Heritage Railway Issue 342

BRITAIN'S world-shaping railway history has from the outset been filled with visionaries whose landmark innovations steered its course – Richard Trevithick, George Stephenson, Isambard Kingdom Brunel, Sir Nigel Gresley, George Jackson Churchward, Robert Riddles… A similar principle underlies the heritage movement, where a succession of figures made preservation the art of the possible. This year, we celebrate the 75th anniversary of the volunteer-run heritage sector which began with the saving and rebirth of the Talyllyn Railway, in which transport author Tom Rolt played a central role. As highlighted in our special features on pages 44-49, before he made his indelible mark with steel wheels at Tywyn, narrowboat owner Tom had helped shift public opinion towards saving Britain's inland waterways, many of which by the 1940s had become weed-choked shadows of…

NEW-BUILD H2 Atlantic Beachy Head will make its first trip away from the Bluebell Railway this spring when it visits Didcot Railway Centre for a weekend of celebrations showcasing all that the former GWR depot has to offer. Entering service in August 2024 following a construction period that officially began in October 2000, but with parts having been acquired years beforehand, No. 32424 is a reconstruction of the Brighton H2 4-4-2 locomotive which entered service with the Southern Railway in September 1911 and was withdrawn by BR in April 1958. Scrapped a month later, its loss was highly lamented by enthusiasts at the time. Its revival through the construction of a replica, which incorporates the original's regulator handle, came out top of the Heritage Railway Association's 2025 awards ceremony's steam…

LYNTON & Barnstaple Railway revivalists have announced a milestone breakthrough with the purchase of a strategic 785-yard section of original trackbed. After more than two years, the Barnstaple & Yeo Valley Railway Trust has taken ownership of the stretch which runs through the Scouts Association campsite between Collard Bridge and Snapper Halt thanks to an agreement with the North Devon Scouts. The purchase will link sections of trackbed already owned by Exmoor Associates, creating a continuous stretch of route (subject to Skew Bridge reconstruction) between Snapper Halt and the restored Chelfham station of more than two miles. A statement was released by BYVRT chair of trustees Phil Heathcote. He said: “This is a vital addition to the long-term plan to acquire the historic L&BR route south of Wistlandpound and, in…

ONCE a regular sight on the Cambrian coast, a GWR Manor will return this spring after the Severn Valley Railway announced that a locomotive swap with the Vale of Rheidol Railway will see 4-6-0 No. 7819 Hinton Manor head to Aberystwyth to take the place of Dukedog 4-4-0 No. 9017 – which will head to Highley instead of returning home to Sussex. Introduced in 1938, the Manors were designed as a lighter version of the Grange class, their development necessitated by the need for locomotives capable of working routes that the heavier 4-6-0 s could not traverse. Subsequently, this meant that the Manors became synonymous with the Cambrian in particular, taking over workings such as the ‘Cambrian Coast Express’ from other locomotives at Shrewsbury for journeys to destinations such as…

THE A1 Steam Locomotive Trust is seeking a director to lead the engineering teams looking after its locomotives. Since its formation in 1990, the trust, a registered charity, has enjoyed great success building and operating Peppercorn A1 No. 60163 Tornado, Britain's only new-build main line-certified steam locomotive, and is currently building a second, P2 2-8-2 No. 2007 Prince of Wales. The engineering director will be key to driving this success forwards as the P2 build project reaches completion and the trust moves towards operating and maintaining two working locomotives. The position has become vacant following Ben McDonald stepping back due to changes in work and family commitments. During more than five years in the post, Ben oversaw a million-pound overhaul of Tornado, its successful return to the network, and subsequent…

UNIQUE BR Standard Class 8 4-6-2 No. 71000 Duke of Gloucester will return to the Severn Valley Railway this spring to appear at the line's April 16-19 steam gala – almost a year since undergoing running-in there at the end of its lengthy and thorough overhaul. No. 71000's visit will be its first heritage line outing since returning to service in 2025, the news coming in the wake of the announcement by the Bluebell Railway that it would also be visiting Sussex for the October 16-18 Giants of Steam weekend there (as reported last issue). Although it visited the SVR last May for testing as its recent overhaul neared its conclusion, The Duke did not pull any public services, with the first such outing being a train for members of…