine. However, I can’t yet officially confirm if that really is the case - when I approached DB Cargo nobody wanted to comment.…

While it is well-known that Ivatt 2-6-2T No. 41283 was steamed for a few days after the official closure of the Somerset & Dorset system, I have grave doubts that a pannier tank ran down the main line from Bath with a train to collect fixtures and fittings after that date. To have done so would have meant gaining the full cooperation of inspectors, signalmen and locomotive staff, and I doubt if such a move would have gone unphotographed or reported on for 50 years. So many people would have been in or around the area; both the public and enthusiasts bent on stripping souvenirs from the closed line, so it could not have gone unnoticed. Both Bath Station and junction boxes were kept open on day shifts only after…

Howard Johnston, Editor Engine owner and publishing all-rounder Toby Jennings, Assistant Editor The busy ‘fireman’ feeding the SR furnace Tom Bright, Staff Writer The wordsmith addicted to steam Tony Streeter, Down Main His finger’s on the pulse of main line steam Chris Leigh, Consulting Editor A senior figure in railway journalism Mike Hedderly, Top Link Recording the finest of steam’s performances Jane Skinner, Editorial Assistant Mark Pearce, Industrial News Graham Copestake, Art Editor Richard Hampson, Sub Editor Mandy Brett, Production Manager Peter Johnson, Narrow Gauge Robin Morton, Irish News David Brown, Railwayana Julie Cox, Account Manager Bev Mason, Marketing Manager ALSO SPECIAL THANKS TO... Duncan Ballard Trevor Camp Darrin Crone Ian Crowder Bob Huxtable Graham Peacock Nigel Dobbing Ray Towell…

The last lingering hope of keeping the main line connection into Manchester’s Museum of Science and Industry has completely evaporated. Former Network Rail consultant Mark Whitby lost his case in the Court of Appeal on March 23 after waging a personal battle against his former employer to halt the construction of the Ordsall Chord. The new embankment and viaduct has already severed the link to the museum’s Liverpool Road station, opened in 1830 and the world’s oldest, to allow the creation of a new £132 million link between the city’s Piccadilly and Victoria stations. For some months, it looked as if the fight had already been lost, because Network Rail has already lifted the connection to begin construction of the new line that will speed up travel times and increase…

Gresley fans who lost their year-long campaign to get the mallard reinstated at the foot of the statue believe that the society’s 500 ordinary members could yet have the last word. They are pinning their faith on a free vote after previously being denied a say. ‘Peace’ talks were held with society Vice-Chairman Philip Benham and trustees Graeme Bunker and Chris Clarke in Peterborough on March 23. A vote, suggested Graeme Bunker, could be triggered if a third of the membership - roughly 170 people - wrote to ask for it. Former trust publicity officer Dennis Butler, who resigned last year, told Steam Railway : “We have to accept that we lost this battle, but I’m very pleased that we have a statue at King’s Cross. However,…

The non-availability of two locomotives has forced organisers to re-think the North Yorkshire Moors Railway’s ‘Spring Steam Gala’, which has now been given a ‘Scottish Branch Line’ theme. With LNWR ‘Coal Tank’ No. 1054 marooned at the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway due to a damaged road bridge in Haworth caused by the December flooding, and GWR ‘Large Prairie’ No. 4144 unable to attend from Didcot following the discovery of worn piston valve bores, only Llangollenbased BR ‘Standard Four’ 2-6-4T No. 80072 remains on the guest list. The Riddles tank will thus run as scrapped Scottish Region example No. 80126 for the May 6-8 and 13-15 event, while resident ‘4MT’ 2-6-0 No. 76079 will become former Fort William sister No. 76001, and ‘Black Five’ No. 45428 will also receive a…

Construction of the first large main line locomotive boiler at Crewe since 1962 will soon reach its next major milestone, with the riveting together of the barrel for ‘Patriot’ No. 45551 The Unknown Warrior. The two parallel sections were brought together on March 14 and, as this issue was going to press, had been drilled and temporarily bolted prior to riveting; while drilling of the stay holes in the firebox is also under way. The locomotive itself has now returned from Tyseley to Llangollen, where it was moved by steam for the first time - as ‘Standard 4’ 2-6-4T No. 80072 shunted it back inside the workshops. The springs and brake gear will be among the next major parts fitted, with the latter drawn up using Computer-Aided Design and quotes…

