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Heritage Railway|Issue 302Long before Spaceport, Cornish technology changed the worldINTHE depthsofwinter, Cornwallhasbeengenerating international headlines – not this time for its stunning summer landscapes, its temperatures and sunsets, its Atlantic surfing waves and cream teas, but as the location of Britain’s first rocket launch into space. Roads were gridlocked as locals and visitors alike flocked to Newquay Airport to glimpse a converted Boeing 747 jet named Cosmic Girl take off from Spaceport Cornwall on the evening of January 9 at the airport and cruise up to 35,000 feet to release the 24-tonne LauncherOne rocket carrying nine satellites from seven civilian and defence customers to head into orbit. Sadly, the rocket did not burn sufficient fuel to reach the right altitude, failed to release the cluster of satellites, and burned up on re-entry into the atmosphere – a mission failure! Nonetheless,…3 min
Heritage Railway|Issue 302Royal Mint marks Flying Scotsman’s centenary year with new £2 coin issueTHE 100th anniversary of what may be the world’s most famous steam locomotive, Flying Scotsman, is being marked by the Royal Mint in its 2023 commemorative coin collection. Gresley’s A3 Pacific will feature on the reverse of one of the first batches of coins to also bear the portrait of King Charles III. Available initially as part of a set, with individual release to follow later in the year, the new £2 coin depicts the profile of the front half of the locomotive on the rear, accompanied by the words ‘Flying Scotsman LNER 4472 1923- 2023’. A fitting edge inscription reads ‘Live for the Journey’. The design was produced by John Bergdahl, who said: “One of the challenges with creating a design for Flying Scotsman is that the locomotive has…1 min
Heritage Railway|Issue 302Legendary band The Who will appear at Fawley Hill fundraising concertICONIC Sixties rock band The Who are to headline a huge charity pop concert on Saturday, May 27 at Fawley Hill, home of the widow of the late Sir William McAlpine – apivotal figure in the railway heritage sector. The concert, in aid of the Teenage Cancer Trust and others, is being organised by Lady Judy McAlpine with The Who’s Roger Daltrey and Zak Starkey, who has performed as their drummer since 1996. It will also feature numerous artists from other bands. At the same time, the Buckinghamshire venue, home to the standard gauge Fawley Hill Railway, will also host a vintage transport festival over the weekend. “Traction engines will be invited to arrive on the Friday and Saturday, and the Sunday and Monday will see two full days of…1 min
Heritage Railway|Issue 302Tornado is booked for Poppy Line spring visitA1 PEPPERCORN PacificNo. 60163 Tornado is to run on the North Norfolk Railway from May 27 to June 4 in one of its first appearances since completing its major overhaul. Special trains hauled by Tornado will depart from Sheringham at 10am, 11.40am, 1.20pm, 3pm and 4.40pm on each of the days, with advance booking at www.nnrailway. co.uk essential. Fares vary from £19 to £21 for adults, and £13 to £14.50 for children, with under-threes free providing they do not occupy a seat. The tickets will include a reserved seat for a round trip, with time at Holt station to take photographs of the locomotive. On January 11, The A1SLT announced that it was having to cancel and reschedule some of its spring railtours as Tornado would not be complete in…1 min
Heritage Railway|Issue 302Prairie at the other end of the Strawberry Line!GWR 2-6-2T No. 4555, now owned by the Dartmouth Steam Railway, features in a new mural which has been unveiled at Network Rail’s Yatton station, once the junction for the Strawberry Line to Shepton Mallet. The vibrant artwork created by Clevedon-based Damien Jeffery was officially revealed at a celebratory event on January 10. The design, sprayed on to a shipping container that houses hire bikes, also features a yellow siskin bird, a kingfisher, strawberries, forget-me-nots, and pine leaves from the Dawn Redwood (one of the trees planted around Yatton as part of the Treasured Trees project in 2012) and a sprightly Springer Spaniel leaping in the air. The container belongs to Strawberry Line Cycle Hire and houses adapted bikes for use by people with disabilities. Brightening it up was the…1 min
Heritage Railway|Issue 302Volunteers rally to thaw out effects of the UK’s deep freezeTHE suddensnowfallofDecember11 led to picturesque moments for Santa specials, illumination trains and Polar Expresses in several parts of the UK, but the joy was short-lived for some as a week of below-freezing temperatures led to big problems – with Friday, December 16 proving the worst. Perhaps the railway that suffered the most was the Spa Valley. On that morning, four of the six carriages forming the rake for its Polar Express trains were not serviceable. Volunteers arriving for duty discovered that water had got into the vacuum braking system the day before, potentially as condensed steam before freezing in the overnight sub-zero temperatures, resulting in damage rendering the carriages unfit for passenger service. Following discussions with event operator PNP Events, it was decided that a static show would instead be…4 min
Heritage Railway|Issue 302New year ushers in a fresh start for Talyllyn’s Young Members GroupTHE start of a new year often heralds fresh beginnings – and that was certainly true over the transition weekend at Pendre works on the Talyllyn Railway, where members of the restartedYoung Member’s Group tackled some of the heritage wagons. Up to 15 volunteers attended over two days to blow away the post- Christmas cobwebs, and with five wagons to focus on, there was plenty of work to do. The YMG was established to support and represent volunteers aged between 14 and 25, often tackling dedicated projects or supporting those looking to progress from the training and development programme and the Talyllyn Navvies. It became dormant during the pandemic when restrictions limited opportunities for group working, but with a recent and newly appointed committee at the helm, a working party…3 min
Heritage Railway|Issue 302County of Glamorgan sees the daylightDURING ashuntofDidcotRailway Centre on December 30, new-build GWR County 4-6-0 No. 1014 County of Glamorgan emerged outdoors, revealing a tantalising glimpse of an engine that could very soon be gracing our heritage lines. With boiler now in the frames and the cab and long splashers fitted, No. 1014 is inching closer to completion, with the Great Western Society calculating that a further £150,000 of funding should see the locomotive through to completion; an appeal will be launched soon. Also witnessed was the unique Hawksworth tender, built to be 8ft 6in in width, for use with the 30 4-6-0 Counties that had wider cabs, compared to the standard 8ft width designs; work on this is very nearly completed. “The opportunity of being able to find an example of all but one…1 min
Heritage Railway|Issue 302IN BRIEF➜ THE Maunsell Society’s BR (S) 0-6-0 Q class, No. 30541, will be outshopped as SR No. 541 in recognition of the centenary of the formation of ‘The Big Four’ that occurred on January 1, 1923. The locomotive, built in 1939, last wore the livery in operational condition in July 1992, when it was withdrawn for overhaul, and has run in its BR identity since 2015 when it returned to service. ➜ THE Railway Heritage Trust has awarded £2005 towards the restoration of one of the earliest surviving examples of York’s railway history. The condition of the York and North Midland Railway boundary stone, set in the wall of the company’s old works in Lowther Terrace and dating from between 1839 and 1854, has deteriorated because of freezing and thawing…2 min
