Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 458 i Steam Railway

WATERING PROBLEMS could not dampen spirits as ‘Princess Royal’ class No. 6201 Princess Elizabeth made a triumphant return to the main line on August 23, hauling a Steam Dreams railtour from London Victoria to Minehead. The ‘Cathedrals Express’ marked the long-awaited return to steam for No. 6201. Withdrawn at the end of 2012, primarily for work on the boiler, Princess Elizabeth had been due to resume main line duties in June, but after its first test run at the Midland Railway - Butterley on June 17, the Crewe-built locomotive was failed with a hot axlebox on the leading bogie. Following a flawless second test run at Butterley on August 17, the Stanier ‘Pacific’ moved to its temporary new home at Southall, the locomotive’s base for main…

THE ISLE of Wight Steam Railway says it is in “positive talks” with the bidders for the new Island Line franchise to allow it to run trains into Ryde St John’s Road station. Both Stagecoach Group and FirstGroup/MTR are understood to be broadly supportive of steam running in tandem with electric trains north of Smallbrook Junction (the limit since 1991), although there are major engineering obstacles to overcome first. The new franchise starts next June, and there seems to be a mutual ambition to move the current sole passing loop from Brading, to allow Island Line trains to run to a regular 30-minute timetable instead of the present erratic 20/40-minute arrangement, which would also better serve the half-hour Wightlink catamarans from the mainland. The new track layout would free up…

Film star 78018 steams again after 50 years THE STAR of the famous British Transport Films production Snowdrift at Bleath Gill - BR Standard ‘2MT’ 2-6-0 No. 78018 - is the latest Barry scrapyard locomotive to return to steam. Almost 50 years after it dropped its fire for the last time in BR service in November 1966, the former Stainmore Route ‘Mogul’ had its first warming fire lit at the Great Central Railway on Tuesday August 16. It moved under its own steam for the first time the following day, and then shunted a ‘Lowmac’ wagon from the shed yard to the carriage sidings at the opposite end of Loughborough station. On August 19, it ventured out onto the double-track main line for a test run…

Hot on the heels of No. 78018, the next BR Standard to return to steam could be ‘4MT’ 2-6-4T No. 80097 at the East Lancashire Railway, with its boiler now expected to be ready in early November. The boiler overhaul at Adam Dalgleish Engineering Ltd has been delayed by a problem with the longitudinal stays. However, the ELR announced on August 23: “An action plan has now been agreed and if all goes to plan, the boiler should return to Bury in ten weeks’ time, complete with steam test ticket.” The remainder of the locomotive is virtually complete, following a Barry restoration of 31 years. The ELR is funding the boiler overhaul under an agreement with its owners, the Bury Standard 4 Group.…

On August 27, a Hawksworth ‘County’ 4-6-0 rolled onto the turntable at Didcot (81E) for the first time since 1964, for an official ceremony to celebrate the wheeling of the new No. 1014 County of Glamorgan . The movement created this unique snapshot of latter-day Swindon thinking, with the ‘County’ frames (originally from ‘Modified Hall’ No. 7927 Willington Hall ) displayed with the so-called ‘Kerosene Castle’, the Brown-Boveri gas-turbine No. 18000 ordered by Hawksworth in 1946 and delivered after nationalisation. For more on the ‘County’ project, see pages 7 and 45.…

ENGINEERING APPRENTICES from Virgin Trains have swapped Class 91 electrics for an earlier generation of East Coast Main Line motive power - assisting with the construction of new LNER ‘P2’ 2-8-2 No. 2007 Prince of Wales . As part of a sponsorship agreement with VT, apprentices from the ECML operator’s Bounds Green depot are visiting the A1 Steam Locomotive Trust’s Darlington Locomotive Works, where the new Gresley ‘Mikado’ is well on the way to being wheeled later this year. The first two apprentices, Michael Olley and Simon Nadolny, have just completed a two-week stint, during which they helped with the permanent fitting of three large fabricated frame stays and assembling the ‘P2’s’ distinctive smoke lifting sheets. More apprentices are expected to follow during the next few…

BR ‘3MT’ 2-6-2T No. 82045 now has all its wheels together at its Severn Valley Railway base, with the delivery of both pony wheelsets from the South Devon Railway on August 19. Painting of the pony wheels immediately got under way, while the cab has also gone into Bridgnorth’s paintshop to receive its first coats of BR green. Steady progress is being made towards wheeling the locomotive’s frames later this year, with the machining of the centre driving axlebox horn faces completed and the leading and trailing ones to follow. Although no work has been undertaken on the boiler barrels since our last report - due to lack of space in Bridgnorth works while other boilers have been swapping places - some drilling has been undertaken on the smokebox.…