“He was a lovely man. We’ll not see his like again” WHEN DUCHESS of Hamilton derailed on shed the night before its farewell main line trip, it was Ray Towell - universally known as ‘Matey’ - who toiled quietly through the night to put it back on the rails. The next day, no-one even knew there had been a problem. Ray Towell, the National Railway Museum’s popular loyal stalwart and former curator of operations, died suddenly from a heart attack on March 27 at the age of 70, and Steam Railway has invited some of his closest friends to pay personal tributes. We begin with his old boss, retired NRM Director Andrew Scott: “One of my recurring nightmares was the knowledge that our engines were out…

The unique surviving steam roundhouse at Barrow Hill will be safeguarded for future generations, thanks to more than £1 million of Lottery funding. A grant of £1,170,600 was announced by the Heritage Lottery Fund on March 17, which will be used for urgent repairs to the 1870 Midland Railway shed, and improvements to visitor facilities. There will be a new entrance, shop and café, a dedicated learning and meeting space, and conservation workshop. Work is due to start this year for completion by mid-2019.…

THE SIX former trustees of the West Somerset Railway Association removed from office at an extraordinary general meeting on February 27 may have to pay back more than £39,000 spent on legal costs fighting their corner. The new WSRA board under Chairman Frank Courtney agreed at a meeting on April 4 that the sacked trustees had “failed to follow the protocol required by the association’s legal costs insurers” - and new WSRA company secretary Paul Whitehouse was instructed “to put the former trustees on notice that we intend to recover this expenditure from them.” The new board has also declared its intention to recover the £6,000 cost of producing and mailing out Journal No. 152 in March, which it says was “unauthorised”, and which is being viewed as an eleventh-hour…

The Sccottish Railway Preservation Society’s appeal to complete the purchase of ex-Turkish ‘8F’ No. 45170 has already raised 80% of the funds required – in just fourteen months. Spokesman, Ian Lothian, said: “Well over £90,000 has now been raised. Every effort is now being made to raise the remaining amount required to complete the purchase price of £110,000.” Project Lead Mark Ashmole said “we have been humbled by the success of the appeal thus far. We are keen to keep the momentum going; even after the purchase, our appeal will continue with the aim of raising the £250,000 necessary to return this historically important Scottish-built loco to steam.” The Glasgow-built Stanier ‘8F’ was returned to the UK in 2010 and for the past two years has been residing in the…

STEP UP TO ‘SCOT’S’ PLATE The Mid-Norfolk Railway will offer the first-ever footplate experience courses on No. 46100 Royal Scot this summer, if there is sufficient demand. To register your interest, call the railway on 01362 690633. NENE VALLEY OPEN DAYS The Nene Valley Railway is holding an open weekend on May 14/15, with shed and signal box tours, free admission to Railworld, the miniature railway and ‘Night Mail’ museum at Ferry Meadows. NEW TRACTION AT SVR The Severn Valley Railway is holding its first ‘Steam on the Road’ event at Kidderminster on August 13/14, with up to eight traction engines. If it is successful, a larger gathering could be held next year. THREE TIMES A CHARM The Aln Valley Railway now has three BR Mk 1s following the acquisition…

Three Vintage Carriages Trust-owned engines are to be reunited for the first time in over 30 years, with Hudswell Clarke 0-4-0ST Lord Mayor added to the Middleton Railway’s Victorian gala weekend on 16/17 July. The diminutive engine will be on static display, visiting from the VCT’s Museum of Rail Travel at Ingrow West on the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway, while its VCT stablemates - Manning Wardle 0-6-0ST Sir Berkeley and Haydock 0-6-0WT Bellerophon - will be in steam. It is intended to pose all three for photographs, and charters are being investigated. Lord Mayor is best known for appearing in publicity for the film The Railway Children, but perhaps a greater claim to fame was helping to dismantle the Liverpool Overhead Railway when it was owned by George Cohen…

