Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 310 i Heritage Railway

JUDGING by the superb quality of readers’ photographs that have packed our inboxes over the past few months, there is no doubt that in its 50th year, the Great Central Railway has pulled off a succession of magnificent events, the latest being August’s hugely-imaginative Railways atWork gala. The line from Loughborough to Leicester North has for decades been a defining stage for the best our railway heritage sector has to offer. However, what about the next 50 years? The GCR, long renowned for its unique doubletrack main line, sits within earshot of one the sector’s biggest sources of untapped and unrealised potential – the Great Central Railway (Nottingham). In August, I undertook a journey from Loughborough Shed to see for myself just what is needed to rejoin the two heritage-era…

THE route is‘clear’for the restoration of C2 0-8-0 No. 221 on the Ffestiniog &Welsh Highland Railways – after the partially-restored locomotive successfully cleared gauging tests on the tightest parts of theWelsh narrow gauge line’s route. Owned by a group of Ff&WHR s footplate crew, No. 221 was imported from China and arrived in the UK in January 2007. The locomotive, Dahuichang No. 4, was initially believed to have been built at the Harbin Forest Machinery Factory in January 1988 as works No. 221, the identity carried by the tender. Research now suggests that it was built a few years earlier and is probably Harbin No. 208 or 209 of 1983. It was initially stored at Minffordd yard but loaned to the National Railway Museum for display at Shildon for a…

BANKING will be an added attraction at the Severn Valley Railway’s September 28-October 1 Autumn Diesel Bash – after two guests locomotives pulled out. As reported last issue, the showpiece event, which was planned to round off the line’s season celebrating 50 years of diesel preservation, was due to stage the biggest-ever heritage era gathering of Western Region diesel hydraulics. However, two of the seven hydraulics listed to appear – West Somerset Railway-based Class 35 Hymeks Nos D7017 and D7018 – were declared unavailable. Minor damage On August 4, preparations were underway atWilliton for a static test of D7018 after some adjustments were made to the transmission. Following the engine start and while the preparations for the actual test were still in progress, the locomotive started to move of its…

SCENES of quarry days gone by were evoked once more over the weekend of July 29/30 when theThrelkeld Quarry and Mining Museum held its summer steam gala, welcoming two visiting locomotives from the Statfold Barn Railway in Staffordshire for the occasion. Nestled in the Cumbrian Fells four miles out from Keswick, the museum is set in a former granite quarry rich with industrial charm. With a Victorian era stone engine shed and vintage quarry machinery, the setting is perfect for recreating scenes from its heyday with the narrow gauge industrials. The first of these was Andrew Barclay 0-4-0WT No. 1991 Cegin; built in 1931, it first worked at the Penrhyn slate quarry in North Wales and was then one of five locomotives from there to be exported to Tennessee in…

THE weekend of August 12/13 was a momentous occasion for Brighton seafront’s Volks Electric Railway as it celebrated 140 years of operation, reaffirming all of its position as the world’s oldest electric line still operating. On August 4, 1883, enthusiastic inventor Magnus Volk opened his electric line along a quarter-mile of Brighton’s seafront between Swimming Arch (opposite the aquarium entrance) and Chain Pier. As soon as his line opened, Magnus was keen to see it extend further into the town, but Brighton Corporation would not permit it. In the end, it spread eastward towards Black Rock and by 1901 had grown to its maximum length of 1.25 miles. The line today is marginally shorter at 1.02 miles and runs between the aquarium and Black Rock. On August 12, the celebrations…

THE East Lancashire Railway welcomed young members of the Ukrainian Heritage Railway Association to Bury Bolton Street station. With a particular interest in restoring carriages, the group of women have helped to establish heritage railway museums in wartorn Kyiv and Lviv, and hope to carry out work similar to the ELR in restoring and running locomotives on a main line back in Ukraine. The visit on August 7 was organised by the New Europe Heritage Trust, which specialises in preservation in Eastern Europe, and included six members, Victoria Berdnikova, Sinin Kvoud, Ilona Mykhalchuk, Veronika Serbyna, Antonina Kopaieva and Uliana Vozniak, all from Kyiv and Lviv. Steam locomotives due to be placed in the proposed National Railway Museum in Kviv are currently being safely stored in Poland. The Mayor of Rochdale, Cllr…

ALTHOUGH John Jolly, the owner of Mangapps Railway Museum at Burnham-on-Crouch, Essex, is facing the never-ending shortage of volunteers which is endemic throughout the heritage sector, he has two strong reasons for feeling positive – an unexpected boom in visitor numbers and the imminent completion of work on one of its main line diesel locomotives. Firstly, the ebullient John, whose museum near Burnham-on-Crouch has a ¾-mile standard gauge track, is home to a large fleet of steam and diesel locomotives, and is one of the country’s largest privately-owned railwayana collections on public display, points to the positives. “We are currently experiencing considerable commercial success,” he said. “During the gaps in the various lockdowns, we took the plunge and nearly doubled our fares and removed seniors’ concessions, yet overall visitor numbers…