Heritage Railway|Issue 302Fawley farewell tribute to Adrian Shooter CBEFAMILY, friends and colleagues of Chiltern Railways founder Adrian Shooter CBE FREng FIME gathered at a memorial service held in his honour at Fawley Hill, the home of Lady Judy McAlpine, on Saturday, January 7. Lady McAlpine’s late husband Sir William McAlpine built a standard gauge line, the Fawley Hill Railway, in the grounds of their Buckinghamshire house, with its artefacts museum, while Adrian had a 2ft gauge line, the Beeches Light Railway, complete with Darjeeling Himalayan Railway B class 0-4-0ST No.778 and replica coaches, at his home near Bicester in Oxfordshire. Adrian, 74, a former director of Tyseley-basedVintageTrains, who suffered from motor neurone disease, died on December 13 at an assisted dying clinic in Switzerland. Addressing the service, Adrian’s widow Barbara spoke about “the hundreds and hundreds of heartwarming…2 min
Heritage Railway|Issue 302LSWR T3 for heritageera debut in spring – but £100k is still neededA £100,000appealtocompletethe restoration of Swanage Railway-based William Adams LSWRT3 4-4-0 No. 563 has been launched. The Swanage Railway Trust 563 Locomotive Group aims to have the locomotive in steam in May – for the first time in more than 75 years. The 1893-built T3 has been undergoing its overhaul by Victorian locomotive restoration experts at Bill Parker’s Flour Mill workshop at Bream, in the Forest of Dean. Sustained hard work by Flour Mill staff has focused on the laborious task of fitting stays to the boiler and firebox, which has now reached the throat plate and backhead areas. The angle ring at the front of the boiler will be riveted into place soon before the boiler is turned to be the right way up and the stay fitting continues. The…5 min
Heritage Railway|Issue 302Tribute to main line writer CedricWITH great regret, we report the death of Cedric Johns, who wrote articles for our Main Line News section for 23 years. He passed away on Boxing Day at the age of 87 following a short illness. Cedric was brought up and educated in Wiltshire and Bournemouth. When leaving school, he joined the Bournemouth Echo media department, rising to become senior media executive. This part of his career was interrupted by National Service in the RAF, where Cedric met and married Jean. He then served for a further two years. For most of their married life, Cedric and Jean lived in New Milton, Hampshire, where they raised their family. After a short while at the Bournemouth Echo, he moved to local advertising agency Rodway Smith, where he was managing director…2 min
Heritage Railway|Issue 302Margate it is!THE oldest working GWR locomotive on the GloucestershireWarwickshire Railway, 42XX 2-8-0T No. 4270, bowed out of service in style on January 2 after hauling its last passenger train for the foreseeable future. No. 4270 had been running on an extension to its boiler certificate, extended by three months for it to take part in the railway’s successful mixed traction gala at the end of October, as highlighted in issue 300. During December, it worked on every Santa special day, as well as the post- Christmas mince pie specials. The 42XXs were designed by George Jackson Churchward specifically for use on heavy coal trains in South Wales. All were Swindon-built by the Great Western Railway, with the first of the class appearing in 1910. Eventually, the class totalled 165 and were…5 min
Heritage Railway|Issue 302New LNER pays tribute to the old in centenary yearTHE modern-day reincarnation of the LNER has unveiled an evocative 2023 calendar exactly 100 years after the launch of the original company. Described as a collector’s edition, the calendar’s cover features an image at Darlington station of No. 60103 Flying Scotsman, itself a century old this year, with a dieselelectric hybrid Azuma, the legendary Pacific’s East Coast Main Line spiritual successor that entered service in 2019. David Horne, managing director of LNER – the new company does not use ‘and’ in its name, unlike the original – said the history of the LNER, which ran its first services on January 1, 1923, was both humbling and inspiring. “Thanks to industry legends such as Sir Nigel Gresley, the LNER name became synonymous with speed, comfort and style, as seen in his…3 min
Heritage Railway|Issue 302Llangollen records profit 18 months after trust’s takeoverTHE auditing of its‘spectacular’ accounts from 2021 has given the Llangollen Railway an insight into how its income avenues were divided, as it reflects on a challenging 2022 but a year that has seen the financial position improve despite continued challenges. As previously reported, following a financial crisis, on March 1, 2021, Llangollen Railway plc entered receivership, with debts of about £350,000. Operation of the railway was handed over to the Llangollen Railway Trust and the line reopened in July 2021. The 2021 accounts revealed that £215,000 in donations from the public was subsequently received in support of the Full Steam Ahead and rolling stock appeals, with a significant £353,000 in grant income by way of Covid relief grants from the Welsh Government’s Cultural Recovery Fund and business rates relief…3 min
Heritage Railway|Issue 302Appeal launched for ‘quicker and safer’ carriage locksTHETalyllyn Railway has launched a £20,000 appeal to help to make its volunteer guards’duties easier while also improving passenger safety throughout most of its carriage fleet. The railway’s carriage stock does not have secondary door locking, whereby when the door closes, it remains closed on a catch – a system most will recognise from Mk1 carriages. When the railway resumed services after the Covid-19 pandemic, it introduced locking compartments prior to trains departing as a method of controlling passenger numbers on platforms when social distancing was required, but also to mitigate the risks of unsecured doors opening mid-journey. The practice has remained in use since for the latter reason but has received criticism from some volunteers owing to the time-consuming nature of locking and unlocking all the doors on a…2 min
Heritage Railway|Issue 302New G5 project makes good progress thanks to healthy public responseMUCH workhastakenplaceonthe new-build LNER Class O (LNER G5) 0-4-4T No.1759 in recent months – and has shown a healthy response to the Class G5 Locomotive Company’s recent fundraising appeal. Launched in summer 2022, the Get Connected appeal has a target of £25,000 to fund the forging and machining of two connecting rods and straps that link the pistons to the crank axle from Somers Forge Ltd. As this issue went to press, it was reported that in the region of £9000 had been raised so far. This has enabled the order for the forgings of the components to be placed, with delivery anticipated to be during the spring. Further donations are sought to complete the work, with a £180 contribution suggested either as a one-off payment or through instalments. Contributions…3 min
Heritage Railway|Issue 302Barnstaple station’s redundant platform is blooming thanks to partnershipTHE steam era is blossoming again at Barnstaple station’s disused platform – with help from Network Rail. Passengers at the Tarka Line terminus can now enjoy an award-winning and brighter-looking station after Network Rail volunteers joined forces with the Barnstaple in Bloom group to tidy up the platform. Network Rail installed a new fence and gate to allow volunteers from the local community safe access to the platform. The team removed overgrown vegetation, planted new flowers – and gave ‘Barney’ the mini train a facelift. They were joined by Network Rail colleagues who used their company-approved volunteering days to help with the revamp. The makeover went on to receive a huge seal of approval from Britain in Bloom, winning the 2022 Neighbourhood Award for Barnstaple with a grade of ‘outstanding’.…2 min