The 3ft gauge Fintown Railway in Co. Donegal hopes to resume operations in May or June despite financial difficulties - but confirms that plans to reintroduce steam traction are very much in its long-term plans. An operating certificate for 2016 has been secured from the Railway Safety Commission, allowing the three-mile line to run seven days a week at the height of the tourist season in June, July and August. There are also plans to develop a café and museum in the 1890s station building, lent to the railway at no cost by Udaras na Gaeltachta, which promotes the Irish-speaking area. Treasurer Seamus McElwee said: “We’re close to the Wild Atlantic Way tourist route, so we hope that will help increase passenger numbers from last year’s 5,500. “This will be…

The Southwold Railway Trust will have to consider its future yet again, after a Government inspector rejected its appeal against a refusal to set up a new headquarters site at Wenhaston. Suffolk Coastal District councillors rejected the proposal a year ago, even though the council’s own planning officers had recommended acceptance. Wenhaston residents have opposed the SRT’s plan, fearing that an increase in traffic and noise from trains, and claim it would have no tangible economic benefits for the area. A trust spokesman said that consideration was being given to appealing against the decision, as the railway feels that insufficient weight had been given to the planning officers’ recommendation in support of the scheme. To add to the overall frustration, the Environment Agency did not register objections, and indeed supports…

Ffestiniog-based Hunslet 0-4-0ST Lilla has made a short-notice trip to Beamish Museum for its Great War Steam Fair on April 7-10, and the follow-on festival of transport until April 24. It joined the Moseley Railway Trust’s Hudswell, Clarke 0-6-0WT No. 1238 and deputised for Andrew Neale’s Hunslet 0-4-0ST Edward Sholto which failed with leaking tubes. Over the winter, Beamish staff extended the narrow gauge line to include a turning triangle. The first of four Ffestiniog slate wagons, adapted to carry granite, has been restored with new timber and ironwork.…

West Coast could be left without a London base after Network Rail enacted a ‘break clause’ on the lease of Southall depot. It is understood the Carnforth company could leave its southern operating centre at the former Great Western shed as early as this summer. “We have held a ten-year lease for Southall, since 2011,” WCRC said in a statement issued to Down Main. “Within the terms of the lease, there is a half-way break clause, which Network Rail has enacted, on the grounds that it has identified a new freight use for the site. We are awaiting further details of this.” Network Rail’s statement was quite to the point. A spokesman told us on April 13: “We can confirm that we enacted the break notice clause in the Southall…

Many readers will remember that British Railways had enamel door plates and hanging signs for just about every building and purpose on their stations. Before you even got to the station you could follow a directional sign with an arrow pointing the way. Once you got there, a huge fascia board identified the station’s name, and on the platform there might be large running-in boards towards the platform ends and totem or target (for Southern Railway/ Region locations) signs to ensure you knew which station you were on. Some signal box names were also in enamel and there would often be an enamel ‘Private’ plate on the signal box door. Other examples included platform numbers, hanging signs or door plates identifying the ladies’ and gentlemen’s toilets, plus signs indicating the…

In SR450, you printed a picture of the PLM No. 231K8 with the empty stock for the Railway Touring Company’s re-creation of the ‘Golden Arrow’ on October 8 2015, adding that it failed north of Abbeville. I was one of the RTC party. We left Calais four hours late due to French industrial action, then experienced some lacklustre running until we came to an abrupt stop and the locomotive was declared a total failure. The rumour machine suggested that the trouble was a dropped fusible plug in the boiler, but there seemed to be an information blackout on the part of the French. I have searched the internet for details without much luck. There is quite a lot of speculation, one likely theory being that a boiler tube burst. I…