A JOINT appeal has been launched by the Bodmin & Wenford Railway and the National Wagon Preservation Group to save a rake of five fourwheel CDA hoper wagons to continue the Cornish line’s portrayal of the story of China clay traffic. Between 1987 and 1989, 125 wagons were constructed, with a further 13 made by converting preexisting MGR hoppers, displacing wooden-bodied clay hood vehicles (such as those already preserved and operating at Bodmin). On July 25, main line operating company DB Schenker issued a tender list for the disposal of 40 stored wagons, with the two heritage organisations reaching an agreement to make provision to save five of these, thus creating a short ‘bulk’ rake, as the NWPG have already done with its MGA hoppers at Chasewater and the recently…

AUGUST 4wasalandmarkdatefor Britain’s newest steam locomotive, the Ffestiniog &Welsh Highland Railways’ doubleFairlieNo. 8 JamesSpooner, when thefirstfirewaslitinitsboiler. Having had the overhauled power bogies from No. 11 Earl of Merioneth placed underneath and the necessary pipework and connections completed, Spooner was towed outside the shed and its first fire lit in the firebox. Warmed through slowly to avoid thermal stress, it soon built up sufficient pressure to test the whistle. The date of this first steaming was exactly 160 years since the original FR company’s George England 0-4-0STT No. 1 The Princess became the first locomotive to be steamed on the line in 1863. No. 8 takes the name James Spooner from the second double Fairlie that was built for the railway in 1872 by the Avonside Engine Company. Named after the company’s…

FORMER Stratford depot steam and diesel railwaymen from around the country will descend on Mangapps Railway Museum in Essex on September 9 for their annual reunion, when tales will be told, reminiscences exchanged, and colleagues who have died remembered. Dave Brennand, the event’s organiser, who started a 40-year railway career at the giant East London shed and works in 1973 as an engine cleaner and within five years was driving diesels, spoke of the past and the present as he made his final plans for the event. “Gone are the once mighty and historical Great Eastern Railway engine repair shops, the new and jubilee sheds, and the much later diesel depot, but our memories have not been lost to history – yet,” he said, wistfully. “As long as there are…

THE removal by the Government’s roads agency of its controversial concrete infill of a Victorian railway bridge – which would prevent the linking of two heritage lines – is making rapid progress. As reported, in July 2021 National Highways spent £124,000 pouring more than 1600 tons of concrete beneath Great Musgrave Bridge, in Cumbria, after claiming that it was unstable. More than 800 people lodged objections and the agency was subsequently refused retrospective planning permission by Eden District Council – despite offering to pay £450,000 to allow the concrete to stay – and ordered the removal of the infill. The bridge was built from sandstone and limestone blocks in 1862 to carry traffic over the Eden Valley Railway line, which was designed by eminent engineer Sir Thomas Bouch and which…

LOVE it or loathe it, the stories of Thomas theTank Engine and his friends have been responsible for kickstarting railway interests and encouraging many of us into volunteering.TheTalyllyn Railway is no exception, and over the years has ‘welcomed’ some of the series’ narrow gauge characters to Wales as‘visitors’, the line and it srolling stock having formed the basis for the Rev Wilbert Awdry’s Skarloey Railway route and the stories set thereon. For the third successive year, this connection has been celebrated in style, July 22/23 hosting the Awdry Extravaganza and celebrating the stories containing events on the early days of TR that went on to inspire Awdry. In 1952, the cleric volunteered as a guard during his first visit to the railway and famously left ‘the refreshment lady’ behind at…

A SPECIAL badge has been issued by Donegal Railway Heritage Centre to mark the 70th anniversary of the closure of the Londonderry & Lough Swilly Railway on August 8, 1953.Taking the diamond-shaped LSR monogram carried on locomotives and company lorries, and tweaking it with the addition of a length of track and the number 70, has resulted in a unique souvenir of the closure of the railway which dated from 1853, with the company staying in business until its last bus ran in April 2014. Fittingly, the first badge, which retails at 8 Euro and comes on a card carrying a picture of the railway in action and a potted history of the line, was presented by centre manager Niall McCaughan to Sir Anthony McFarland, the grandson of Sir John…

WEST Coast Railways’daily summer‘Jacobite’ service over theWest Highland Extension has resumed operations after the Office of Rail and Roads lifted a prohibition notice. As reported last issue, the notice was issued on July 15, six days after ORR inspectors found issues with the hinged doors on the Mk.1 carriages, and led to the service – amajor contributor to the local tourist economy – being called at the start of the peak summer season. A subsequent ORR inspection of West Coast’s proposed safety arrangements for the ‘Jacobite’ on August 8 and a new temporary exemption certificate was issued to allow it to restart and continue until November 30. An ORR statement said “This exemption certificate is required for all train operators which want to use hinged door carriages without central door…

