Table of contents for Issue 448 in Steam Railway

The TV weather forecaster alarms us by saying there’s an unexpected hurricane force gale on its way just before midnight. We had better make sure that everything is tied down to make sure that it’s not torn up, swirled round, and smashed out of all recognition. And that’s just where main line steam seemed to be on Tuesday November 24. The ORR issued a statement that it had ‘temporarily’ prohibited West Coast from “operating steam trains on the main line rail network from 11pm, to protect the safety of its staff, volunteers, passengers and members of the public”. This was because a train crew switched off a ‘Black Five’s’ Train Protection and Warning System (TPWS) equipment. Thoughts turned immediately (and entirely falsely) to a possible abandonment of the NRM’s 2016…

DIDCOT GOES SOLAR Didcot Railway Centre is set to slash its annual £30,000 electricity bill by 25% - by installing solar panels on the roof of its carriage shed. During a 25-30 year life, they will pay for themselves three times over. WSR S&D GATHERING BR ‘4MT’ No. 80072 and ‘7F’ 2-8-0 No. 53809 are the first guests for the West Somerset Railway’s ‘Somerset & Dorset 50’ gala on March 5/6 and 10-13, with resident ‘7F’ No. 53808 and ‘4F’ No. 44422. COACHES UNDER COVER The Bluebell Railway is to begin construction of a new carriage shed at Horsted Keynes during December. It will accommodate up to 25 pre-nationalisation vehicles awaiting restoration. IVATT’S GUILDFORD GIG The Mid-Hants Railway’s February 12-14 steam gala, which will mark the debut of Ivatt ‘2MT’…

Over a year after its arrival at the Princess Royal Class Locomotive Trust’s West Shed at the Midland Railway - Butterley for a bottom end overhaul, unique LMS Stephenson link-motion ‘Black Five’ No. 44767 remains in a stripped-down condition with a great deal of work still to be done. What was originally expected to be a simple matter of bearing replacement and re-metalling work has turned into a mammoth task. Initial inspection revealed cracked areas and flaws in the cylinders, which are now to be scrapped and replaced with new castings. Corrosion is also apparent in the frames themselves, which require areas to be cut out and renewed. Once all this is complete, the re-metalling of bearing surfaces can be completed, but the locomotive’s tender frames have also been deemed…

1060: David Buck’s Finnish ‘Tr1’ 2-8-2 has been moved from the Epping Ongar Railway to Fengate Farm, near Weeting in Norfolk. 2944: Having singlehandedly shouldered Churnet Valley Railway services for the last year, the Polish ‘TKh’ 0-6-0T is to get a well-earned rest in January for ‘bottom-end’ maintenance, prior to the steam gala on February 27/28. 4110: The West Somerset Railway’s newly-acquired ‘Large Prairie’ has received a cosmetic repaint in green for display at Minehead prior to restoration. 4555: Dismantling of the ‘Small Prairie’ for overhaul at the Dartmouth Steam Railway has revealed frame cracks that will need rectification. The boiler is at Tyseley, while that from ‘Standard Four’ No. 75014 is undergoing work at Churston. 7822: Foxcote Manor is expected to steam again at Llangollen in early 2016,…

The Great Western Society has changed its constitution to officially allow non-GWR and post-steam era artefacts and paper records to become part of its collection - but the move has not been without controversy. The change - which means, for example, that the GWS could now officially include one of the seven preserved Class 52 ‘Western’ diesels in its collection - was swept through by a large majority at a modestly-attended extraordinary general meeting at Didcot on September 19. Sixty-one members voted for the proposal put forward by the society’s ruling council, and two voted against, with five abstentions. The society has some 6,000 members. Great Western Society Chairman Richard Croucher admitted some members were “violently opposed” to the change: “They believe it is totally wrong, and not what the…

The East Lancashire Railway’s locomotive fleet is set to change out of all recognition in the coming decades, with a new BR Standard 2-6-4T, Ivatt ‘Mogul’, and even a GWR ‘72XX’ 2-8-2T being lined up for the future. As Bulleid ‘West Country’ No. 34092 City of Wells is set to become a Bury fixture (see above) the possibility has been raised of another long-time Keighley & Worth Valley Railway resident making the same move - Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway 0-6-0ST No. 752. The Aspinall ‘23’ class, an 1896 rebuild of an 1881-built Barton Wright 0-6-0 tender engine, has been under overhaul at the KWVR since the late 1990s - but the owning Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway Society is talking to the ELR and the Bury Standard 4 Group, about using…

