Heritage Railway Issue 293

I was delighted to be able to attend the recent ‘Obby ‘Oss celebrations at Padstow, returning after a three-year absence due to the pandemic. This festival, usually held on May 1 or the Monday immediately afterwards, is one of Britain’s great folk traditions, an ancient custom which heralds the advent of spring in all of its multi-coloured glory. However, I had already been enamoured by the many delights of spring which that are in blossom throughout the heritage railway sector. Superb early-season weather has made for some truly spectacular spring galas, as we report this issue. Then we see the fruits of the labours of the tireless army of volunteers who have worked tirelessly when conditions permitted during the days of lockdown. I was particularly delighted to learn about Lancashire…

THE Welsh Government has agreed to meet with the Heritage Railway Association to discuss the worsening coal crisis which is threatening the sector, a major player in the UK tourist economy. Following an approach from an unnamed Senedd AM (Welsh Parliament assembly member), a cabinet member has agreed to hold a meeting with representatives of the HRA who will be making the case for a ready supply of coal to be made available to steam railways, at least in the short to medium term during which alternative and sustainable fuels which could power historic locomotives are explored and developed. As reported last issue, the HRA has written to both the UK and Welsh governments to request that at least one mine remains open to provide essential fuel to keep steam…

STEPHENSON Steam Railway, in association with the North Tyneside Steam Railway, held the Victor & Vulcan Reunion Gala over the May bank holiday weekend. Victor and Vulcan were two of three Bagnall New Standard 18 0-6-0STs (Nos. 2994 and 2996) specifically designed for Port Talbot steelworks and built in 1951. They last saw service on the internal system at British Leyland’s Longbridge factory in Birmingham from where they were bought in 1973 for the nascent West Somerset Railway, on which Victor was the first locomotive used. No. 2994 was sold in 1986, and is now at the NTSR. No. 296 was sold three years later and eventually ended up at the Lakeside & Haverthwaite Railway. The reunion had been postponed for two years because of the pandemic. Pre-order Issue 294:…

THE South Devon Railway held a special gala over the bank holiday weekend of April 30 to May 2 to mark the 150th anniversary of the opening of the Buckfastleigh, Totnes & South Devon Railway, which opened between Totnes and Ashburton in May 1872. The SDR had originally planned for GWR 0-6-0ST No.813 to visit from the Severn Valley Railway, but unfortunately it failed the week before (see pages 48-53). However, it led to a happy homecoming for GWR prairie No. 4555, the first locomotive to be preserved on the then Dart Valley Railway in 1965. It was borrowed by arrangement with the East Somerset Railway, which currently has it on loan, and owner the Dartmouth Steam Railway, Furthermore, the SDR was able to run two historic GWR carriages for…

THE Watercress Line Heritage Trust has appointed Amanda Squires as its new CEO. She will be joining the charity from August 1 from her current position at Brooklands Museum as chief operating officer. The position was created following the Mid-Hants Railway plc and the Mid-Hants Preservation Society restructuring to improve the overall governance of the Watercress Line’s activities and division of responsibilities, after careful consideration of the challenges likely to be faced over the next 20-30 years. Accordingly, the society became a charitable trust earlier this year, which will open up better access to gift aid opportunities. Amanda will be responsible for developing and implementing a strategic plan for the line as well as leading its delivery. Exciting new chapter She said: “I am honoured to have been chosen to…

WORLD EXCLUSIVE BRAVE Ukrainian steam enthusiasts have spirited away a heritage narrow gauge locomotive from a city in the east of the country – believed to be among the next to be targeted by Russian armed forces. The tiny 80-year-old 2ft 7in gauge 0-4-0T No.100.13 was moved on April 14 from Dnipro to relative safety 500 miles west in Ternopol. Dnipro is Ukraine’s fourth biggest city, with a million inhabitants, and lies about 150 miles north-west of Mariupol and less than 50 miles from the nuclear plant at Zaporizhzhia which is under threat from Russia. It is a case of history repeating itself, for No.100.13 was built for the Nazis in the Second World War, seized as reparations by the USSR after Germany surrendered, and is ironically now fleeing a…