ISSUE 309hadaveryinterestingfeature ontheIsleofManRailway. But it is not strictly true to say that the IOMR closed after the 1965 season; I believe the decision to close the railway came only the following year. The track on the Foxdale branch was still there at that time. I think you might have given Lord Ailsa a bit more credit for the considerable financial commitment he made – if he had not taken on the railway in 1966/67, it would all have been unceremoniously scrapped, as so much else was at the time – the Penrhyn Railway and many other industrial systems come to mind, and later, Dinorwic. Lord Ailsa provided two new boilers and a breathing space which lasted a few years, and enabled the IOM Government to realise the value of keeping…

I WAS very interested to read the article ‘Globetrotting great grandson sees Jenny Lind model made by ancestor’in issue 309 of Heritage Railway magazine. The real Jenny Lind locomotive was built by the Leeds firm of EB Wilson in June 1847, and was the most famous and successful steam locomotive built in Leeds. Ten were built for the LBSCR. A trial was made on the Midland Railway and was so successful that the Midland ordered 25, which were delivered between September 1847 and November 1852. In 1848, a Jenny Lind worked the 63½ miles from Derby to Altofts junction north of Normanton in 68 minutes, an average speed of around 56mph. Two were tested on the Great Northern Railway and proved so successful that two were ordered. More than 70…

THE Severn Valley Railway has sold out-of-service Vulcan Foundry-built LMS Stanier‘ Black Five’No. 45110 – which made history when it headed the last leg of the August 11, 1968‘Fifteen Guinea Special’– to an unnamed buyer. The locomotive has not steamed since 2008, and after stints on display in both Barrow Hill Engine Shed and the SVR’s Engine House at Highley, it has spent the past four years in Kidderminster carriage shed. SVR management said the railway would not have been in a position to consider the locomotive’s restoration in the foreseeable future, and that the revenue generated by the sale will play an important part in securing the railway’s finances, with confirmation that sales of other surplus rolling stock are being considered. In April, the SVR launched a £1.5 million…

A SPECIAL day for readers of Heritage Railway and the other railway titles published by its parent company Mortons Media is to be held at the Statfold Barn Railway, nearTamworth, on October 7. The star of the show will be Darjeeling Himalayan Railway Sharp Steward 0-4-0WT No. 19B, which, as reported in issue 308, was bought at an auction of the late Chiltern railway founder Adrian Shooter’s Beeches Light Railway on June 21. The newly-formed Darjeeling Tank Locomotive Trust was also successful in buying the two replica DHR coaches Adrian had built at the Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Light Railway’s Boston Lodge Works. The 2ft gauge locomotive and coaches were moved days later to their new base at the Statford Barn Railway, now part of the Statfold Country Park transport…

IRELAND’S StradballyWoodland Railway found itself part another green‘first’as it staged the country’s the 59th National Steam Rally on August 5-7 – when the line, along with visiting traction engines, stationary engines, showman’s engines and other vintage machinery, ran on a 100% renewable biomass product, making it unique in the British Isles. As reported in issue 299, on September 24 last year, the 3ft gauge line in the grounds of Stradbally Hall in Stradbally, Co Laois, ran the country’s first passenger train to be hauled by a steam locomotive using a 100% renewable biomass-based coal substitute. Former Bord na Mona Barclay 0-4-0WT No. 2264 of 1949 No. 2 Roisin used a stove-ready commercial product called Harvest Flame, made by Arigna Fuels, of Roscommon, via the process of torrefaction from biomass –…

A CABSIDE numberplate that is believed to be from one of the most debated locomotives ever built by GWR is to go under the hammer on October 28. It is No. 3440, which was allocated to two Swindon-built engines early last century, firstly to City class City of Truro, reputedly the first steam locomotive in the world to achieve 100mph, and subsequently to a 3300 class‘Bulldog’4-4-0. City of Truro was the 2000th locomotive built at Swindon, entering traffic in May 1903 as No. 3440. On May 9, 1904, it was unofficially timed at 102.3mph descending Wellington Bank in Somerset with a five-vehicle Plymouth-Paddington mail train, although sceptics have doubted its authenticity for more than a century, their disbelief partly influenced by the fact that at that time no car or…

THE Talyllyn Railway has become the focal point of a new children’s television series produced inWelsh for S4C. The concept sees train driver Cadi discover two young dragons hiding on the railway. An inquisitive and mischievous pair, Bledd and Cef are no computer-generated imagery but physical tactile puppets that have been lovingly crafted, giving them a very real on-screen presence. A brainchild of the Welsh production company Yellow Barrels, the show, entitled Dreigiau Cadi (Cadi’s Dragons), has been devised by Phil Higginson and Manon Jones. They have both worked extensively in TV, but Phil has also volunteered in the TR’s locomotive department, so it made sense that when developing the concept, the world’s first volunteer-run railway would become the setting. It is no secret that fares from travel tickets alone…