TWO DRIVING forces behind today’s vibrant UK steam movement have shared the Steam Railway trophy in the prestigious Heritage Railway Association Awards. Crewe-based London & North Western Railway Heritage - the brand new home of some of our finest main line-registered locomotives - is the joint winner with a group of six North Wales narrow gauge lines who have magnificently demonstrated their unique partnership during a special anniversary year. The awards - and a host of others - will be presented at the HRA’s annual dinner in the classic setting of the GWR’s Wolverhampton Low Level station on Saturday February 6 2016.…

FLEETWOOD TRACK Clearance of the former goods yard at Poulton-le-Fylde station near Fleetwood, for the construction of new apartments, has unearthed a section of track with 60lb/yard rail. The station was closed to passengers as early as 1893 and replaced by a new one at Breck Road, but remained open for goods until 1968. LINCS’ TOP TIMETABLE The Lincolnshire Wolds Railway’s leaflet has won the ‘Best Timetable’ award in the Heritage Railway Association’s Media and Publications Competition. Judged on ‘user-friendliness’ for the visually impaired, it is the second LWR leaflet to win the award, the first being in 2012. ISLE OF WIGHT POLES The Isle of Wight Steam Railway is creating a 1950s feel by installing wooden telegraph poles over a mile and half of line between Wootton and Havenstreet.…

Early preservation will be recalled at the South Devon Railway during its February half-term gala, with four locomotives from its Dart Valley Railway days. Just over 50 years after Collett ‘14XX’ 0-4-2T No. 1450 arrived at Buckfastleigh from Exmouth Junction shed in January 1966, it will return for the SDR’s February 13-22 ‘Winter Steam Festival’. It will join three other former DVR stalwarts still resident at the line - ‘64XX’ 0-6-0PT No. 6412, ‘2251’ 0-6-0 No. 3205, and ‘1366’ 0-6-0PT No. 1369, together with London Transport ‘57XX’ 0-6-0PT No. L92 (5786). For the second weekend, another pannier - ‘8750’ No. 4612 from the Bodmin & Wenford Railway - will join the party. While Great Western liveries were to the fore in the Dart Valley era, it will largely be the…

STATION MOVE OPPOSED There have been calls to prevent the Dean Forest Railway from moving Griffithstown station building to Gloucestershire. Local resident Lindsey Matthews has suggested turning the station into a café and museum, but Torfaen council has re-affirmed its plans to clear the site. THE ‘OTHER’ HACKWORTH A book on the lesser-known life of Timothy Hackworth’s brother Thomas has been launched at Locomotion, the National Railway Museum in Shildon. Titled Thomas Hackworth: Locomotive Engineer. Author George Turner Smith was assisted by ancestor Jane Hackworth-Young. NO MORE DISCOUNT The South Devon Railway is to withdraw its 10% members’ discount at its Buckfastleigh shop and cafe from January 1 because it can no longer provide the £9,000 annual subsidy. HEROINE REMEMBERED The Wells & Walsingham Railway’s Garratt Norfolk Heroine has carried…

The Class G5 Locomotive Company has over a quarter of the funds for the crank axle for its NER 0-4-4T No. 1759, having sold 94 of its 360 ‘degrees’ at £100 each. The leading driving wheels have been pressed onto their axle by the South Devon Railway, and the completed wheelset is shortly to move to the group’s Shildon base, while the other two driving wheels are having their centres bored and keyways cut by the Boro Foundry. Quotes are being sought for the manufacture of the smokebox and door. Shares in the ‘G5’ are available from £100; call 07523 417602 or email g5locomotive@gmail.com…

During the final week of ‘Manor’ workings on the Cambrian, the signalmen at Aberystwyth kept a full record in their train register, allowing Derek J. Lowe ( The Cambrian Main Line; Whitchurch (Salop) to Aberystwyth via Oswestry and Whitchurch - Scenes from the Past 55 ) to compile this snapshot of railway history. MONDAY NOVEMBER 8 1965 No. 7802 Bradley Manor : Down 5am freight, arr. 10.44am, Up freight dep. 5.35pm TUESDAY NOVEMBER 9 No. 7802: Down 5am freight, arr. 10.37am No. 7812 Erlestoke Manor : Down ‘Cambrian Coast Express’ arr 5.16pm No. 7802: Up freight dep 5.33pm No. 7812: Up Mail dep 6.05am WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 10 No. 7821 Ditcheat Manor : Down ‘CCE’ arr. 5.18pm, Up Mail dep…

While progress is made in some areas of South African railway preservation, the problem of scrap metal theft continues to plague the country. In the latest incident, it is reported that six locomotives stored at Waterval Boven - ‘25NC’ 4-8-4 No. 3476, ‘19D’ 4-8-2 No. 2526, ‘GMAM’ 4-8-2+2-8-4 Garratt No. 4056, ‘15F’ 4-8-2s Nos. 2909 and 2985, and ‘GCA’ 2-6-2+2-6-2 Garratt No. 2621, were stripped of brass and copper fittings during the weekend of November 7/8, the thieves poisoning and stabbing the guard dogs to enter the site. No. 2526 is privately owned by Steamnet 2000 Vice-Chairman Oscar Sabatini - the other engines are part of the Transnet Heritage Foundation ‘national collection’.…