The ambitious scheme to revert a rebuilt ‘Merchant Navy’ into its original form has been given an enormous boost, thanks to the offer of a significant number of substantial parts. The General Steam Navigation Locomotive Restoration Society, which now owns ex-Barry No. 35011 General Steam Navigation (see SR456) has been offered “a huge quantity of spare parts” from another Bulleid project. These include a steam reverser, a set of connecting rods, pressure and vacuum gauges, a full set of oil atomisers for the cylinders, a split sprocket for the chain drive, oil sump pump and cab oil trays. Simon Shutt, the society’s membership secretary says: “The purchase of these components would save our project thousands of pounds and cut years off the expected timescale of the restoration. “The Bulleid project…

Nearly 25 years after Steam Railway readers generously dug into their pockets to support the ‘Windcutter Appeal’, the Great Central Railway’s BR 16-ton mineral wagons need help once again - this time in the form of engineering expertise. Since the rake was saved in 1992, a small group of GCR volunteers, led by John Brooks, have restored and maintained the wagons to preserve the sight of a typical coal train. But now, several of the vehicles have been withdrawn due to the failure of their OLEO hydraulic buffers - which the team cannot repair. Explains John: “OLEO can still overhaul them or manufacture new ones - but at a cost which, given the numbers involved, is beyond our resources.” The group is thus looking at lower-cost alternatives, including the replacement…

BROCKLEBANK LINE - the ‘Merchant Navy’ that was almost cut up at Barry scrapyard in 1980 - could get a new lease of life with a move to the Churnet Valley Railway for restoration. CVR Operating Manager and engineer Greg Wilson - owner of American ‘S160’ 2-8-0s Nos. 5197 and 6046, and LMS ‘8F’ 2-8-0 No. 48173 - is making a second bid for the partially restored Bulleid ‘Pacific’. “I am in early discussions again,” he confirmed to Steam Railway, “although there is a lot of groundwork to be done before anything can happen.” He first made an offer for the locomotive ten years ago, after its owning group, the 35025 Brocklebank Line Association, was given notice to quit its base at the Great Central Railway in April…

A trio of Bulleid ‘Pacific’ boilers are undergoing overhaul at Buckfastleigh on the South Devon Railway, with the arrival of ‘West Country’ No. 34028 Eddystone from Swanage on August 4. It joins two other ‘Light Pacific’ boilers already in the SDR Engineering workshop, from ‘Battle of Britain No. 34059 Sir Archibald Sinclair and ‘West Country’ No. 34101 Hartland. The SDR had gained considerable experience in this field with the extensive overhaul of the boiler from No. 34027 Taw Valley. SDR spokesman Dick Wood explains: “Several Bulleid owning groups have got together to commission work on their respective boilers in order to gain economies of scale.” Eddystone is in line for a fast-track overhaul, as owning group Southern Locomotives Limited (SLL) intends to have it back in service in 2018 to…

THE SOUTH Devon Railway is to start building covered accommodation for its carriages by the end of the year - and not before time, with both of its prized autocoaches having been withdrawn from service due to their deteriorating state. Arguably the most fundamental part of the SDR’s Great Western branch line image, the two 1951-built, Hawksworthdesign autotrailers have been stored in the open during nearly two decades of service, with their wooden-framed and steel-panelled bodies suffering from the ravages of the weather. No. W228W has now been declared unfit for traffic due to rotten woodwork in the driver’s vestibule, while No. W225W has also been ‘stopped’ because of recurring hot axleboxes. Their loss leaves just one serviceable autocoach on the Buckfastleigh-Totnes line - former Derby test car No. 233,…

A repeat visit by new-build ‘A1’ No. 60163 Tornado proved a huge success for the Nene Valley Railway at its ‘East Coast Revival’ event over the August Bank Holiday weekend. The Peppercorn ‘Pacific’ worked alongside an example of the motive power that replaced the ‘A1s’ and their Gresley counterparts on the East Coast Main Line in the 1960s - ‘Deltic’ diesel No. 55022 Royal Scots Grey, masquerading as No. 55007 Pinza. For the last train on all three days, the two rivals were paired up in a powerful double-headed combination adding up to an immense 87,400lbs of tractive effort. NVR spokesman Jerry Thurston said that the railway was “delighted” at a weekend on which trains were well-filled - “not quite standing room only, but close.” He enthused: “It’s a time…