FOR the first time since arriving on the Mid-Hants Railway in 2011, BR Standard 4MT 2-6-4T No. 80150 has travelled beyond the station limits of Alresford, where it has resided in the sidings for the last 12 years. On August 8, following much preparation work, the unrestored locomotive was successfully moved to Ropley, where its restoration will continue at the hands of the Friends of 80150. The move formed part of a reorganisation of the country end of Alresford station, which will culminate in Battle of Britain Pacific No. 34058 Sir Frederick Pile being transported to the Sellindge base of Southern Locomotives Ltd for full restoration there. A locomotive with local connections, during the 1960s No. 80150 frequently worked van trains of watercress from Alresford station and passenger trains in…

THE Spa Valley Railway’s August 4-6 summer diesel gala proved a weekend of mixed emotions for many ofits volunteers and regular visitors. Welcoming South Devon Diesel Traction’s Class 25 D7535 to work alongside the group’s other ‘Rat’, D7612, which has been on loan to the SVR since August 2022, the event was also the final chance to see privatelyowned Class 10 No. D3489 Colonel Tomline in action on the Kent and West Sussex borders line, the shunter having been sold shortly before the gala. Built at Darlington Works in April 1958, D3489 lasted only 10 years in BR service before being withdrawn at Toton in April 1968. It was then sold on to the Felixstowe Dock & Railway Company, which was founded by Col George Tomline, an English politician born…

THE Rhyl Miniature Railway’s September 23-24 gala will have six home fleet locomotives in steam for the first time. The event will also feature four of its Albert Barnes Atlantics in steam together for the first time in 55 years, with the unveiling of 1922-built Billie following the completion of its overhaul after a lengthy period out of service. It will run alongside Michael, Joan and Railway Queen, Cagney Brothers 4-4-0 No. 44, and Bassett-Lowke Class 10 4-4-2 Prince Edward of Wales, which, built in 1909 as No. 15 Red Dragon, opened the railway on May 1, 1911, and was its only locomotive until 1913, when sister No. 18 George the Fifth entered service. The mile-long line was a huge success in its first year The Barnes locomotives were built…

THE Colne Valley Railway will celebrate its 50th anniversary this September by looking back at its early days for inspiration. On Sunday, September 10, services will be run by Andrew Barclay 0-6-0ST No. 2138 of 1941 Swordfish pulling a BR Mk.1 second open and brake van, recreating the formation of the first trains to run on the railway back in 1973, when Hunslet Austerity No. 3790 of 1952 No. WD190 provided motive power. Currently out of ticket, the 0-6-0ST will be on static display on Platform 1 at Castle Hedingham station for the occasion. Alongside the steam service, a DMU will also be in operation, while the 7¼in gauge miniature railway will operate a steam service. Guided tours of the two ex-Barry scrapyard ‘Black Fives’ under restoration at the CVR…

AN eight-mile stretch of mothballed 5ft 3in gauge railway at Kiltimagh, in County Mayo, hasbeenbroughtbacktolifeby pedalpowerasIreland’sfirstVelorail project. Up to 30,000 passengers per year are expected to pedal the railbikes (for all intents and purposes, modern versions of Victorian track inspection trolleys) from Kiltimagh station four miles in either direction over the old ‘Burma Road’ of the Waterford, Limerick & Western Railway, with staff turning their mounts at either end of the track. The line opened in 1895, then closed to passengers in 1963 and to goods in 1975, although the track was never lifted in case of a future reopening in line with Irish governmental policy. The Velorail project is the brainchild of community group IRD Kiltimagh CLG and backed by Mayo County Council. It was officially opened on June…

THE Middleton Railway – the world’s oldest continuously working line – held a special event on August 6 to celebrate the achievements of its youth team. Whether working front of house, trackside, or in workshops caring for and maintaining rolling stock, the part that young volunteers play is crucial to the preservation and survival of heritage railways up and down the country. Youth teams provide a voluntary workforce of young people who can learn skills through hands-on experience, transferable to their future careers, and pass the baton on when the time comes. Continuity is imperative to ensure that the rail industry – which helped to build and shape Britain and continues to contribute to the country’s tourism economy – survives for the next generation to enjoy, so it is fitting…

THE latest operational line allied to the Great Central Railway opened on July 16 – and is proved by an ex-British Rail locomotive. The 2ft gauge Quarry Bottom Railway at the Mountsorrel and Rothley Community Heritage Centre, at the terminus of the GCR’s Mountsorrel freight branch, comprises a 400ft oval around the venue’s botanical gardens. Traction is provided by Ruston & Hornsby 4wDM No. 393325 of 1956, which was supplied new to BR for use at its Chesterton Junction permanent way depot near Cambridge and carried the BR number 85049. When the depot closed in the 1980s, No. 85049 was bought by narrow gauge collector Henry Frampton-Jones and later used to haul passenger trains on the Derbyshire Dales Narrow Gauge Railway at Peak Rail’s Rowley South site. The DDNGR was…