Cracks found in the cylinders of Orenstein & Koppel 0-6-0WT No. 7529, under restoration at the Butterley-based Golden Valley Light Railway, have been repaired. Reinforcing plates have been added to strengthen the cylinder mounting on their undersides, and the first of the cylinders has now been attached to the engine’s frames. Having started the restoration of a pair of Polish bogies for its Ffestiniog Railway carriage No. 119 (SR438), the GVLR has ordered two pairs of wagon bogies from Sandstone Heritage Trust in South Africa to speed up the completion. The second pair will go under No. 118, which the FR is also selling to the GVLR. The bogie transaction was led by the Moseley Railway Trust, which has also bought two pairs of bogies for use under ex-FR Nos.…

Boosted by £89,600 from the Heritage Lottery Fund grant, volunteers at Northamptonshire’s Irchester Country Park have laid a short section of metre gauge track on the formation of a disused mineral railway. The overgrown route has been cleared to improve access to visitors and to encourage wildlife. Flat bottom rail and concrete sleepers were provided by the Irchester Narrow Gauge Railway Museum, which is based at the nearby former Wembley Pit ironstone quarry. The museum is advising owner Northamptonshire County Council on signage and has provided two wagon underframes for display. Several local ironstone quarries used metre gauge, and the Irchester museum has four suitable steam locomotives - three Peckett 0-6-0STs Nos. 86-87 from Wellingborough and Corpet 0-6-0T Cambrai, imported from France for use at Loddington in 1937. No. 86…

The Llangollen Railway is close to reaching its original goal of Corwen, and already thoughts are turning to even further expansion. The possibility of returning to the original Corwen station at the west end of the town has been raised, while there is always the question of rebuilding eastwards to Ruabon and a main line connection. The latter is threatened by further encroachment of housing developments on the trackbed at Acrefair, where a missing bridge already offers a major obstacle. There are no firm plans to progress either scheme, as the railway would prefer to concentrate on the considerable task of a permanent facility at Corwen.…

As the Western Region planned to eliminate steam power from its patch at the end of 1965, and scheduled steam working from its London terminus ceased that summer, a number of railway societies approached the region’s management about the possibility of running a ‘last steam from Paddington’ special. Rather than show favouritism to one society, BR decided that they would promote the train, and thus it was announced that a special on Saturday November 27 would be hauled by No. 7029 Clun Castle. The route was to be from Paddington to Bristol via Bath, thence Bristol to Gloucester, all with No. 7029, followed by diesel power to Cheltenham and back to Gloucester, where Clun Castle would then take the train to Swindon. To promote the Western’s ‘modern’ credentials as the…

It’s often said that without Barry scrapyard, the preservation movement could never have reached the scale it has - and 1966 was a key year in the story. Cookham Manor is the only ‘Manor’ to have been saved direct from BR, the others all having spent time at Barry - and all eight (Nos. 7802, 7812, 7819, 7820, 7821, 7822, 7827 and 7828) arrived in 1966. Of the 15 surviving BR ‘4MT’ 2-6-4Ts, no fewer than 12 were 1966 arrivals (No. 80002 was bought from BR, while No. 80064 arrived in 1965 and No. 80151 not until 1967); and the year also brought various other ‘Standards’ (including ‘5MT’ No. 73082 Camelot), a variety of ‘Bulleids’, ‘Halls’ (original and ‘Modified’), ‘Black Fives’ and ‘2MT’ 2-6-2T No. 41313. Other engines withdrawn in…

Labour PM Harold Wilson returned with a bigger majority, having called an early election (the previous one was in 1964); Barbados, Botswana, Guyana and Lesotho became independent - but the UK’s relations with Rhodesia went downhill; Myra Hindley and Ian Brady were convicted of the ‘Moors Murders’, and ‘Buster’ Edwards went down for his part in 1963’s ‘Great Train Robbery’; cross-Channel hovercraft services began; Soviet spy George Blake escaped to Russia; Britain announced plans to decimalise; 144 people died after a spoil tip collapsed on the village of Aberfan near Merthyr Tydfil; England won the football World Cup at Wembley (it was the only ‘home team’ to make the finals); the Barclaycard was launched; Patrick Troughton became the second Doctor Who; the charts were filled with names such as the…