Tempers have flared in Cornwall after the first-ever main line appearance in Cornwall of a Stanier ‘Duchess’ on August 7. It has all been about the use of the turntable at St Blazey. Contractors removing a boundary fence bordering part of the turntable, to allow sufficient clearance to turn ‘Coronation’ 4-6-2 No. 46233 Duchess of Sutherland, received furious legal threats from landowner Neil Shorland, who claimed the fence belonged to him. While Mr Shorland failed to respond to Steam Railway enquiries, DB Cargo said: “We can confirm that the fence at the turntable at St Blazey belongs to DB Cargo UK.” The 44-year-old director of Bristol-based property company Shorland Investments Ltd, which lets out St Blazey’s Grade II*-listed roundhouse locomotive shed as industrial units, arrived on site to find the…

It’s travelled across Europe and worked on the London Underground during the last ten years - but at the end of its boiler certificate this autumn, GWR ‘Small Prairie’ No. 5521 is to come full circle with a return to one of its early preservation homes. The London Transport-liveried ‘4575’ 2-6-2T, ‘No. L150’, will be the star guest at the Dean Forest Railway’s steam weekend of October 14-16. This is a second event held in conjunction with the nearby Flour Mill, following the hugely successful gala in July to mark the steam workshop’s 20th anniversary. Making its final appearance before it is withdrawn for overhaul, ‘No. L150’ - which was Line’s own ‘Small Prairie’ No. 5541. By popular demand, the Flour Mill will once again be open to the public…

Mark Pearce has been a writer for Steam Railway for over a decade, and an active participant in railway preservation for far longer than that. Mark can often be found at industrial-themed events up and down the country, but he’d love to hear from anyone with news and photographs. You can email him at the address on the left.…

A Brazilian 0-4-0T that dates back to 1885 has made its first public appearance after a full-scale restoration that has taken over a decade. Chuquitanta, built by the French firm Couillet and sold by Decauville to a sugar plantation in 1885, was on show at an open day on the private Richmond Light Railway on August 13. The tiny 3½-ton engine was discovered by RLR owner Jeremy Martin acting as a backdrop in a restaurant built on the site of the old processing plant, and was imported to the UK in 2004. The restoration, which included regauging from 50cm gauge to 2ft, was undertaken by Tony Crowhurst at Hythe. It is believed to be one of the oldest Decauville locomotives to survive. Construction of the ¾-mile RLR, on an eight-acre…

Lead singer of The Who, Roger Daltrey, has opened the Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway’s new £700,000 main building and restaurant at Dungeness, which is appropriately named ‘The End of the Line’. Mr Daltrey attracted large numbers of fans and posed for selfies during his visit on August 2, and after unveiling a plaque, the railway presented him with a ‘Daltrey Family Express’ headboard. An enthusiast who remembers visiting the RHDR as a child in 1956, Roger and musician Jools Holland are investing heavily in railway projects, and have just secured planning permission for a £4 million model railway museum at Ashford. RHDR services were briefly suspended on August 17 while Kent Fire Service dealt with a fire on a lineside embankment and adjacent stubble field.…

The original 1829-built Rocket could return to its birthplace for the first time in 154 years, if a bid by Newcastle-Gateshead to host the Great Exhibition of the North is successful. The city is one of four shortlisted to host the Government-backed exhibition, which aims to boost investment and tourism in the region. The theme of the Newcastle-Gateshead bid is ‘The Blazing World’ and how invention and innovation in the North East have shaped the world. Iain Watson, director of Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums, one of the partners in the Newcastle-Gateshead bid, says: “We believe that the first run of Rocket is one of those ‘disruptive moments’ after which the world would never be the same again and that is why we’re exploring the possibility of bringing Robert…

The oldest operational locomotive in the Severn Valley Railway’s fleet, former Port Talbot Railway 0-6-0ST No. 813, has returned to steam after a six-year overhaul. The unique survivor of the pre-Grouping South Wales company moved again under its own power on August 9, having last run in September 2009. It spent the following week on light engine running-in trials, before making its first loaded test run to Kidderminster on August 16, hauling three GWR coaches. It is anticipated that the Hudswell Clarke-built locomotive will be one of the star attractions at the SVR’s Season Finale gala on November 4-6. Also planned to make its debut at this ‘small engines’ event is ‘57XX’ 0-6-0PT No. 7714, whose boiler was refitted in the frames on August 10, following a successful steam test.…