Heritage Railway|Issue 302FREIGHT RETURNS TO SWANAGE IN WINTER SPECIALSummer holidays have long been a trademark of Swanage and its glorious coastline, yet a special new year event on the Isle of Purbeck’s heritage line proved yet again that the crowds will turn up in winter too, if the right product is on offer. The Winter Warm Up event of January 7/8 had an even split of two of each steam and diesel locomotives in operation, offering something for fans of each type of traction. In action were Southern Railway U class 2-6-0 No. 31806, recently returned to traffic unrebuilt Battle of Britain class Bulleid Pacific No. 34040 Manston, Class 50 diesel-electric No. 50026 Indomitable and Class 33 dieselelectric No. D6515 Lt Jenny Lewis RN. Operating to an intensive timetable, trains ran between Norden, Corfe Castle, Harman’s Cross and…5 min
Heritage Railway|Issue 302Statesman heads over the Settle and Carlisle line for multiple trips in 2023THE Settle and Carlisle line looks set to be a popular route for Statesman Rail day trips, the first running on January 28. It starts at Uttoxeter at 8.30am, running via Derby and Sheffield before the serious climb begins northbound at Settle. Return is via Shap, with a Uttoxeter return at a civilised 7.30pm. The February 18 train starts at Chester-le-Street at 8.10am before heading south, picking up en route through Durham, Darlington, York and Leeds. Again, it is a northbound run to Carlisle, from where it heads east along the Hadrian line to Newcastle and reaches Chester-le-Street at 4pm. Its final destination, Leeds, is reached at 6.35pm. Following the usual pattern over the Settle and Carlisle line, two more take place on April 5 and April 22. Hereford is…3 min
Heritage Railway|Issue 302Pathfinder Tours celebrates 50 years of going ‘off the beaten track’FOUNDED in 1973, Pathfinder Railtours celebrates 50 years of operations in 2023, specialising in trips going off the beaten track. The firm’s programme starts on March 18 with ‘The Great Eastern’ from Crewe to Norwich or an included option to Great Yarmouth. The train will be hauled by the Class 40 Preservation Society’s No. 40145 and will head east, back to where class members began their careers in 1958. Starting at Crewe at 6.30am, the tour picks up throughout the Midlands at Stafford, Tame Bridge Parkway, Birmingham New Street, Coleshill Parkway Nuneaton and Leicester. From there it heads to Peterborough via Bottesford or Melton Mowbray, hopefully out one way and back the other. There is a three-hour break at Norwich before the train heads further east across the Fens to…2 min
Heritage Railway|Issue 302Okehampton station goes back to Southern days!PROJECT partners, fundersandformer railway staff gathered at Okehampton on December 21 to mark the completion of the station heritage restoration project, part of the overall and hugely successful Dartmoor Line reopening scheme. Former train driver and county councillor Richard Westlake cut a ribbon to open the heritage display in the old booking office. Richard began his railway career as a steam locomotive fireman at Okehampton in 1964 and his father, Arthur, was the last member of BR staff employed at the station, retiring in 1982. Over the last 18 months, much work has been done to restore and enhance the railway heritage of the station while also ensuring that it meets modern requirements and standards. The main station building and old signalbox at Okehampton station date from the early 1930s.…3 min
Heritage Railway|Issue 302High-fliers steal the headlines – but others make their markTWO steamnameplates – 222 Squadron with badge from SR BoB No. 34078 and Shooting Star from Britannia No. 70029 – accompanied by a‘Cambrian Coast Express‘ headboard and a SRWest Country class Devon badge were five-figure successes in Great Central’s December 3 auction, as reported in last month’s column. Also as reported, other nameplates to go to new homes were Seaton, Mabel and Bronzino, from SR West Country class No. 34020, LNWR/LMS Precedent No. 619/5060, and LNER A2 Pacific No. 60539 respectively. With these high-fliers making the immediate post-sale headlines, further nameplates and other locomotive items such as smokebox, cabside and worksplates, and station signs including totems deserve a share of the limelight in this issue’s column. Sixth main line nameplate For starters, a sixth main line steam nameplate that sold…2 min
Heritage Railway|Issue 302GWR and LNER take top honours in Vectis and LSK model train auctionsMODELS of GWR Castle class No. 5077 Fairey Battle and LNER No. 4472 Flying Scotsman took top honours in model train sales held by Vectis of Thornaby and Lacy Scott and Knight on December 16. The O-gauge Castle, which sold at the Vectis sale for £1500, was made by Masterpiece Models of Reigate and was based on an August 1938-built member of the 4-6-0 class that started life as Eastnor Castle and was renamed in October 1940 after an early Second World War light bomber. Runner-up was a Bachmann O-gauge unnumbered Standard Class 2MT 2-6-0 that fetched £850, while in third place at £620 was a gas-fired live steam LNER A4 class No. 22 Mallard, one of a limited number of five built in OO-gauge by Brian Caton, who was…1 min
Heritage Railway|Issue 302Name dropping in early GWRA line-upTWO LMS nameplates, another from the GWR, and smokebox numberplates from seven named GWR, LMS, LNER and BR Standard locomotives, are the early entrants in the line-up for GW Railwayana’s live online sale on March 11.The three nameplates – Enborne Grange, Leeward Islands, and Shovell – are from locomotives built in the mid-1930s and withdrawn a little over a year apart, giving all three similar service lives of between 27 and 29 years. The Grange plate is from No. 6814, which emerged from Swindon in December 1936 and was withdrawn from the Bristol shed of St. Philip’s Marsh (82B) in December 1963, while the older of the LMS representatives, Leeward Islands, is from Jubilee No. 45614, an August 1934 Crewe product that ended its days in January 1964 when allocated…1 min
Heritage Railway|Issue 302Hornby announces its 2023 rangeTHE announcementofHornby’s2023 catalogue of models brought something for all as the company introduced several new toolings and prepared to celebrate Flying Scotsman’s centenary and also the 10th anniversary of the National Railway Museum’s‘Great Gathering’. For full details of the new range, visit Hornby.com Anniversaries honoured As lead sponsor for the year of celebrations for the world’s most famous steam locomotive, it comes as no surprise that six different variants of Flying Scotsman from the last 100 years are on offer, including as-built condition as LNER No. 1472, its USA tour appearance with twin tenders, cowcatcher, bell and headlight as No. 4472, and its current BR lined green guise as No. 60103.These will all form part of the Hornby Dublo range, with diecast bodies and retro-style packaging.The RRP starts at £362.99,…3 min
Heritage Railway|Issue 302Sir William McAlpine was the true saviour of iconic A3 Flying ScotsmanPEOPLE keep asking what the NRM is doing to acknowledge SirWilliam’s care of Flying Scotsman for 23 years after he rescued it from dereliction in the States. Obviously, I must answer‘nothing’, but those who have been to record their experiences with her are a bit bemused – after all, were it not for SirWilliam, there would be no Scotsman. The NRM has consistently ignored his role in its existence, and I am sad he is no longer with us to stamp his foot a little, though that was never his way. However, if, as at its relaunch, Pegler is beatified and Sir William is ignored, many will be upset and bewildered – as Sir William was then! When I hear Alan Pegler’s daughter saying how much her father loved the…2 min