Are you fully in the picture with the National Railway Museum’s programe for Flying Scotsman next year? ‘Down Main’ has tried to fill in some of the information gaps by asking some direct questions. These are the responses DOWN MAIN: Can you confirm that No. 60103’s mileage between May 10 and June 8 will be over 1,500 miles? NATIONAL RAILWAY MUSEUM: We are still working on the details of the final mileage. The mileage will be over 1,500, but we are sticking to the daily 350 miles suggested by FCP and in most cases aim for the daily mileage to be considerably less than this. DM: What contingency plans do you have in place in case Flying Scotsman is unavailable for any of its runs, in…

Of other ‘Icons of Steam’ engines, attention right now is firmly focused on No. 46100 Royal Scot (see news pages). It undertook its very first trip on the national network (albeit diesel-hauled) since 1962 on November 25. The trip took the Fowler/Stanier 4-6-0 from the Severn Valley Railway, where it’s been run in, home to Crewe. • No. 34046 Braunton should also “be ready to start work early in the New Year” after its extensive boiler work - the steam test now having been passed and the rebuilt ‘West Country’ undergoing reassembly as I write. • Work has started on No. 5029 Nunney Castle at Crewe after its surprise jumping of the overhaul queue (SR447). Says Peter: “I think a conservative estimate would be that it’d be ready by the…

The chances of the erstwhile Poulton-Fleetwood line ever again becoming a serious preservation entity could be described as slim. There are a number of reasons for this, including the loss of the top end of the route in urban Fleetwood many years ago and the lack of local institutional support for a link to the big railway. The incumbent preservationists are trying their best, and I wish them every bit of luck, but on their own they are unlikely to be able to run a viable service into Poulton station. What will probably kill the idea for good, or at best condemn the line to life as a seasonal ‘fun ride’, is the forthcoming electrification of the Preston-Blackpool North route. This will effectively freeze the existing track alignment at Poulton…

Photography Digital by email - Send files (preferably jpeg) size A4 at 300dpi no bigger than 10MB per image please. Label each image with engine number, date, location and your name. Digital on disc - As above but please include a thumbnail printout of what is on the disc. Prints and slides are still accepted and encouraged. Some might be retained in our archive. If you want them returned please send a stamped addressed envelope. Payment - we pay for what we print (‘Mailbag’ pages excepted). We will need your bank details and address to process the payment via BACS. Contributions of photographic material are welcomed. Suitable material (accompanied by an SAE) will be retained with a view to publication, when fees will be paid. Photographs must be marked with…

BEAMISH COACHBUILDERS A new body complete with roof - but not sides - is to be fitted to the open coach that runs on the Pockerley Waggonway at Beamish, while the tender wheelsets are being constructed for replica Lewin 0-4-0WTG Samson. The museum has recently been added to Google’s ‘Streetview’. WIGHT ‘SCOTSMAN’ Flying Scotsman has been gifted to the Isle of Wight Steam Railway - a 3½in gauge model of the LNER Gresley ‘A3’ No. 4472 was presented by Father John Catlin, who was has retired to Cowes. It is the work of his late father Morris. WSR S&D GATHERING BR ‘4MT’ No. 80072 and ‘7F’ 2-8-0 No. 53809 are the first confirmed guests for the West Somerset Railway’s ‘Somerset & Dorset 50’ gala on March 5/6 and 10-13, along…

The Somerset & Dorset restoration project at Shillingstone is set to gain its first working resident steam locomotive in an unusual form - a ‘USA’- design 0-6-0T more than 1,000 miles from its former homeland of Yugoslavia. Project 62, owners of ‘Yugo-Yankee tanks’ Nos. 30075 and 30076 - which it imported to Britain in 1990 and 2006 respectively - has reached agreement with the North Dorset Railway Trust to base both engines at the restored S&D station. They are expected to arrive by the end of the year, No. 30075 from the Great Central Railway (Nottingham) and No. 30076 from storage in the West Midlands. No. 30075 has run at several preserved railways, including the Swanage and East Somerset, but last steamed at the Mid-Hants in 2010, while No. 30076…

The Heritage Railway Association staged a seminar at Wolverhampton on November 11 to focus on attracting, training and retaining young people on steam railways. It covered such important issues as safeguarding and protection, insurance, management procedures and employment law. The Office of Rail and Road’s Deputy Chief Inspector of Railways David Keay confirmed the ORR’s support and praised the efforts of the Bluebell Railway, National Traction Engine Trust, Sittingbourne & Kemsley Light Railway and the Boiler and Engineering Skills and Training Trust. An issue is that some laws that are now 80 or 90 years old create uncertainty where they apply to employing young people in railways.…

Supporters of the LNWR George the Fifth Steam Locomotive Trust have acquired an LNWR full brake coach from the Chasewater Railway and moved it to a private site for restoration as a separate project to the new Bowen-Cooke 4-4-0. Trustee Paul Hibberd told Steam Railway: “It would need a big change in the rules for it ever to be a main line support coach, but it will provide a useful storage facility and we feel it helps to make the overall project more authentic.”…