THE MOST significant redevelopment project in the Severn Valley Railway’s half-century history has been given the starting signal. The ambitious £5 million scheme will dramatically improve facilities at Bridgnorth station, the northern gateway to the railway. Approval of planning permission for the scheme by Shropshire County Council has triggered a major fundraising campaign. A share offer is expected to be launched in the autumn with the sole aim of funding the project. The three-phase scheme will include a transformation and extension of Bridgnorth station, installation of a turntable, construction of a 53-bedroom building to house volunteers, and development of newly acquired land to expand car parking. Work is due to start on October 3, and the bulk of Phase 1 is expected to be completed by Easter. The groundbreaking project…

Popular BR Standard ‘4MT’ No. 75014 is back in action and proving itself “all that the Dartmouth Steam Railway hoped for” - 13 years after the line acquired it to bolster its fleet. The former main line performer was purchased from its previous owning consortium at the North Yorkshire Moors Railway in 2003 - but reached the end of its boiler certificate the following year, and has been undergoing a ‘stopstart’ overhaul ever since. “We stripped it down straight away and sent the boiler off to Crewe,” recalls DSR Operations Manager Peter Roach, “but asked them to stop work on it twice - first when we bought ‘42XX’ No. 4277, and again in 2012, when money was tight for all tourist attractions.” The heavy repairs to the boiler included the…

THE RETURN to steam of BR Standard ‘4MT’ 2-6-4T No. 80136 on August 23 means that the North Yorkshire Moors Railway can now boast seven operational steam locomotives. This marks a dramatic change in circumstances for the railway, which until May could field only three engines: ‘Black Five’ No. 45428 ‘Eric Treacy’, Raven ‘Q6’ No. 63395 and ‘Standard 4’ 2-6-0 No. 76079. NYMR Head of Traction and Rolling Stock Eddie Knorn said: “No. 80136 has been here less than four months, arriving from Crewe as a boiler-less locomotive, along with a lot of boxes of fittings, cladding and so on. “By utilising a dedicated team, progress has been rapid. The insurance inspector’s approval for the steam test was obtained exactly one month after the boiler was fitted into the frames.”…

THE REPLICA of Lynton & Barnstaple Railway 2-4-2T No. 762 Lyn is now a complete locomotive - in kit form at least - following the delivery of the final components to Alan Keef’s works in Ross-on-Wye on August 23. Aside from purely cosmetic items such as the boiler cladding, the arrival of the rear control linkage and four main spring mounting assemblies means that everything is in place to finish the assembly of the Baldwin locomotive. Peter Best, technical director of the 762 Club, the group formed to build Lyn, said: “A strong start has already been made with the saddle, cylinders, driving wheels. Some of the inside motion has been put onto the frames with the target of having a full ‘rolling chassis’ to demonstrate…

New-build Great Eastern Railway 2-4-2T No. 789 is to become one of the relatively few steam locomotives in preservation with Joy valve gear, as the Holden F5 Steam Locomotive Trust makes preparations to erect its frames and create the rolling chassis. The original ‘F5’ design by Thomas William Worsdell (GER Class ‘M15’) had Joy valve gear, but their high coal consumption - which earned them the nickname ‘Gobblers’ - led James Holden to rebuild them with Stephenson gear. However, the drawings for the latter have not survived - so the trust has opted for the Joy gear, which is simpler and will be cheaper to manufacture. Project Manager Elliot Powick of Stafford Road Design will work closely with Tyseley Locomotive Works - where the engine is to be built -…

The Standard Steam Locomotive Company now has a set of frames for a BR ‘Clan’ 4-6-2 in ‘O’ gauge - and is 80% of the way to being able to assemble the full-scale items. Apprentices at Sheffield training school AMRC have finished the 3D printing of the 7mm:1ft scale frames - and with the recent completion of the smokebox saddle and exhaust steam ‘spider’, every component to build the real thing now exists in metal. The price of assembling them - and creating the first set of complete ‘Clan’ frames since the last example was withdrawn in 1966 - is estimated at £50,000. Bob Ife, The Clan Project’s commercial director, said: “We need a further £10,000 before we have that figure in the bank, so we have 80% of the…