Heritage Railway|Issue 302Shunter’s wagon for a shunter’s dutyWHEN the Arctic weather saw Severn Valley Railway’s shunting team arrive for duty on December 16, only to find Class 08 No. 13201 with flat batteries, there was much head scratching to find a solution to perform the morning shunts required. No. 13201 was the only operational ‘Gronk’ out of five at Kidderminster, and needed to be recharged before it could be started up. The solution came in the form of GWR 0-6-0PT No. 7714. Having undergone a valve and piston exam and a repaint (as reported last issue), the locomotive was out on test and so the opportunity was seized to have it cover for the diesel while it was ‘plugged in’ to charge. However, the solution threw up another problem – the pannier was facing Bridgnorth, which meant…2 min
Heritage Railway|Issue 302Island restorationists named in New Year HonoursTHERE were celebrations on the Isle of Wight on December 31 – but not just those welcoming in 2023. Long-serving Isle ofWight Steam Railway volunteer Pete Jardine was awarded an MBE for services to railway heritage in King Charles III’s first NewYear Honours list. Back in the 1970s, the railway began collecting grounded carriage bodies from around the island, where they had seen use as beach huts, garden chalets and farm stores. In 1981, Pete and his team of volunteers started work on the first of these, Isle of Wight Railway No. 46, which was originally built for the North London Railway in 1864. When it entered service in 1986, it was celebrated for the quality of its restoration. Responsible for masterminding the grounded body restorations, Pete has been a…3 min
Heritage Railway|Issue 302Purchase secures 9F’s future place in Great Central fleetNEGOTIATIONS‘behind the scenes’have resulted in the successful conclusion of BR Standard 9F 2-10-0 No. 92214 Leicester City’s future on the Great Central Railway. In mid-2022, its owner indicated a wish to secure the locomotive’s longterm future, which saw negotiations commence with a view for the ‘Spaceship’ remaining on the 81/4-mile Loughborough to Leicester line. Chairman Richard Patching said: “Negotiations can’t always be rapid, and maintaining confidentiality for everyone is paramount; nevertheless, the discussions proved to be positive and cordial throughout, leading to a most successful outcome for all parties. “Patience pays off and I am sure that all GCR supporters will welcome the result.” An important factor, the owner felt, was that No. 92214 should remain at the GCR, where it will be well looked after and continue to play…2 min
Heritage Railway|Issue 302Farewell to Peter KellyIT IS withimmensesadnessthatwe must record the death of Peter Kelly, who played a pivotal role in the founding and launch of Heritage Railway magazine 24 years ago. It was at 9am on a Monday morning in January 1999 that I telephoned CMS Publishing in nearby Stamford, Lincolnshire, inquiring if the firm might need the services of a freelance journalist for one or more of their niche titles. By chance, Pete answered the telephone. I had been aware of his tremendous and hugely acclaimed track record in magazine publishing but had never met or spoken to him before. However, within two minutes, we had established a mutual understanding and rapport, and we agreed to meet at the Periwig pub in Stamford town centre to discuss matters. In short, later that day,…5 min
Heritage Railway|Issue 302Bulleid doubledecker EMU to be reunited at SellindgeTHE sole-surviving examples of Britain’s only double-decker EMU design, the SR Bulleid Class 4DD, are set to be brought together in Kent when driving motor car No. 13004 departs the Northamptonshire Ironstone Railway in the spring. It will then move to Sellindge, where it will be reunited with the group’s second driving end, No. 13003, with both having been parts of unit No. 4002 and are the only two survivors of just eight carriages built for the experimental class. In readiness for the move, site clearance work has taken place at the NIR to enable the vehicle to be collected. Despite being experimental units, they lasted 20 years in service. Withdrawn on October 1, 1971, they were then stored at Plumstead and stripped of electrical components at Slade Green.…1 min
Heritage Railway|Issue 302Manx diners cancelled following tree ‘collision’EARLY January dining services on the Isle of Man steam railway were cancelled following a collision with a fallen tree on NewYear’s Eve. There were no injuries reported in the incident that occurred near Ballabeg, on the southern end of the IOMSR. However, windows were broken and damage was sustained to the carriages. The full extent of the damage was not disclosed, but a spokesperson for the railway said that the repairs required would mean that the dining services would not return before late March. A statement from the Department of Infrastructure said that a team attended the scene within 30 minutes of the incident. They removed the offending tree, allowing the train to proceed to Port Erin for midnight before returning to Douglas in the early hours of New…2 min
Heritage Railway|Issue 302Severn Valley pair bow out following 10 years in serviceTWO stalwartperformersonthe SevernValley Railway have been withdrawn from traffic after a decade of sterling service. The boiler tickets of GWR Churchward 2-8-0 No. 2857 and Hawksworth WR 0-6-0PT expired after they pulled their last trains at the beginning of the new year. Built in Swindon in 1918, No. 2857 was among the first batch of 28XXs, the first of which appeared in 1903. Production continued up to 1942, the class eventually totalling 167. For more than 60 years they hauled long-distance heavy freight trains on the GWR and into BR days. During its life on the main line, No. 2857 ran nearly 1.3 million miles. After withdrawal in 1963, it went to Woodham Brothers’Barry scrapyard. One non-working 28XX example was preserved by the National Railway Museum but the 2857 Society,…4 min
Heritage Railway|Issue 302National Railway Museum needs designer for new ‘Railway Futures’ galleryTHE Science Museum Group is seeking a designer for a £1 million new Railway Futures Gallery at the National Railway Museum in York. The two-stage procurement will select a team for an estimated £300,000 contract to create a permanent 886sqm exhibition to explore how innovative future new railways could be planned, created and experienced. The project is part of museum’s £60 million Vision 2025 programme. The brief for the designer states: “This project requires a creative, multidisciplinary studio or team with a demonstrable track record of delivering exhibitions and visitor attractions. “The gallery’s narrative is a conceptual future journey. Using the familiar concepts of‘departure,’ ‘journey’ and ‘arrival’, the gallery will arrange future innovations, trends and solutions into a three-part structure that will take visitors on a journey of discovery. “A…1 min
Heritage Railway|Issue 302Sandstone reopens for business at EasterSOUTH Africa’s Sandstone Heritage Trust, which, like the rest of the country, suffered badly during the Covid-19 pandemic, is to hold its Easter Steam and Cosmos Festival from April 7-10. Sandstone, the premier 2ft gauge preservation site in the country and possibly the world, is located near Ficksburg in the Eastern Free State on the border with Lesotho. The trust is a private preservation initiative established on a commercial arable farm growing wheat, maize and sunflowers covering 20,000 acres near Ficksburg, and was bought by its present owner, a British-owned company, in 1995. Easter is the time when the cosmos is in full bloom, which has to be seen, and makes a wonderful backdrop to the steam trains. Heritage Railway 254 reported on its major Stars of Sandstone event and…2 min
Heritage Railway|Issue 302Steam man Bob Hart celebrates 60 years working on railwaysSTEAM traction inspector Bob Hart has just celebrated 60 years working on the footplate, predominantly on steam locomotives. Bob is now employed by Locomotive Services Limited at Crewe as footplate steam inspector, where a small celebration was held for him. He started working on November 5, 1962, as a cleaner of steam engines at Stafford 5C, cleaning ‘Black Fives,’ Class 8s and Fowlers. After four months he transferred to Northwich 8E in 1963 to be a regulator fireman and then after 12 months switched back to Stoke. In 1970, aged 23, Bob, became a passed fireman/secondman at Stoke. Soon after, he returned to Stafford, which was in rapid decline, working the branch to Shrewsbury, which was faring no better. Still keen to follow steam, he transferred to Stoke 5D. However,…2 min