VACANCIES The Talyllyn Railway was the world's first preserved railway and is now a major tourist attraction in mid-Wales. This narrow gauge line operates passenger steam services with the aid of some 400 volunteers, drawn from the 4,000 plus members of the Talyllyn Railway Preservation Society, along with a limited number of paid staff. The Society effectively controls and runs the railway, which has charitable status, and there is a strong inclusive ethos which runs throughout the organisation. Our General Manager has recently left to become Managing Director of a leading standard gauge heritage railway and following a review of our management structure we are looking for a replacement. We are also looking to fill the new post of Engineering Manager. GENERAL MANAGER The General Manager will be responsible to…

One giveaway that it was not the Cambrian in the early 1960s was the high-sided 4,000-gallon tender with which Bradley Manor has run for virtually its entire preservation life - but you can help to put that right. No. 7802’s original 3,500-gallon tender was sold separately from Barry and is now coupled behind ‘43XX’ 2-6-0 No. 5322 at Didcot, but the Erlestoke Manor Fund (EMF) has acquired another ex-Barry example, No. 2329, from Llangollen to return ‘Bradley’ to the appearance more typical of the class. Built by Robert Stephenson & Co. in 1921, No. 2329 was paired with eight ‘43XX’ 2-6-0s, six ‘28XX’ and ‘2884’ 2-8-0s and three ‘Granges’ in GWR and BR service, its last engine being ‘2884’ No. 3845. It has required a major…

THE ROMNEY, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway has moved closer to automating its dangerous level crossings by commissioning another two along the route that has been plagued by serious accidents. The latest to receive barriers are at Hull Road and Taylor Road on the single line section between New Romney and Dungeness, which were converted on October 22. This brings to five the number of crossings commissioned on this section during 2015; the others are at Williamson Road, Baldwin Road and Seaview Road. The railway was unsuccessful in its appeal to the local authority to close Hull Road crossing, despite its close proximity to Taylor Road. (SR437) Improving Dungeness Road will complete the RHDR’s automation programme, which became a pressing issue following the deaths of drivers Kevin Crouch and Suzanne Martin…

Fresh from its appearance at the Vale of Rheidol Railway’s ‘Forgotten Engines’ weekend in September (SR447), Phil Mason’s Kerr Stuart 0-4-0T Diana moved to its new home on the Bala Lake Railway on October 22. A gauging trial found that it fouled the platforms at Llanuwchllyn and Bala, so they will be altered over the winter. Before the engine left the Vale of Rheidol Railway, where its restoration to working order was completed, a light engine run was made to Devil’s Bridge. The BLR marked the end of its 2015 operating season on October 31 by running Holy War and Maid Marian double-headed.…

Classes eliminated completely were: January: SR ‘Q1’ (33006/20/7), LNER ‘A3’ (60052) February: LNER, ‘04’ (63785) May: GWR ‘56XX’ (5605, 6697), BR, ‘Clan’ (72006) June: SR ‘N’ 31405/8), ‘U’ (31639, 31791), LNER ‘A1’ (60145) September: GWR ‘16XX’ (1628), LMS ‘4MT’ (42410), LNER ‘A4’ (60019/24) November: GWR ‘57XX’ (4646/96, 9774) December: LMS ‘0F’ (41528/33, 41708/34/63, 41835, 47001/5), ‘3F’ (47201/2), LNER ‘A2’ (60532), ‘V2’ (60831/6)…

DECEMBER SAT 5 ‘The Cathedrals Express’ Carnforth-Shap-Carlisle-Settle-Blackburn by No. 46115. Steam Dreams. SAT 5 ‘The Lindum Fayre’ King’s Cross-Lincoln-Newark-King’s Cross by No. 46233. RTC. SAT 5 ‘The Lindum Christmas Fayre’ Tyseley-Leicester-Lincoln and return by No. 4965. Vintage Trains. SAT 5 ‘The Bath Christmas Market’ Three Bridges-Havant-Salisbury-Bristol and return by No. 34067. RTC. TUE 8 ‘Belmond British Pullman’ London Victoria-Staines-Shalford-Redhill-London Victoria by No. 60163. Belmond. TUE 8 ‘The Christmas Sussex Belle’ London Victoria-Redhill-Eastbourne, Hastings-Sevenoaks-London Victoria by No. 34067. RTC. THU 10 ‘The York Yuletide Express’ Norwich-York and return by No. 46233. RTC. SAT 12 ‘Belmond British Pullman’ London Victoria-Staines-Shalford-Redhill-London Victoria by No. 60163. Belmond. SAT 12 ‘The Cathedrals Express’ Ashford-Maidstone-Salisbury and return by No. 61306. Steam Dreams. SAT 12 ‘The Christmas White Rose’ King’s Cross-York and return by No. 46233. RTC.…