IT’S THE FLYING LINK... At first glance, this greetings card seems to feature a fairly accurate depiction of a Gresleydesigned ‘A1’ class ‘Pacific’. However, upon closer inspection it appears this 4-6-2 carries the number of its streamlined relation, ‘A4’ No. 60014 Silver Link. Thanks to the nationalised railway, it is hauling a rake of GWR Collett carriages. Neil Pulling sent us this contribution. ...THEN MADGE SCOTSMAN... The most famous locomotive in the world clearly isn’t that famous after all, it would seem. SR readers John King-Fisher and Ken Woods noted a few discrepancies in the Flying Scotsman commemorative cover, offered in the latest issue of Saga Magazine. It purports to depict the Gresley ‘A3’, but it doesn’t take a genius to spot the engine is Peppercorn ‘A1’ No. 60135 Madge…

LEISTON WORKS IS GO The Leiston Works Railway has been given the go-ahead from Suffolk Coast Council to reinstate the line between the two sites of the former Richard Garrett engineering workshops, which now form part of the Long Shop Museum. STEPNEY AT 175TH EVENT The Bluebell Railway’s celebrated ‘Terrier’ 0-6-0T No. 55 Stepney is to be displayed on a low-loader at Haywards Heath for the station’s 175th anniversary celebrations on September 18, rather than ‘E4’ No. 473 as previously proposed. RECORD YEAR FOR GWILI The Gwili Railway has announced an all-time record visitor figure for 2015, with a total of 34,850 passengers carried. Spokesman Thomas Spain said: “This is testament to the hard work undertaken by volunteers and staff.“ WEARDALE EXTENSION Witton-le-Wear station hosted its first passenger…

The group helping to provide a new home to Hunslet 0-6-0ST Newstead have been overwhelmed by the interest and support they have received since the story emerged of the locomotive many thought had been scrapped. The ‘Small Loco Group’, based at the Nene Valley Railway, are working hard behind the scenes to prepare Newstead for departure from the undisclosed location where it has been stored out of the public eye for decades. Alex Alder from the group told Steam Railway: “We owe a huge debt of gratitude to the former keeper. He cared for Newstead for so long, it was clearly his pride and joy. Without his efforts to keep the locomotive under cover and look after it, this story would have been very different. His family and friends too…

There is an attentive expression on the face of Sir Nigel Gresley, whose statue now overlooks the main concourse, conveying an impression of both contentedness and the inquisitiveness of an engineer who knows that no job can ever be fully completed, and that there is always room for improvement. In truth, after all the fuss of the last year over whether a mallard duck should or should not stand at his feet, Hazel Reeves’ artistry looks quite lonely and bereft of something to fill the space. The chosen colour - similar to the sandstone wall behind it - produces a camouflage effect and renders it indistinct from even a few yards away, Without going up very close, no-one can have the slightest clue who the towering figure is, or why…

Like a locomotive nudged off ‘top dead centre’ into a more favourable position for starting, the builders of North Eastern Railway ‘G5’ No. 1759 have reached the optimum stage of funding to order its crank axle. With 120 of the crank’s 360 ‘degrees’ now sponsored at £100 each, the G5 Locomotive Company has sufficient cash for the deposit, and expects to place the order for the axle shortly, with an expected delivery lead time of four to five months. This will mean that all parts are in hand to make the Worsdell new-build an 0-4-4T, with the leading driving wheelset already complete and the other two driving wheels already cast. In preparation for wheeling, the driving axleboxes are almost complete with only final machining required. To oil them, a Wakefield…

The north’s answer to the Isle of Wight Railway’s ‘Train Story’ museum has been launched in a three-way partnership between the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway, Vintage Carriage Trust and Bahamas Locomotive Society - with Ingrow West station to become ‘Rail Story’. As part of the Heritage Lottery-funded restoration of LMS ‘Jubilee’ No. 45596 Bahamas, the site is to be developed as a major education centre in time to celebrate the bicentenary of the Stockton & Darlington Railway’s opening in 2025. The VCT’s Museum of Rail Travel, and the BLS’ ‘Ingrow Loco’ facility, will be rebranded as the ‘Carriage Works’ and the ‘Engine Shed’ respectively; while a further interpretation facility will be provided by the ‘Learning Coach’, 1924-built LMS composite No. DM395470 (LMS No. 8761). This erstwhile breakdown train riding…