WHEN ‘J21’ No. 65033 returns to Kirkby Stephen East station in steam, it will not only be able to fill its tender from a North Eastern Railway water tower, but also turn on exactly the right type of turntable. The Stainmore Railway Company has made the remarkable discovery of a 50-foot NER ’table on Network Rail property just feet away from the East Coast Main Line - in its original position to the south of Darlington station. It is identical to the turntable at Kirkby Stephen shed (closed on November 20 1961). Now disconnected, the Darlington turntable survived in use for tampers until the 1990s, as well as turning DMU vehicles to even out tyre wear. It was last used by steam locomotives in 1975, during the ‘Stockton & Darlington…

‘Battle of Britain’ No. 34053 Sir Keith Park is set to make its debut on the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway this autumn - a year after it was originally scheduled to visit. The rebuilt Bulleid ‘Pacific’ was due to be the star guest at the line’s steam gala last October - but was unable to make the journey from its Severn Valley Railway base because of the year-long ban on low-loader movements at the KWVR’s loading point of Ingrow. The lifting of the ban in June (SR455) clears the way for the Southern Locomotives-owned machine to appear at the ‘Autumn Steam Spectacular’ event on October 7-9, alongside the home fleet of ‘4F’ No. 43924, ‘4MT’ No. 75078, ‘WD’ No. 90733, ‘S160’ No. 5820, Taff Vale Railway 0-6-2T No. 85,…

The Birmingham Mail summarised some of the comments on the models of the five contenders on display: • “Roger Hiorns’ work will be covered in graffiti, littered on, climbed in, would be a serious safety hazard and seems to symbolise destruction.” • “It’s abhorrent and utterly reprehensible to deny what is clearly based on the crashed City of Glasgow, and it’s a tasteless waste of money. Why not use the £2m to cosmetically restore an existing steam locomotive or build a facsimile of an older Birmingham locomotive?”…

THE RPSI’S £3.1 million development at Whitehead has taken a major step forward with the installation of a 60ft turntable - believed to be the last main line example produced in Britain or Ireland. Built by Harland & Wolff of Belfast in 1976, the 15-tonne table came from Northern Ireland Railways’ Central Service Depot at Queen’s Quay in Belfast, and was acquired by the RPSI when the depot closed in 1992. Some parts went by rail from Belfast to Whitehead, hauled by DSER ‘Mogul’ No. 461 - but the main beam had to go by road. The turntable went into store at Whitehead, but over the years some original steel decking deteriorated and proved unusable. The first vehicle to venture onto it since 1992 was the RPSI’s Atlas road-rail machine,…

The RPSI’s short two-train season of the ‘Portrush Flyer’ got under way on August 21 when No. 85 Merlin hauled a seven-coach train from Whitehead via Belfast to the north coast. The ‘Flyer’ has been a regular fixture in the summer calendar since 1973. Both trips, on August 21 and 28, were fully booked a fortnight ahead, with 250 passengers on board each time. The afternoon excursions from Portrush to Coleraine, where the engine was turned, were also well loaded. The RPSI is now used to putting up ‘train full’ signs, with an additional ‘Steam & Jazz’ train on September 2 also selling out well in advance. A spokesman said: “We have the engines and the carriages and it would be feasible to run more trains, but to do so…

A limited edition print, signed by two of BR’s most famous shedmasters, is to help the overhaul of ‘A4’ No. 60007 Sir Nigel Gresley. Painted by leading railway artist Philip Hawkins, the scene depicts No. 60003 Andrew K. McCosh at Copenhagen Tunnel, hauling the ‘White Rose’ in the spring of 1959, with now-preserved ‘J52’ 0-6-0ST No. 68846 and the prototype ‘Deltic’ diesel also visible. The limited run of 500 numbered prints will each be signed by King’s Cross shedmaster Peter Townend - who once had both Nos. 60003 and 60007 in his charge at ‘Top Shed’ - and Stewarts Lane shedmaster Dick Hardy, as well as the artist. The proceeds will assist the return of Sir Nigel Gresley to the main line, as well as the Friends of the National…

The Gwili Railway’s ‘Austerity’ 0-6-0ST ‘Welsh Guardsman’ returned to service in August, following firebox repairs at the Llangollen Railway. On August 11, the 1944-built locomotive, Robert Stephenson & Hawthorns W/No. 7170, worked a light engine test run. Two days later, on August 13, it was entrusted with a private evening charter, before entering regular service on August 15. At the Gwili it is a mainstay of operations, alongside fellow RSH locomotive W/No. 7849 of 1955 ‘Moorbarrow’, a former National Coal Board 17in-cylinder 0-6-0ST. Both are expected to be in action on a variety of passenger and demonstration goods trains during the railway’s gala event on Saturday October 8. ‘Welsh Guardsman’ spent its entire commercial career in the coal industry. It was a National Coal Board, South Wales Division, locomotive from…