Apart from our news story on page 8 of this issue of SR, you’ll not have heard much about ‘Black Five’ 4-6-0 No. 44767 for while - because after it went to Butterley last winter for main line fettling, the list of jobs has grown bigger and bigger. Owner Ian Storey tells me that what’s now being undertaken on the 1947-built engine is “the biggest strip-down it’s ever had.” Work taking place at the Princess Royal Class Locomotive Trust’s HQ includes a new set of tender frames and tank - not to mention new tyres on the tender and engine, a new front tender axle, four new tender bearings and three new roller bearings on the locomotive itself. The boiler, however, is reported to be in good condition, but the…

PEAK RAIL’S long-awaited 5½-mile northern extension to Bakewell and beyond is looking set to become a reality, with talks between Peak Rail Plc and Derbyshire County Council at last beginning to bear fruit. Although tracklaying is some years away, and local press reports of a share issue were a little premature, project manager Paul Tomlinson is optimistic. To reach Hassop, north of Bakewell, will extend the running line from Matlock to ten miles - which is almost exactly half the way to the ultimate goal of Buxton. Paul explains: “Talks with the council were difficult at first, to say the least. We’d hoped to be at this stage over a year ago, but there were a lot of concerns on both sides that had to be resolved. “The council was…

Network Rail contractors have demolished the signal box at the Spa Valley Railway’s southern terminus at Eridge on October 17. Built in 1880, the 32-lever box had been out of use for 25 years, but been kept for potential future use by the preserved line. It was on the wrong side of the Uckfield main line from the SVR’s single track. Spa Valley Railway spokesman David Staines said: “We are trying to confirm what was supposed to be saved and what, if anything, was kept in any fit state for re-use. Enquiries are ongoing with Network Rail.”…

NEW SRPS CHAIRMAN The Scottish Railway Preservation Society has elected Vic Michel as its new chairman. A director of the SRPS since 2012, he is also a director of Tyseley Locomotive Works, and as a chartered surveyor and construction manager was responsible for the redevelopment of Birmingham Moor Street station in GWR style. ALL CHANGE AT NVR Nene Valley Railway engineer John Whitby is to take the reins as acting General Manager from February, as current GM Hannah Forman retires. Board changes have also seen Keith Parkinson become the new chairman after leading its Signal & Telegraph Department for over 20 years. LONGEST MAN STANDING The Isle of Man Railway’s longest-serving employee has celebrated retirement. John Smith joined in 1973 and worked in operations, on the permanent way, and as…

Sixteen years of hard effort has paid off for the Severn Valley Railway’s restoration team with the top prize in the Carriage and Wagon section. The award recognises the workmanship in 1929 GWR Nondescript saloon No. 9103. Winner of the Best Coach category is the Bluebell Railway’s South Eastern & Chatham 1910 ‘Birdcage’ Brake Lavatory Third No. 3363, which is now in the revenue-earning fleet. The Best Wagon trophy goes to the Caledonian Railway’s BR Standard 20T brake van No. 950883. The winner of the best tram or railcar category is the Nene Valley for its 1958 Swedish State Railways railcar, and the Snowdon Mountain Railway is commended for its new-build carriage.…

Collett ‘64XX’ 0-6-0PT No. 6430 is to return to its first workplace after almost 80 years as it visits the Severn Valley Railway for its ‘Spring Steam Gala’ on March 18-20 2016. The Llangollen Railway-based engine, which was allocated new to Kidderminster shed in March 1937, will provide a second push-pull fitted engine to work alongside resident ‘14XX’ 0-4-2T No. 1450 with autocoaches Nos. 178 and W238 ‘Chaffinch’. The event should also see the return of resident ‘57XX’ pannier No. 7714 after overhaul.…

No, thankfully that doesn’t mean the Steam Railway appeal engine is suffering from water carry-over troubles; the boiler for No. 2999 Lady of Legend has passed its hydraulic test. Following an internal insurance exam, No. 4942 Maindy Hall’s boiler was successfully tested on October 29 to 300lbs/sq in, a third as much again as its normal pressure of 225lbs. Having been given a coat of heat-resistant aluminium paint, it will now be put to one side while final mechanical work is undertaken on the ‘back-conversion’ of the ex-Barry Collett ‘Hall’ to the Churchward design. A second Swindon Standard No. 1 boiler, from ‘28XX’ No. 2861, currently occupies the ‘Saint’s’ frames as a template for piping-up. This will go ahead once the tender is complete, on which the brake hangars are…