There can’t be many stranger sights than a diminutive British-built railmotor steaming across the Australian Outback, let alone one still running on the very line for which it was designed. For the first time in ten years, such a spectacle will be seen again as Steam Motor Coach No. 1, the last operating example of its kind anywhere in the world, makes its official return to steam on the Pichi Richi Railway on April 23/24, after a successful steam test on Easter Sunday. Affectionately known as the ‘Coffee Pot’, it was built by Kitson & Co and the Metropolitan Amalgamated Railway Carriage & Wagon Co. in 1905, the former constructing the engine unit, the latter building the passenger compartment. It was the first South Australian Railway vehicle to have electric…

It’s fingers crossed for flagship ‘A4’ No. 60007 Sir Nigel Gresley as it undergoes a big strip-down for a return to the main line before the end of the decade. But it’s too early to know what toll the last ten years have inflicted on the 78-year-old engine. Steam Railway has been given special access to one of the country’s most recognised locomotives, and we will regularly chart the challenges faced by the engineers and volunteers. The Doncaster-built ‘Streak’ was retired from service at the North Yorkshire Moors Railway on September 20 last year after 54,585 miles. The 100th Gresley ‘Pacific’, named in honour of its designer, moved to the NRM four weeks later, under an agreement secured by the Sir Nigel Gresley Locomotive Trust. Chairman Nigel Wilson says: “This…

Sole-surviving ‘D49’ 4-4-0 No. 62712 Morayshire will be staying at the Bo‘ness & Kinneil Railway for another ten years, the Scottish Railway Preservation Society has confirmed. The SRPS met with the locomotive’s owner, the National Museum of Scotland, to renew their loan agreement until 2026. Repainted BR black in 2014 to mark its final year in service, Morayshire will revert to LNER apple green livery as No. 246, at the behest of the NMoS, after its overhaul is completed. The Gresley ‘Hunt’ was taken out of traffic in November last year when its boiler ticket expired. It is hoped that the engine’s overhaul could begin this year, although proposals are still being sought from external contractors.…

An ‘Austerity’ 0-6-0ST steamed in Belgium for the first time since 1947 on March 13, as No. WD196 ‘Errol Lonsdale’ made its first moves at Stoomcentrum Maldegem following overhaul. The Hunslet locomotive now requires final work on the lubrication, sanding and lighting systems, and painting in WD green with the crest of the 21st Army Group D-Day invasion force. It is due to make its debut at Maldegem’s steam festival on April 30/May 1, detailed in SR451 Industrial News. The two narrow gauge visitors for the event are now confirmed as Kerr Stuart ‘Wren’ 0-4-0ST Peter Pan and 0-4-0ST Jennie, while the standard gauge guest - German 2-10-0 No. 50.3696-7 - has been replaced by DB 2-6-2T No. 64.250. Mark Pearce has been a writer for Steam Railway for over…

THE FFESTINIOG Railway Company has authorised the construction of a new ‘Double Fairlie’ locomotive at its Boston Lodge works. Some components for the new engine, to be named James Spooner and due to enter service in 2020, have already been made. The news was tempered with the simultaneous announcement that 1979-built Fairlie Earl of Merioneth will be withdrawn when its current boiler certificate expires next year. After 36 years of service, Earl of Merioneth is regarded as worn out. It needs a new boiler, smokeboxes, chimneys and tanks, the boiler cradle needs replacing, and its 1986 power bogies require a heavy overhaul and new tyres. The company decided that it might as well build a new locomotive that better suits its requirements. Earl of Merioneth, the second new-build steam locomotive…

Hopes have been dashed for several railways looking to buy some of the 25 miles of narrow gauge rail from the disused Ministry of Defence site at Eastriggs, near Gretna Green. After several delays, railway teams (SR452) arrived on site to inspect the material, only to be told that it had all been sold to a contractor. They did establish, however, that most of the 250 turnouts on offer were unsuitable for re-use. Knowing that the cost of lifting the track will increase the cost of the remaining rail when it comes on to the market, the North Bay Railway, Scarborough, is leading a consortium prepared to place a bulk order for new rail with an overseas mill. The Bala Lake Railway and Penrhyn Quarry Railway have already expressed an…