TWO railway structures are among 67 added to a list of more than 1300 of Britain’s most‘ at risk’ historic buildings. Campaign group SAVE Britain’s Heritage was formed in 1975 by a group of architectural historians, journalists and planners with the aim of protecting the UK’s historic environment. The group brings together architects, engineers, planners and investors to offer viable alternative proposals to structures that are neglected and under threat of demolition, and take legal action to prevent what is considered to be major and needless losses. In 1989, it launched the SAVE Buildings at Risk Register, a searchable online database holding details of structures all over England, Wales and Scotland. “Our central aim is to raise awareness of these forgotten buildings and ultimately to bring them to the attention…

THE RailwayTouring Company’s return trip fromYork to Carlisle on August 6 was cancelled after a problem was found with A3 Pacific No. 60103 Flying Scotsman. Stuart Gray from the locomotive’s custodian, Riley & Son (E), said: “During scheduled maintenance at the National Railway Museum in York following Flying Scotsman’s last trip, some premature excessive wear has been discovered in the locomotive’s cylinders. While the cause is under investigation, rectification work has already begun. “Unfortunately, the repairs were not completed in time for the locomotive’s booked tour on August 6.” He said that working closely with suppliers to expedite the required parts, Riley’s had the locomotive back in service in time for its eagerlyawaited visit to the Bluebell Railway. The repair took three weeks, with the A3 having arrived at the…

naSTEAM Dreams is set to repeat its summer season of excursions from London in 2024 after this year’s programme was hailed a success. On August 8, the schedule started with the morning diesel-hauled empty coaching stock working behind Class 47 D1935 Roger Hosking MA 1925-2013 from Southall Locomotive Services depot at 8am. It ran early but arrived at Victoria at 9.41pm, one minute down. The ‘Garden of England’ lunchtime steam special started off from Victoria on the route of the South Eastern & Chatham Railway behind BR 7P Pacific No. 70000 Britannia, leaving two minutes late at 10.04am. After crossing the Thames on Grosvenor Bridge, it joined a short section of the London Brighton & South Coast railway near Brixton to Nunhead, then continued on the SECR for the rest…

THE trip was a sell-out – but Pathfinder Tours’‘Cornish Explorer’on September 2 has been postponed until October 14 due to industrial action taking place on the scheduled date. The train will run as planned, apart from the fact that both Chippenham and Bath Spa pick-up/set downs will not be included as per the original itinerary due to lack of time within the new pathing. The ‘Pilgrim Centurion’ on September 16 is also full, and on September 27, the ‘Tees-Tyne Pullman’, in association with our sister title Railway Magazine, is all set to run as planned. Both steam tours – one on September 9 over Shap and returning via Ais Gill and the second on October 21 returning round the Cumbrian Coast – still have bookings available. Four further tours have…

VINTAGE Trains is offering customers the chance to travel behind Great Western Railway Castle Class locomotive No. 7029 Clun Castle on Saturday, October 14, from Birmingham to Chester under the title of‘The ChesterVenturer’. Beginning at Coleshill Parkway, the tour is planned to pick up passengers at Tamworth High Level, Burton upon Trent, East Midlands Parkway, Leicester and Nuneaton, before taking the West Coast Mainline to Crewe. From Crewe, No. 7029 will take the excursion to the final destination of Chester. There will then be three hours to explore the city while the train and locomotive are serviced, following which No. 7029 will return via the same route to Birmingham.…

September 2 Cornish Explorer Dorridge, Par and return. Locos: 2x class 37 TBA. PT 2 ‘The Windsor Flyer’ Norwich, Windsor and return. Dieselhauled on return journey. Loco: 45596 Bahamas. RTC 2 ‘English Riviera Express’ Bedford, Kingswear and return. Steamhauled from Taunton (outward). Loco: TBA. ST 2 Settle & Carlisle Steam Special Hull, Carlisle and return. Steam-hauled from Carnforth (outward) to Preston (return). Loco: 34067 Tangmere. NB 2 ‘The Cambridge Clipper’ Hastings, Ely and return. DEMU: 1001 3 ‘The Shakespeare Express’ Birmingham Moor Street, Stratfordupon-Avon and return. Steam-hauled throughout. Loco: 7029 Clun Castle or 5043 Earl of Mount Edgcumbe. VT 6 ‘The Golden Hind’ Worcester Shrub Hill, Plymouth and return. Steam-hauled from Taunton (outward). Loco: TBA. ST 6 ‘The Salisbury Flyer’ Shoeburyness, Salisbury and return. Diesel-hauled between Southall and Shoeburyness (return…

AN LBSCR trespass cast iron warning notice and two GWR running-in board posts also in cast iron set the pace in Great Central’s‘Bloxham’-style two-day live online auction on July 20/21.The notice, which sold for £960, was dated October 1899 and warned of a penalty of 40 shillings (£2), and the two posts, from the Midlands market town station of Halesowen, sold as a single lot for £900. In third place with a realisation of £820 was a painting by George Heiron (1929-2001) of GWR No. 7029 Clun Castle on ‘The Bristolian’ Paddington-Bristol express, and in fourth slot at £740 was a 7¼in gauge coal-fired live steam 0-4-0T with sit-on tender. Four closely-matched items in the model’s slipstream were a BR locomotive/train headcode box complete with roller blinds (£660), an LBSCR…