A new steam operation in South Africa is getting ready for action with the delivery of its first locomotive. Oil-burning Class ‘19D’ 4-8-2 No. 3321 was moved on October 17 from Voorbaai depot to the Wolseley-Ceres-Prince Alfred Hamlet branch. It will be the motive power for a new tourist train service on the 26km line over the spectacular Mitchell’s Pass. It operated its first test run on the 26km line, hauling newly restored coaches, on November 4. As reported in SR437, the Ceres Railway Company (CRC) has reached agreement with rail freight operator Transnet for the steam operation, in what has been described as “effectively the first private concession of a 1,067mm gauge line in South Africa”. Cape Town steam charter operator Atlantic Rail has been appointed to run the…

Heritage Engineering Ireland - the Whitehead-based engineering subsidiary of the RPSI - is poised to carry out a boiler overhaul of the Downpatrick & Co. Down Railway’s Orenstein & Koppel 0-4-0T No. 3. The 1935-built Irish Sugar Board locomotive has been in store since 2012, when sister No. 1 took over duties at Downpatrick, Ireland’s only 5ft 3in gauge preserved line. Robert Gardiner, the DCDR vice-chairman, said the board had a quote for the work, which could take six months. While HEI would progress to an out-of-frames steam test, the locomotive would be returned to Downpatrick for refitting the boiler. Meanwhile, the DCDR continues to develop plans for a 1km extension along the old Newcastle line to Ballydugan Mill. The new Newry, Mourne & Down Council indicated that “meaningful” progress…

REAL AB TYRES The Tanfield Railway’s Andrew Barclay 0-6-0ST Horden (W/No. 1015 of 1904) has received new tyres that were ordered direct from Barclay’s in the 1970s when the locomotive was first preserved, and have been in store since. The next wheelsets into the lathe are likely to be from Hudswell Clarke 0-6-0T W/No. 1823 of 1949, National Coal Board No. 38. BELGIAN ON BOIL Hunslet ‘Austerity’ War Department No. 196 (W/No. 3796 of 1953) is nearing completion at Stoomcentrum Maldegem in Belgium. The boiler of the former South Devon Railway ‘Errol Lonsdale’ has been steam-tested in the frames, and work on lubrication pipes and fitting air brakes is under way. The one-time Longmoor Military Railway regular arrived in Belgium in 2010. BOWES PROGRESS Work at the Bowes Railway has…

An important milestone in the restoration of South African ‘NG15’ 2-8-2 No. 134 to work on the Welsh Highland Railway has been achieved with the lowering of the locomotive’s frames onto its driving wheels in the shed at Dinas. The work, which was commenced seven years ago, is being carried out by society members, and the monthly working parties have been supported by local volunteers one evening a week. The project team has remarkably acquired one of the locomotive’s original brass cabside numberplates after they were offered for sale in South Africa recently.…

The North Bay Railway’s new-build 20in gauge Bagnall ‘Sirpat’ 0-4-0ST Georgina was successfully tested on compressed air on October 30. After the chassis was run around the railway in a successful test of clearances on November 19, the boiler has now been placed in position. The boiler and saddle tank were completed last year (SR427), and with steel plate for the cab roof and sides ordered, the NBR expects to test the engine in early 2016. Construction of Georgina began two years ago, but has been delayed by contract jobs, including the restoration of and conversion to biofuel of Umtwalumi Valley Estate Hunslet 0-4-2T No. 1 for the South Tynedale Railway (SR444). Another narrow gauge new-build under way in the North East is Beamish Museum’s single-cylinder Lewin 0-4-0WT Samson. Following…

The Glyn Valley Tramway Trust has secured the removal of a major obstruction that prevented the line being reinstated to its original terminus in Chirk. After the system closed in 1935, supports for a 33kV power distribution mast were placed on the trackbed on the outskirts of the town. Scottish Power, its owner, agreed to move it, for free, to help ‘green’ tourism in Chirk. The trust can now create a link with the national network. Members have cleared trees from a quarter of a mile of trackbed between the Hand Lane bridge and Ty Ririd, and decided on its original unusual 2ft 4½in gauge (SR441).…

The Llangollen Railway wasn’t up to much on July 1 1975 when Bill Shakespeare was handed the keys to the rusty gate that gave access to a derelict station in the centre of the North Wales market town. While the principality is best known for its impressive collection of narrow gauge railways, it is also now home to a handful of standard-sized lines. The largest is the Llangollen Railway, an organisation that has just reached its 40th anniversary - and close to realising the dreams of its creators. When the same Llangollen Railway founder member Bill Shakespeare stepped out onto the newly built platform at Corwen station on March 1 this year, it was the culmination of almost half a century of effort and the realisation of a lifelong ambition.…