One might have hoped, now its long-running and hugely expensive overhaul is at last complete, that the endless controversy over Flying Scotsman might at last die down. But in early March, amid discussions of £450 ticket prices and trespassers all over the East Coast Main Line, the community began talking about it in a way that nobody expected - as word spread that the Severn Valley Railway’s traditional September gala had been cancelled to make way for a ‘Pacific Power’ event, starring the ‘A3’ and ‘A1’ No. 60163 Tornado. Although the flagship gala, with its all-night steam operation, is to return to its usual slot in 2017, the decision to replace it this year with an ‘End of Season Finale Gala’ in November drew immediate criticism; one SR reader stated…

Although the detailed conclusions of West Coast’s strategic review are not yet known, comments by Ian Prosser already indicate the direction the safety regulator thinks they are likely to take. Mr Prosser told Stefanie Browne, of our sister magazine RAIL: “In the medium term, particularly for next year, they will reduce the complexity of their operation.” He also said: “Things they do well are things like the ‘Jacobite’ and the ‘Dalesman’. And they don’t get into issues with performance with the rest of the network.” Add that to what WCRC has itself already said about running steam on the East and West Coast main lines, and a picture emerges of a possible future increasingly away from the core routes. Says the chief inspector of the ORR’s own view: “We want…

An almost forgotten GWR ‘Castle’ nameplate that could legitimately be attached to a main line engine today was the top seller at Pershore High School, Worcestershire, on March 19. It was Western all the way with the selection of main line steam nameplates and the sale of the left-hand plate from Barbury Castle at £10,800, which certainly represented value for money as it was a name carried by two locomotives. Originally the name for Tyseley’s 1936-built ‘Castle’ No. 5043 Earl of Mount Edgcumbe, Barbury Castle later went to 1939-built ‘Castle’ No. 5095. Mawley Hall ex-No. 5959 reached a hammer price of £4,500, while Stanford Court ex-‘Saint’ No. 2949 did not sell on the day. An SR target from Slades Green made its auction debut and realised £3,000, while a BR(W)…

Top product Highly recommended Good, but not perfect Maybe not for you Not recommended BOOK GRADIENTS OF THE BRITISH MAIN LINE RAILWAYS Ian Allan. Hardback. 120pp. ISBN: 97871103844. £15. RATING: This industry standard, known to most SR readers simply as ‘Gradient Profiles’, has sold in its thousands since it first appeared in 1966, but been out of print for a decade. The latest version extends its remit back to 1947 and is organised by the ‘Big Four’ companies followed by joint lines, and also now includes water troughs, areas of subsidence such as colliery areas, and on LMS routes, speed restrictions. Reproduction quality isn’t really an issue as it’s page after page of easy-to-access information, bringing route after route to life. Within a few minutes, even the casual browser will…

VINTAGE HAULAGE STEAM IN THE FORMER YUGOSLAVIA DATES: June 10-22 (13 days) PRICES: From £1,810 Vintage steam in Bled, Slovenian Railway Museum in Ljubljana, everyday steam-hauled coal workings in Bosnia, narrow gauge in Serbia, the ‘Sargan 8’. HIGHLIGHTS Sat Jun 11 Steam through the Julian Alps, ‘06’ 2-8-2 No. 06.018 on the Transalpina Railway to Bled. Sun Jun 12 Lake Bled and National Railway Museum at Ljubljana. Tues Jun 14 Visit to the last steam depot where Class 33s are in regular use, 68-mile charter train with one of them. Wed Jun 15 Double-headed Class 62, Banovici depot visit, and 760mm Oskova line with two ex-Yugoslav Railways (JŽ) Class 83 0-8-2s to Turija and back. Thurs Jun 16 Steam at Banovici and Dubrave, with ex-Hungarian (MAV) 0-8-0T No. 55-99, and…