Greece and its capital, Athens, have long been awash with historical sites and museums. However, no national railway museum exists in the country. All this is about to change, because a new railway museum is in the process of being set up in the capital – with a little help from volunteers including a local enthusiast who also ‘commutes’ to work one of the UK’s premier heritage lines. Jason Zorzos is one of the enthusiastic helpers who showed me around. During our conversation, he revealed that he often flies to England to work on the Great Central Railway at Loughborough, where he is a passed cleaner and also fires. What started this nascent project was the closure of the central Athens Railway Museum in Sepolia district. The building, which housed…

THE eagerly-anticipated return to passenger service for LSWRT3 4-4-0 No. 563hasbeensetfortheSwanage Railway on October 7. It is due to haul two round trips in the formal launch and supporters’ specials on the Purbeck line. Following the T3’s first moves under its own steam at Bill Parker’s Flour Mill workshops at Bream, in the Forest of Dean, as reported last issue, work has continued apace. The tender was rewheeled at Herston Works on August 17, followed by the application of the purplebrown border to the tank and raves, and the signwritten LSWR lettering receiving its gold leaf. Following this, two coats of varnish have been applied to give the tender a shine matching the front half of the locomotive. Young support A steady stream of donations has continued to be received,…

THE already impressive narrow gauge collection at Statfold Barn Railway and Museum hasexpanded oncemore followingitsmostrecentarrival– Bagnall 4-4-0T No. 2627 of1940A.Boulle, which is onloanfromSuzanneBallandherfather, GraemeWalton-Binns. A. Boulle was one of several locomotives built by Bagnall for the Tongaat sugars mill in KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa, and is one of six of the former Tongaat Bagnalls to survive into preservation. Its arrival at Statfold sees it reunited with former stablemate No. 2820 Isibutu of 1945, which also resides at Statfold. A. Boulle was the last of the three ex-Tongaat locomotives that Graeme repatriated from South Africa, the others being No. 2287 Sinembe (of 1926, now on the Teifi Valley Railway) and No. 2819 Charles Whytock (also of 1945, now residing at the Lynton & Barnstaple Railway, where it has been renamed Sir…

A UNIQUE driving coach from a 1958-built DMU is set to return to service on the North Norfolk Railway 36 years after it last carried passengers. Father-and-son team Paul and Chris Moxon have meticulously restored Birmingham Railway Carriage & Wagon Company-built No. M56182 in their spare time during the past nine years. The vehicle has been returned to close to its original condition, complete with varnished woodwork in the passenger saloons and salvaged seats of the original style, including the comfortable First Class saloons. The frames have been overhauled, the wheels refurbished, and rusty bodywork cut out and replaced prior to repainting in its original BR green livery with distinctive painted ‘whiskers’. The wiring and instruments required for the driver’s desk have been repaired and renewed, meaning the coach can…

A SECONDWar Department Baldwin 10-12-D 4-6-0Thas runontheFfestiniog &WelshHighlandRailwaythisyear. Built in 1917, Graham Fairhurst’s No. 608 originally worked on the World War One trench railways. After the conflict, it was transferred to India for further use by the British Army before being sold for use in sugar factories in Daurala and Ryam. Subsequently purchased for preservation in the UK, it was repatriated in 2013. Following restoration, it underwent further restoration at a private site in Lancashire, with the intention of making its debut at the WHR Past, Present and Future event in June 2019, but it was not finished in time. It arrived on the Ff&WHR in October 2019 and made its debut oat the start of November 2019, when it took part in photographic charters on the WHR alongside Hunslet…

TRACTION has returned to Rippingale station in Lincolnshire for the first time under its current ownership. Thomas Hill Vanguard Diesel-Hydraulic 0-4-0DH shunter No. 132C of 1962 gave demonstrations over the station tracks during an invitation-only event on August 13. The locomotive was rebuilt from Fowler No. 22982 of 1942, which was supplied new to the Royal Ordnance Factory at Coventry, where it became War Department No. 8313. In later years, it was on hire to LNWR heritage Railways/Locomotive Services Limited and used at Crewe Heritage Centre until the company moved to Crewe diesel depot. After years out of use, the shunter left the heritage centre in February after being purchased by Rippingale owner Mark Maitland, who bought the station from fellow enthusiast John Scholes in 2016, and with currently non-operational…

AYRSHIRE Railway Preservation Group members have vowed to press ahead at their Dunaskin base despite failing to meet the July 31 deadline of raising £250,000 to purchase buildings offered for sale by landlord Milestone Developments Ltd. At a packed extraordinary general meeting on July 29, members unanimously endorsed a plan to use £35,000 raised through donations to purchase a plot of land behind the station platform and building already belonging to the group, and another housing rolling stock storage sidings. The move will allow the Doon Valley Railway, which had been facing the possibility of closure, to continue in the longer term. But it will entail replacing the visitor centre, cafe and toilet block, up for sale by Milestone Developments, with new buildings on the land purchased by the society.…