Heritage Railway|Issue 302New year starts down under for Rheidol and Talyllyn volunteerHOW doyoucelebratethenewyear? While many of us may gather with friends and family for the occasion, 33-year-old Talyllyn Railway volunteer andVale of Rheidol employeeWill Smith has swapped the chill of Aberystwyth,Wales, for the warmth ofVictoria, Australia to enjoy something of a busman’s (or should it be railwayman’s) holiday. During a month-long stay down under, Will has been volunteering on the Puffing Billy Railway, the world’s second preserved railway after the TR. The 15.6-mile line runs between Belgrave in the suburbs of Melbourne through to Gembrook station and is one of the world’s most popular steam heritage railways, running through forests, hills and open farmland, with carriages that allow passengers to sit on the sills and hang their legs out of the sides. Arriving in Melbourne on New Year’s Eve, Will volunteered…1 min
Heritage Railway|Issue 302HST power car arrives by road at WansfordTHE first of 125 Preservation’s operational Class 43 High SpeedTrain power cars arrived atWansford on the NeneValley Railway in the early morning of January 10 – in a slight change to the original plan for its journey to RailworldWildlife Haven in Peterborough. Power cars Nos. 43045 and 43060 were originally intended to make their way from storage at Long Marston to the Peterborough site by rail, along with the first HST production coach buffet car No. 40904 (built as No. 40001), but as reported on Headline News, page 6, the NVR’s Fletton Loop main line connection is currently closed in need of repair, meaning that the move had to be undertaken by road. No. 43060 was the first to be offloaded at Wansford, from where it will travel along the…1 min
Heritage Railway|Issue 302Year out, bow out!AS 2022 ended, several heritage railways seized the opportunity to run one last event to fill the void between Christmas and the new year – with several doubling up as locomotive farewells to boot. The first withdrawal came at the East Lancashire Railway. Having been on hire from the Furness Railway Trust since 2021, GWR 0-6-2T No. 5643 bowed out on December 27 and will shortly return to the Ribble Steam Railway at Preston Docks for overhaul to commence. The ELR also bid farewell to Bulleid West Country class No. 34092 City of Wells on January 2 (picture, page 82) as it was withdrawn for an intermediate overhaul that was set to commence in the railway’s own workshops at Bury almost immediately. The first job will be a firebox inspection…6 min
Heritage Railway|Issue 302Midland Railway Trust back in steam after pandemicLIKE so many other heritage railways, the pandemic lockdown period and the ramifications arising from it proved challenging for the Midland Railway – Butterley. However, with a renewed board of directors and a growing band of determined volunteers, the way forward looks bright. Following the lifting of Covid-19 restrictions in mid-2021, the resumption of services have largely been in the hands of DMUs, periodically supplemented with diesel locomotive haulage. Steam services returned for last year’s festive season services following a sold-out one-night debut on the November 5 Bonfire Night service. The boiler certificate of Hunslet WD Austerity 0-6-0ST No. 3883 of 1944 Lord Phil, which has been on loan to Butterley since 2019, expired at the beginning of 2022 and the locomotive is currently undergoing overhaul in the Swanwick workshops.…2 min
Heritage Railway|Issue 302New Corwen station opening is delayedEXTERNAL delays have postponed the planned opening of the Llangollen Railway’s new Corwen station. The completion and installation of the island platform canopy, which is being supported by a significant government grant and requires heavy lifting equipment to position, has been delayed, with a knock-on effect on the ability to complete other jobs. The volunteer team continues to make excellent progress with the platform, signalbox and emergency access ramp. A revised opening date, which was set for March 1, will be issued once canopy has been installed. Meanwhile, driver experience courses will return this year, offering steam, diesel and DMU options. Final dates were being set as Heritage Railway closed for press, but they are to take place on select weekends between May and September. In the Llangollen locomotive shed,…2 min
Heritage Railway|Issue 302Knaresborough Grade II-listed canopy restoredTHE 132-year-old canopy at the entrance to Knaresborough station has been restored to its former glory. The Grade II-listed structure – which provides passengers protection from the elements as they enter the station building from Station Road – has received attention from Network Rail in order to secure its future. The work carried out has seen a complete roof renewal and redecoration throughout into the traditional white and green livery. This is the latest work to be carried out at the station near Harrogate, which has additionally seen theplatform canopies restored in 2016 and an upgrade of the station roof in 2019 at a cost of £150,000. Now that the canopy over the entrance has been restored, it matches the work already carried out on other parts of the station…1 min
Heritage Railway|Issue 302Appeal launched for work on Bluebell’s new electro - dieselA £35,000appealhasbeenlaunchedto help fund work for the Bluebell Railway’s newly acquired Class 73 electro-diesel No. 73133, formerly named The Bluebell Railway, that will see the bodywork rubbed back to bare metal to allow areas of corrosion to be treated, with a view to having the locomotive available for service as soon as the spring. Speaking on a visit to inspect the locomotive at Arlington Fleet Services Ltd at Eastleigh works on January 3, project manager Paul Auckland said:“We have been looking at the locomotive today, doing a more detailed inspection, and found that some areas that have been corroded have had fibreglass put on many years ago, perhaps seen as a temporary job, which we now hope to fully put right. “The corroded material will be cut out as we…2 min
Heritage Railway|Issue 302BLUE PETER PREPARES FOR COMEBACK 20 YEARS IN THE WAITINGMuch has happened in the 19 months since my last visit to London North Western Railway Heritage works at Crewe – not only on the steam locomotive front, but also with modern traction. The works physically covers the large area between the main line station and the avoiding lines. Located in the old diesel shed which it bears no resemblance to, it is now a modern engineering environment, making it an ideal site in which to work. The works accommodates the requirements of LNWRH to overhaul and service most types of traction. On site is a newly built boiler shop, carriage sheds, and maintenance facilities. Unlike the old diesel shed, it is a clean, bright and a well-organised workplace. When I last visited on April 13, 2021, BR Standard Class…9 min
Heritage Railway|Issue 302‘Great Britain XV’ at the head of Railway Touring Company offerings both home and abroadTHE RailwayTouringCompanybegins 2023 with holiday options for those seeking a more substantial railtour, both in Britain and abroad. Between Saturday, April 15 and Saturday, April 23, RTC will host its popular‘Great Britain’tour for the 15th time. The tour begins at Paddington and takes the Great Western Main Line to Reading before turning towards Newbury and following the Kennet and Avon Canal over Savernake Summit to Westbury. From here, the tour continues to Exeter for a short break before heading towards Dawlish, the steep climb up to Dainton Tunnel, and Plymouth for an afternoon break. Leaving Plymouth, the train is steam-hauled back to Exeter for a water stop before heading to Bristol Temple Meads. After an overnight stay in Bristol, the second day of the excursion will take passengers through the…6 min