BR condemned a total of 1,305 steam locomotives in 1966 - the equivalent of 25 a week - and by the end of the year there were just 1,698 in total, with no standard gauge classes now intact. The year saw the last 32 engines of GWR design withdrawn (leaving just the Vale of Rheidol, 66 Southern types (down from 109), and 1,024 LMS (1,674), 111 LNER (304), and 494 BR and Austerity (881). It was the final year of the LNER Gresley ‘Pacifics’, and the final handful of GWR tank types that remained at work on the London Midland Region. The LMS ‘Black Five’ 4-6-0s were still going strong however, with 456 still active at the end of the year, along with 381 ‘8F’ 2-8-0s.…

Hundreds of route miles were slashed from the national map in 1966, including the Great Central and Somerset & Dorset main lines. It was Government policy to eliminate duplicate routes, and there seemed to be little sympathy for those wising to travel cross-country, hence the elimination of lines that would be most useful today, such as Peterborough-Rugby, and Christ’s Hospital-Shoreham. The Isle of Wight suffered badly, and there was a significant trimming on unremunerative short branch lines. The continued decline of local goods traffic, often on the last remnants of passenger lines closed some years before, isolated many remote towns forever. These are some of the most significant changes of 50 years ago - a good reference source is Geoffrey Hurst’s Register of Closed Railways 1948-91 (Milepost Publications). * =…

A view from ‘Top Shed’: former King’s Cross shedmaster Peter Townend gives his views on how Flying Scotsman should be used. “I think the use of Flying Scotsman should consider how to conserve an engine approaching 100 years. Although much of the engine is not original, the frame is relatively light for a large engine. “Short-term intensive usage shortly after a very major overhaul is understandable, because everyone wishes to see or ride behind the locomotive after it’s been out of the public eye for so long. However, the engine should be treated gently as much as possible. “Working hard on curved routes the engine was not designed for, with heavy loads, must cause wear. Perhaps that’s what caused problems before. The…

Howard Johnston’s editorial in SR446 about main line steam operators not delivering what they promise was very interesting. Things have been this way for a while. Some years ago I wrote to former Special Trains boss Steve Cornish questioning the reasons for a number of cancellations and postponements which had occurred in a period of about a month. In his reply he explained that in two cases the locomotive had not been gauged for the route, and in five cases no request to path the excursion had been received at all. One might reasonably assume, therefore, that in some cases tour operators were testing the water to gauge the possible passenger take-up. I note that a 2016 tour is being advertised with LMS 4-6-0 No. 46100 Royal Scot. As far…

Phil Atkins ‘Mega Steam’ article (SR446) refers to some unsubstantiated, very high speed claims for United States locomotives. Like all others, their top speed was limited by the power they could develop relative to the gross train weight. In the UK, ‘A4’ No. 4468 Mallard developed in the order of 3,000ihp for five minutes, which, with a gross weight of 400 tons, meant it was delivering about 7.5hp per ton. A modern 140mph-rated ‘Pendolino’ delivers about twice this. The highest powers developed on test by the NYC 4-8-4 Niagara, and Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) 4-4-4-4 No. T1 were about 6,500HP at coal consumption rates of nine to ten tons per hour - clearly not sustainable if you wanted to avoid running out of coal! The engines weigh around 400 tons, and…

The ‘Zoom Special’ article in ‘Running Free’ earlier this year (SR439) brought back happy memories of a magical day. I can confirm there was a seventh trip from Cardiff, and my late father, who worked for Lyons Maid, was a steward on it. I can’t recall the date, but I remember we went to Swindon Works or Clapham Museum. We were definitely hauled home by BR ‘9F’ 2-10-0 No. 92220 Evening Star as I was allowed on the footplate to blow the whistle. At the end of the journey I remember my father removing some stickers from the sides of the coaches and some of the paint came off with them. After much searching, and to my amazement, I found one of them, and there is still some maroon paint…

Send your books and DVDs for review to: Reviews, Steam Railway, Media House, Lynchwood, Peterborough PE2 6EA Top product Highly recommended Good, but not perfect Maybe not for you Not recommended BOOK THE AXMINSTER AND LYME REGIS LIGHT RAILWAY By Peter Paye, The Oakwood Press, PO Box 13, Usk, Monmouthshire NP15 1YS. T: 01291 650444. E: sales@oakwoodpress.co.ukW: www.oakwoodpress.co.ukFORMAT: Softback, 5¾in x 8¼in, 144pp. ISBN: 9780853617396. PRICE: £13.95. RATING: Whenever I visit the Bluebell Railway, I go to see Adams ‘Radial’ No. 488, and tell it: “It’s all your fault.” Why? Because living in Lyme Regis for several years, and discovering the history of its branch line with these famous ‘Atlantic Tanks’, sparked my interest in railways. So I must declare a strong personal interest in this book, but that’s not…