THE private Richmond Light Railway, at Headcorn, Kent, has added another locomotive to its operational fleet following the acquisition of Decauville works No. 648. Originally named Dimitrias, the 0-4-0T was delivered new to the Thessaly Railway in Volos, Greece, in 1912, where it worked with classmate Argo until 1939, after which No. 648 moved to a chrome mine in Lamia. The mines closed during the 1960s but the locomotive remained on site, left outdoors until it was discovered in 1980 and bought by the German Steam Locomotive Museum in Neuenmarkt Wirsberg. Later acquired by a private collector in Berlin, it subsequently went to Dampfbahn Frankische Schwiez in Northern Bavaria before being sold again as a collection of parts for restoration by the Frankfurter Feldbahnmuseum in 1993. It was in Frankfurt…

A Derby tramcar in the National Tramway Museum collection at Crich TramwayVillage is to return home as part of a new project. Derby Corporation tramcar No. 1, which was built in 1903, will be loaned for display as part of Derby’s new centre for classic motor vehicle restoration – ‘Great Northern Classics’ – at the former Victoria Ironworks foundry on Osmaston Road. The building has a long history of industrial engineering use and most recently served as the Rolls-Royce Heritage Centre.  At one time, the building was used by Derby Corporation as a depot to house trams and trolleybuses. The project has repurposed the building to house new commercial units, workshops and showrooms for classic motor vehicles, alongside running an apprenticeship programme for engineering skills. Crich general manager Dr Mike…

THE Mid-Hants Railway’s October 6-8 autumn steam gala will welcome a guest slightly smaller than normal and a near-complete contrast to the GWR Castle 4-6-0 that headlined its 2023 spring gala. Bluebell Railway-based LBSCR A1 0-6-0T ‘Terrier’ No. 72 Fenchurch will appear alongside at least four other locomotives on services operating between Alton and Alresford. Having only returned to service in February, the visit to the MHR will be No. 72’s second foray away since completing its most recent overhaul, a June visit to the Isle of Wight Steam Railway having been the first. Due to its smaller size, Fenchurch will operate shuttles between Alresford and Ropley, although it is hoped that it will operate at least one trip over the full length of line that would result in it…

THE Tarka Valley Railway passed a milestone on Saturday, August 5 when the first passenger train in more than 40 years departed from Torrington station. The train comprised Class 143 twocar ‘Pacer’ DMU No. 143617, which on April 8 was named Rod Graner in honour of TVR founder member Rod Garner, who died three years ago. It ran over the 300 yards of track that the TVR has so far laid. No. 143617 was built in 1985, was first based at Heaton depot in Newcastle-on-Tyne, later at Cardiff Canton. St Phillips Marsh in Bristol, and finally Exeter, from where it was withdrawn in December 2020. It formed part of the last Class 143 train operated by Great Western Railway on December 28, 2020, the 9.36pm Paignton to Exmouth service. It…

FOLLOWING a clear-out of surplus rolling stock last year that resulted in several LMS sleeping coaches and a SR post office sorting van being purchased and subsequently scrapped, the Bluebell Railway offered a further four carriages forsaleduringAugustasitlookstofocus its collection and services. Two of the vehicles advertised are drawn from the railway’s collection of Pullman stock. Steel-sided Kitchen First Aquila was built in 1951 and entered service on the prestigious ‘Golden Arrow’ services; during its working life, it was used by the late Queen Elizabeth II on several occasions. Aquila was also part of the final ‘Bournemouth Belle’ run on July 9, 1967, after which it was withdrawn. Aquila then became one of five Pullmans to form the Bulmers’ Cider Train in Hereford before being sold on to the Venice-Simplon Orient…

CORNWALL’S Lappa Valley Railway has placed a £500,000 order for a new diesel, five carriages, and a buggy wagon.  The train will be designed and built by Alan Keef, of Ross-on-Wye, to mark the St Newlyn East venue’s 50th anniversary in 2024 and is set be delivered this autumn. The Bo-Bo, a larger version of two built for the Longleat Railway and delivered in 2018 and 2021, will be the first new locomotive for Lappa Valley’s 15-inch gauge line since its first locomotive, Severn Lamb 0-6-4T Zebedee, in 1974. The 100-seat carriage set has enhanced safety features including an emergency passenger communication system and permanent colour-changing lighting. Lappa Valley operations manager Ben Harding said the new train will increase passenger capacity by nearly 60%, reducing waiting times at both ends…