Heritage Railway|Issue 302Branch Line Society offers two ‘rare tracks’ tours in FebruaryTHE BranchLineSocietyhasconfirmed main line tours for February 11 and 12. The first of the tours,‘The Wolf Hall Thunderer’, will make use of the Scottish Railway Preservation Society’s Mk.1 coaches and visit southwestern branch lines that rarely see a locomotive-hauled train. The locomotives selected are Class 37 No. 37403 and Class 50 No. 50008 Thunderer in a top-and-tail formation. Departing from Derby, the excursion will pick up passengers at East Midlands Parkway, Leicester, and Kettering, before heading south to another pick up at Bedford. The tour will then continue on the Midland Main Line to the final pick-up at St Pancras. Once all passengers are aboard, the train will pass West Hampstead, Hendon, Cricklewood and Acton on route to Twickenham. Reversing from Twickenham, the tour will then take several loops throughout…2 min
Heritage Railway|Issue 302Home and away with steam and modern traction slide and negative collectionsCOLOUR slides of late-1960s BR steam in the Manchester area and JohnVaughan black-andwhite negatives of modern traction will be among the collections in an online sale being held by specialist auction house JustaClickAgo from February 20-26. An album of black-and-white prints taken on the Isle of Wight in the 1960s and black-andwhite prints from the Casserley collection will also feature, as will modern traction from the 1970s by the late David Williams. For overseas enthusiasts there will be a large collection of black-and-white negatives of steam in the 1960s taken in 14 European countries, comprising Ireland, France, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Austria, Finland, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, Croatia, Slovenia, and Bulgaria.…1 min
Heritage Railway|Issue 302Farewell to 2022 – and what of 2023? Railwayana experts have their say...AS most within the railwayana movement will have seen, the year just gone was a fascinating one for many reasons, including the fluctuating fortunes of steam nameplates, the impact of a new generation of IT-savvy collectors with its own ideas of what was interesting and thus worth bidding for, and the solidity of prices for enamel signs, including, but not exclusively, totems. So, as 2023 dawns, what do those at the heart of railwayana auctions think of the past 12 months and how the next 12 months will pan out? Mike Soden, of Great Central, Simon Turner, of GW Railwayana, Dave Robinson, of Great Northern, and Michael Wickham, of Transport Auctions of London, have been looking at the past and peering into the Heritage Railway crystal ball – and have…3 min
Heritage Railway|Issue 302WINTER STEAM SUPREME!Without doubt, winter is the most evocative time when it comes to steam trains: still days, freezing temperatures and the combination of low winter sun creates an atmosphere all of its own. By far these are the best days to either be out at the lineside or sitting inside a steamheated carriage and enjoying the view through a misted-up window. However, our winters are not ‘real’ ones anymore thanks to global warming. So far this winter, we have had about two weeks of serious frosts when the temperature stayed below freezing for an extended period. Yes, there has been the occasional day of frost, and snow in some parts of the country, but it has been localised and intermittent. Longrange forecasts predict that the weather will continue to stay mild…8 min
Heritage Railway|Issue 302Fuel for sustainable thought?SO,‘Old King Coal’is now seen to be a dirty old soul, and the‘green lobby has had some success in discouraging what few attempts have been made to open new, often open-cast coal mines. Agreed, one can always import from countries like Russia and Colombia and run the gauntlet of the human rights lobby, or even further from Australia, with a larger CO2 output just for the journey. And also, at what price will preserved railways pay to fuel their locomotives in a sustainable future? Could we have our own ‘dash for gas’? Butane is used on the larger scales of live steam model railways. How about a bit of blue sky thinking and have compressed natural gas powering bigger steam locomotives? It would seem not impossible to put a much…5 min
Heritage Railway|Issue 302Hungate CottagesELEVEN HIGHLY individual and characterful cottages set in peaceful gardens within walking distance of the North Yorkshire Moors Railway and the pretty market town of Pickering. A selection of cottages ranging from two-five bedrooms, all with log fires or wood burners. Six dog-friendly cottages available, and a secure children’s playground for our younger guests. In addition to the easy proximity of Pickering and the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, Hungate is located on the doorstep of Yorkshire’s finest sights including York, Castle Howard, the North Yorkshire Moors National Park and the coastal towns of Whitby and Scarborough. ■ www.hungatecottages.co.uk ■ 01751 476382 ■ holidays@hungatecottages.co.uk…1 min
Heritage Railway|Issue 302Sir Nigel Gresley set to visit Nene Valley for EasterEXCLUSIVE NEWLY-REPAINTED LNER streamlined A4 Pacific No. 60007 Sir Nigel Gresley is to steam on the NeneValley Railway for Easter – provided that the main line connection is upgraded in time. It will be the first visit to a heritage line that No. 60007 will make following its repaint into BR express blue livery. The locomotive will haul regular passenger trains, and the public will have the opportunity to access the footplate via the corridor tender for a pre-booked supplementary fare while the train is in motion. There will also be two LNER-themed evening dining trains, the ‘Silver Jubilee’ and the ‘Coronation’, as well as an evening photographic opportunity hosted by the NVR Wagon Group. However, its arrival depends on the completion of work to repair and reopen the Fletton…3 min
Heritage Railway|Issue 302West Somerset in race to recover from ‘potato field’ landslipTHEWest Somerset Railway was starting emergency repairs and taking legal action after its running line was severed by a landslide following heavy rainfall before Christmas. The collapse of the embankment occurred on the morning of Tuesday, December 20 at Tribble Bridge alongside the A358 near Combe Florey, a short distance from Bishops Lydeard. It left the line covered in mud and a large portion of potato crop from a field alongside, with drainage channels blocked. The A358 was closed for more than hour while flooding and debris was cleared. Several local residents also found their back gardens filled with mud. However, the railway was left with a major engineering challenge, resulting in experts being hired to assess the whole area near the bridge. Change of plan The landslip occurred during…3 min
Heritage Railway|Issue 302K Pullman is now 100 years oldTHIS yearmarksnotjustthecentenaryof the‘Big Four’and the A3 Flying Scotsman, but also the 100th anniversary of the K-type Pullman.This very long-lived design was also the first Pullman to feature a separate steel underframe. The Bluebell Railway’s Car 54, built by Clayton in Lincoln, was one of the first three of the type. It is coming to the end of a thorough overhaul in the workshops at Horsted Keynes, and is seen up on the jacks, where it has been for some time while the brake gear is remade, steam heating fitted, and electrical work completed. The overhauled bogies have now been fitted with new springs. The final fitting-out of the toilet compartment, guard’s compartment and guard’s vestibule remains, plus exterior painting, lettering, lining and varnishing.…1 min
Heritage Railway|Issue 302Back on top – after four years off from summit!FOLLOWING completion of ongoing maintenance, Snowdown Mountain Railway trains will operate to the summit this year for the first time since 2019. For the last three years the summit section of the only rack-and-pinion railway in the UK and Hafod Eryri visitor centre at the summit itself have been closed, initially because of the Covid-19 pandemic but also as a result of essential upper mountain trackwork. Services have been terminating at its early season destination of Clogwyn. The mountain railway will reopen on April 1, with diesels still terminating at Clogwyn as is customary for this early season. Summit services will recommence on May 13, with steam trips starting two days later. The railway management and employees are currently preparing for the start of the 2023 and a recruitment drive…1 min
Heritage Railway|Issue 302Electric record-breaker Class 91 is set to become lasting fixture at Bo’nessRECORD-breaking Class 91 No. 91131, the last locomotive to be built at Crewe Works, is to go on permanent display in the Museum of Scottish Railways at Bo’ness. The 25kv overhead electric locomotive set a record for the UK’s fastest passenger train, reaching 154mph with a Newcastle to Peterborough train on June 2, 1995. This occurred on Stoke Bank, just south of Little Bytham, near the spot where LNER A4 Pacific No. 4498 Mallard set its unbeaten 126.1mph world record on July 3, 1938. Previously, on September 26, 1991, and then numbered No. 91031, the Class 91 hauled five Mk.4 coaches and a driver vehicle trailer on a test run between King’s Cross and Edinburgh Waverley in three hours, 29 minutes and 30 seconds – a timing which is still…1 min
Heritage Railway|Issue 302Leaking piston leads Channel Islands line to appeal for helpAN appeal to get the only passengercarrying railway in the Channel Islands back up and running has been launched. Services on the Alderney Railway have not run since September because repairs are needed to its only operational locomotive, 1949-built Vulcan 0-4-0DM Elizabeth, which hauls a pair of 1938 London Underground Northern Line tube stock carriages. Elizabeth is suffering from leaking engine pistons, and the Alderney Railway Society is trying to raise £20,000 to have the work carried out. As Heritage Railway closed for press, more than £6000 had been raised. Donations to fix the problem are invited at www.justgiving.com/ crowdfunding/alderneyrailwaysocietyThe railway, which was opened on July 14, 1847, runs along the island’s north coast from Braye Road to Mannez Quarry, and carried stone for the building of the breakwater and…1 min
Heritage Railway|Issue 302‘Collection X’ locomotive is repatriated to BelgiumA BELGIAN-builtformerSpanishmine railway locomotive that became part of the mysterious‘Collection X’, owned by the late Peter Rampton, has been bought and returned to Brugelette in Belgium. Société Métallurgique de Couillet 0-6-0T Works No. 1318 was built in 1900 as the third locomotive to work the Hullersas de Sabero, a Spanish industrial railway system comprising both metre and 600mm gauge lines that served what became the second most important mining system in the country. No. 1318, allocated fleet No. 3 Olleros, was built in Hainaut-Sambre, Belgium, to work the 6km line that ran between Olleros de Sabero and Las Quemadas Sotillos in north west Spain and serving the various coal mines along the route. Established on September 7, 1892, the railway was transporting an average of 1600 tonnes of coal per…2 min
Heritage Railway|Issue 302Hythe Ferr y reprieved at 11th hourA DAYbeforetheHytheFerrywasdue to sail for the last time – plunging the future of the 2ft gauge Hythe Pier Railway into doubt – a potential buyer has come forward. Lee Rayment, managing director of Blue Funnel Cruises Ltd, who bought the 135-year-old ferry operation from White Horse Ferries in 2016 when it last faced the threat of closure, issued a statement on December 21, which said that it was scheduled to cease trading on New Year’s Eve. The statement read:“It has sadly got to a point where Hythe Ferry has reached a position whereby it is no longer financially viable to continue trading as a business, despite best efforts, cutbacks and voluntary assistance. In fact, we are now running at a loss, which cannot be sustained during the historically quiet winter…2 min
Heritage Railway|Issue 302Winter trains to MountsorrelWHILE the previously reported replacement of two bridges will close the Great Central Railway between Swithland Junction and Loughborough Central, a DMU service will operate between Leicester North and Mountsorrel Halt from February 24 until March 24. The service will give visitors the chance to arrive by rail at the Mountsorrel Railway Museum at Nunckley Hill, situated at the terminus of the freight-only branch in the base of an old quarry. Services will be operated by the GCR’s railcar fleet.…1 min
Heritage Railway|Issue 302New chairman appointed by Class 50 Alliance boardCLASS 50 Alliance chairman Jonathan Dunster has stepped down from the board, having held the position since the company was formed by Project Defiance andThe Fifty Fund in 2006. Long-serving volunteer Tony Middleton, also a professional railwayman, has now been appointed as his replacement. The alliance maintains and operates six of the Class 50 ‘Hoovers’, three of which – Nos. 50007 Hercules, 50044 Exeter and 50049 Defiance – are main line registered. In a statement, the alliance said: “Jonathan has overseen a period during which the organisation has developed and become a respected part of the UK railway community, providing motive power for stock moves and railtours on the main line and service trains on preserved railways. “He will continue to work with the organisation in an advisory capacity.” Jonathon…1 min
Heritage Railway|Issue 302Isle of Wight orders new boiler for E1 YarmouthTHE restorationoftheIsleofWight Steam Railway’s LBSCR E1 0-6-0T No. 110 has taken a giant leap forward with the ordering of an all-new boiler from Israel Newton and Sons Ltd of Matlock. The sole survivor of a class of 80, the railway aims to have it running again in time for its 150th birthday in 2026. Four similar locomotives came to the island in the 1930s, primarily for goods traffic but also to haul‘the tourist’through trains from Ventnor to Freshwater. The last E1 to run on the island was withdrawn in the 1960s, with all four scrapped. One example survived at Cannock Wood Colliery on the mainland, and it was later preserved at the Chasewater Railway and then the East Somerset Railway. It last ran in preservation in 1997 and was withdrawn…1 min
Heritage Railway|Issue 302Main line driver joins GCR’s board of directorsGREAT Central Railway driver Scott Manley has joined the line’s board of directors. Starting as a young volunteer, he joined the railway’s paid staff in 2014 and was appointed as operations manager two years later. A GCR statement said: “His experience on GCR operations, currently as a diesel driver, signalman, guard and duty traffic manager, comes as a most welcome addition to the board’s capabilities, besides introducing a younger perspective. “Further, having exited GCR paid employment in 2021, his current career as a main line train driver has added an extra dimension to his knowledge.” In addition to his railway activities, Scott is also co-owner of a heritage bus.…1 min