A BID has been made to set up a museum dedicated to the pioneering electric Woodhead Line between Manchester and Sheffield. The Woodhead Line, which dated from 1845, was renowned for its tunnels beneath the high moorlands of the northern Peak District and the Woodhead Pass. Electrification was first considered by the Great Central Railway and the LNER drew up plans in 1936, with gantries erected before the Second World War. The first section was electrified in 1953. The Manchester-Sheffield-Wath electrification project was finally completed in 1955, using overhead wires energised at 1500v DC. Electrification allowed Manchester to Sheffield expresses to complete the journey in 56 minutes, as opposed to 65 minutes with steam. However, the line was controversially closed to passenger traffic on January 5, 1970; the Beeching Report…

THE UK’s longest 12in gauge railwayis being helped by the country’s fastestline to help combat climate change. The Hillingdon-based Ruislip Lido Railway Society Limited has been given £75,000 by High Speed 2’s Community and Environment Fund to convert its 1990-built Severn Lamb diesel mechanical Bo-Bo No. 7 Graham Alexander to low-carbon battery power. The locomotive currently has a 4.5-litre Perkins engine, and its conversion is part of the society’s wider drive to reduce noise pollution and remove CO₂ emissions. Long history RuislipLido’soriginsdateto1811as a reservoir to supply drinking water for London via the newly-opened Grand Junction Canal, butitproved unsuccessfulandwassoldtotheRegents Canal, eventually amalgamating with the GrandUnionCanalCompanyin1929. Popular for boating, fishing and skating in winter, the Grand Union developed the reservoir as a health spa, constructing the lido building on the northern shore…

By the 1880s, the Isle of Man was well and truly gripped by the tourist industry, with accommodation in Douglas rapidly filling with those travelling across the Irish Sea to enjoy what the island had to offer. To meet the demand, a Glaswegian banker, Alexander Bruce, and civil engineer Frederick Saunderson turned their attention to building a largescale housing development north of Douglas, for which plans were drawn and submitted to the Tynwald (Manx Parliament) in 1889. Preliminary approval was given in 1892 but came with the condition that a road was to be constructed for access, later being updated to also include an accompanying tramway to be ‘operated by animal, steam, electric, or any other power’. A neighbouring estate had plans to open up Groudle Glen as a tourist…

FOUR further Steam Dreams journeys take place in September, with all selling well. September 10 sees a morning and evening trip from Paddington to Chichester and return, with a separate afternoon tour from Chichester around the Sussex coast, with B1 4-6-0 No. 61306 Mayflower rostered to be motive power. Bulleid Westy Country light Pacific No. 34046 Braunton is listed in for September 16 from Paddington to Cardiff, while BR 7P Paficic No. 70000 Britannia should be up front on the sold-out tour from Shoeburyness to York on September 23 and also motive power for the Victoria to Bath run via the Surrey Hills on September 27. Expressions of interest were steadily coming for the ‘Welsh Dragon’ tour to North Wales on September 14-18, 2024. The programme is still being finalised…

THE RailwayTouring Company is giving customers the chance to visit two separate heritage railways behind LMS Jubilee 4-6-0 No 45596 Bahamas. The first tour on Wednesday, September 13, under the title of ‘The Swanage Belle’, is, as the name suggests, a trip to the Swanage Railway. Starting from London Victoria, the excursion heads out of London to collect more passengers at Staines, Woking and Basingstoke. From here the train passes Worthing Junction, Winchester, Southampton, Bournemouth, and Poole, before arriving at Wareham to take the Swanage Railway to the seaside. Passengers have just under three hours to explore Swanage before returning to London, where the train will be diesel-hauled from Swanage to Southampton. At Southampton, Bahamas will once again take charge of the train and then take a different route via…

GWRA boss SimonTurner has teamed up with Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway and Broadway Museum and Art Gallery in a railwayana valuation day on October 1 that will feature BBCTV’s Antiques Roadshow expert Paul Atterbury. “I was approached by the railway and museum asking if I wanted to partner them in what is currently a one-off event, and I certainly was,” said Simon. “It will be very interesting evaluating railwayana with Paul, and who knows, perhaps a previously unknown hidden treasure will be brought in. We simply won’t know what to expect.” Paul, who is 78, has been a popular valuer on Antiques Roadshow since 1979, and is also a prolific author on railways and other subjects. The event, which is being held in Lifford Hall in Broadway, will be open…

THEY are the epitome of one man’s passion and skill. Brian Elliott’s enthusiasm for building model locomotives and steam engines became a pastime spanning a life that would demonstrate the attention to detail, planning and precision required to create what became an impressive collection. Such was the calibre of the Brian Elliott Collection – the highlight being a 10 ¼in gauge Collett 14XX 0-4-2T finished in Brunswick green as Great Western Railway No. 1400 – that it attracted steam enthusiasts from around the country when it was auctioned in the July 15 summer transport sale at Tennants, of Leyburn, North Yorkshire, as reported in Geoff Courtney’s Railwayana column (page 70). In addition to the railway models, an Aveling & Porter kit-built steam lorry sold for £4200, surpassing the £2000-£3000 estimate,…