Heritage Railway|Issue 302Controversy flares over another National Highways bridge infillNATIONAL Highwaysmaybeorderedto remove material it used to infill a historic railway bridge inYorkshire. Selby District Council has ordered the Government-owned company – which has responsibility for operating, maintaining and improving motorways and major A roads in England – to submit a retrospective planning application to retain the infill beneath 1846-built Rudgate Road overbridge spanning the disused Harrogate-Church Fenton line near Newton Kyme. The bridge is one of 3100 bridges, tunnels and viaducts, including 77 listed structures, in the Historical Railways Estate portfolio that is managed by National Highways on the Department for Transport’s behalf. ‘Ongoing risk’ In October 2020, National Highways consultants told the council that the Rudgate Road bridge presented“an ongoing and increasing risk to public safety”and would be infilled at a cost of £133,000“to prevent an emergency arising.”…3 min
Heritage Railway|Issue 302Dry weather will see Corris push southTHE Corris Railway is hoping for much drier weather so it can resume building its new embankment south of Maespoeth Junction to Pont Evans – doubling the length of its running line. Work began in 2020 but was subject to Covid-19 related delays over the following two years. Work also depends on periods of dry weather and the availability of plant and machinery with qualified operators. The embankment must be made up of permitted materials such as stone and slate, plus geotextile material, and when complete it will be 330 feet long and up to 33 feet high in places. Construction has progressed as a series of stepped benches. As each is cut, it is initially filled with coarse stone which is then completed with smaller stone. It is then…1 min
Heritage Railway|Issue 302Mayflower debut completes the season for Saphos TrainsTO END a successful year, SaphosTrains placed its recent acquisition, B 1 4-6-0 No. 61306 Mayflower, at the head of its last tour of the year, the‘Pennine Moors Christmas Cracker’on December 21. It was the B1’s first outing under new ownership following its purchase from former Steam Dreams supremo David Buck and with its newly fitted air-pump. The trip started from Leicester with 10 coaches, top-and-tailed by Locomotive Services Ltd’s Class 47s D1935 and D1924. Departure was two minutes late at 8.59am, with the tour heading to Crewe and picking up throughout the Midlands and the Trent Valley. After the locomotive change at Crewe, the B1 took over, departing a minute late for a run to Blackburn and arriving three minutes early. From here the train took the Copy Pit…4 min
Heritage Railway|Issue 302Midland Pullman runs to Torbay and ScotlandLOCOMOTIVE Services Limited’s Midland Pullman starts the year with two trips over the Settle and Carlisle route on February 4 and 22. The February 4 trip starts at Cardiff Central at 6.45am, returning at 9.45pm, and picking up at Newport, Chepstow, Gloucester, Cheltenham and other points further north for a run over the route, returning via Shap. The tour on February 22 starts at Potters Bar at 5.50am, returning at 9.20pm. Routing is via Cambridge, Ely, March, Peterborough and Grantham for pick-ups before a dash across the country to Settle, to follow the same route as the previous trip. Two ‘Whitby Jets’ take place on March 4 and 25, interspersed with several Scottish long weekends. The March 4 ‘Jet’ starts at Aviemore at 5.30am, returning at 10pm, and heads south…2 min
Heritage Railway|Issue 302Final Steam Dreams 2022 tours reduced by wave of rail strikesh*t bytherecentstrikeaction, Steam Dreams cancelled its planned Christmas Steam Expresses and evening dining trains out of LondonVictoria on December14and16. Strikes have played havoc with the rail charter companies, reducing important revenue for the heritage sector. Two days of trains did make it in between the strikes on December 19 and 21, when the‘Christmas Steam Express’ran three circular trips each day. The times were 9.30am, returning at 11.30am for the morning run, the early afternoon 11.45am run, returning at 1.15pm; and late afternoon 2pm to 3.30pm. Steam Dreams’evening‘Christmas Steam Express Diner’ran around the Surrey Hills circular route, departing London Victoria at 6.15pm and returning at about 10pm. The motive power for all trains was LMS‘Black Five’No. 45231 The Sherwood Forester, heading an odd mix of one maroon-liveried support coach, nine raspberry…2 min
Heritage Railway|Issue 302WITH FULL REGULATOR LOCOMOTI VE PERFORMANCE THEN AND NOWTHE current lack of main line steam during midwinter means that once again I must call on my colleague Sandy Smeaton to provide details of another dieselfree steam run in the autumn of 2022, this time with MN Class 8 Pacific No. 35018 British India Line. I am very grateful to Sandy for his support, both with train running logs and his high-quality images. I have investigated options for pure steam haulage in the south for the first part of 2023, but the omens are not good. For instance, when I enquired about the Railway Touring Company’s trip to Bath and Gloucester on February 4, the answer was that“there may be a diesel attached, but it will not be working.”The problem is that until the day, nobody can be sure…8 min
Heritage Railway|Issue 3022023 EVENTS GUIDEApedale Valley Light Railway ■ April 8-10 Easter Egg Hunt ■ May 14 Bus Rally ■ May 27-29 Military Trains ■ June 10/11 Teddy Bear’s Outing ■ June 24/25 Anything Goes Weekend ■ August 12/13 Teddy Bear’s Outing ■ August 26/27 Land Rover Rally ■ August 28 Classic Car Day ■ September 16/17 Steam Gala ■ October 14/15 Farewell Hudswell ■ October 28/29 Halloween Spooky Trains Appleby Frodingham Railway Preservation Society ■ February 11, March 11, April 22 Brake Van Tours ■ February 25, March 17 Evening Pacer Tours Avon Valley Railway ■ April 9/10 Easter Chocolate Train ■ April 15/16 Farmyard Friends ■ June 3/4 Brick Express (Lego) ■ June 9/10 Bitton…10 min
Heritage Railway|Issue 302Model event’s the flower of ScotlandPERHAPS the first big set-piece event on the modelling calendar is only a few weeks away and modellers across the UK will be preparing for a feast of layouts and inspiration. Model Rail Scotland is back at the SEC (Scottish Event Campus) in the heart of Glasgow from Feb 24 to 26. Dozens of layouts are due to be there at the SEC Centre, including Bash Street, Brandywine Junction, Grangemouth, New Hay, New Mills, Greatwestern RR, Calderside and many more, with a wide range of gauges and displays including N, P4, table top, OO gauge and O. And it’s not just the layouts and dioramas, as there will be something to pique everyone’s interest, with various railway models, accessories, techniques of painting, lighting systems, white metal castings and components, plus…1 min
Heritage Railway|Issue 302John Prescott MP gave us today’s Welsh HighlandIN writing railway history, I am interested in preservation pioneers such as CampbellThomas at Machynlleth and OliverVeltom at Oswestry. It is interesting to note that as time goes by, some people who played strategic roles on their railways are ‘airbrushed out’. I have recently been reading books on the restoration of the Welsh Highland Railway. There was no mention in them of John Prescott MP. If he had not sanctioned it (as reported in the first issue of Heritage Railway in May 1999), there would have been no Welsh Highland, as the then Welsh Government did not want it! Sometimes there is no justice. Chris Magner, email…1 min
Heritage Railway|Issue 302What future awaits the Grade II listed “box ’box”?IT WOULD definitely be out of place if it was ever moved to a traditional heritage railway. There is no way it would fit in with any semblance of traditional railway architecture, Big Four, pre- Grouping or otherwise. Even the hardened enthusiast might never in a few million years guess from a distance that it is indeed a signalbox. Yet it has Grade II listing protection to safeguard its future – even though its days of guiding trains into the busiest terminus outside London are over since it closed on Christmas Eve. In terms of architecture and design, the very distinctive signalbox next to Birmingham New Street station is a century and a world apart from the neo-classical columns at Victorian Curzon Street station, which is being revamped as part…3 min