“How many preserved railways turn in a profit, and how many are being bolstered by charities?” “OK,” says Greg Wilson, as we settle down on the bench outside Cheddleton shed. “Let’s get the negative stuff out of the way first.” Well - he said it, not me. But sure - since I have indeed got a notebook full of potentially sticky topics to cover, here goes. The Churnet Valley Railway - where he is currently Acting Managing Director, as well as Operations Director, engineer, and owner of three locomotives - has certainly received its fair share of bad press in recent years, and looking in from the outside, it seems easy to understand why. It’s been vilified over its decision to sell track for scrap; the Vintage Carriages Trust register…

It is possibly true that those of us who work or volunteer in the steam railway industry do so it because they enjoy the lifestyle. My incentive to relocate to the Isle of Wight from the East Midlands 11 years ago was both the challenge to manage a highly regarded preserved railway, and to live on a beautiful holiday island. Back in 2005, the then chairman of the Isle of Wight Steam Railway suggested that even if we just sat on our hands, a good level of business was almost guaranteed to come our way. It’s an interesting strategy, but I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone. For our railway to make progress we need ambition, and that will require something far more proactive. My focus has been to grow our…

Almost 50 years after main line steam ended in Britain, it may never be possible to identify all the locomotive tenders that have survived, although we are doing our very best to piece the story together despite the absence of many official records, or marks stamped on the items themselves. Having set the scene in the last issue, we can now turn to tenders that have been imported complete with a locomotive. Falling into this category are three Riddles 5,000gal tenders built for the War Department that came with ‘Austerity’ 2-10-0s, imported from Greece in 1984, and the 2-8-0 from Sweden, in 1974. In addition, two Stanier 4,000gal tenders have come with ‘8F’ 2-8-0s from Turkey. The odd one out is a Riddles 5,000gal chassis procured from a Dutch steelworks…

The North Norfolk Railway says it wants to run 35-mile main line steam specials to Norwich after the massively successful launch of its new dining trains over Network Rail metals to Cromer. Following the public launch on August 10, subsequent trains on the limited service have been a complete sell-out, and the programme is now likely to be extended to a four-month season in 2017. Realising a 40-year ambition to break free of the NNR’s natural boundaries of Holt to Sheringham, the 3¾-mile Cromer section of the former M&GN route to Cromer has been made possible by the reconnection of the main line over Sheringham level crossing, six years ago. Judging from their lukewarm reaction to the first train however, it is apparent that a lot needs to be done…

The overhaul of unique Caledonian Railway ‘439’ class 0-4-4T No. 419 has taken a major step forward, with the rewheeling of the locomotive on August 3. The Scottish Railway Preservation Society-owned locomotive has been under overhaul since its boiler ticket expired in 2009. Efforts to return the McIntosh-designed 0-4-4T to steam suffered a major setback when the first batch of new axleboxes for the driving wheels was stolen in 2012. The next step is to reunite the locomotive with its boiler, which had been sent away to Ian Riley’s workshop in Bury to have all its crown stays, foundation ring and sections of the outer firebox replaced. With much of the motion ready to be reassembled, the SRPS hopes to have No. 419 back in traffic on the Bo’ness &…

GWR ‘Manor’ No. 7812 Erlestoke Manor became the latest engine to run 100,000 miles in preservation on August 26 at the Severn Valley Railway. The Collett 4-6-0 is only the second ‘Manor’ to reach the milestone; fellow SVR resident No. 7802 Bradley Manor achieved the feat in 2009 and now has 110,000 miles under its belt. The SVR has eight engines in six figures. Others are ‘45XX’ 2-6-2T No. 4566, LMS ‘Stanier Mogul’ No. 42968, ‘Black Five’ No. 45110, Ivatt ‘2MT’ 2-6-0 No. 46443, ‘8F’ No. 48773 and BR ‘4MT’ 2-6-4T No. 80079.…

A pair of BR Standard Class 4 ‘76XXXs’ will steam together for the first time in over 20 years at the North Yorkshire Moors Railway’s Autumn Steam Gala. The NYMR has announced the full lineup for the September 30-October 2 event. Of the three visiting engines, making its debut over the Pickering-Whitby line is BR Standard ‘4MT’ 2-6-0 No. 76084, fresh from making the North Norfolk Railway’s first forays onto the main line with a dining special to Cromer on August 10 (see ‘Down Main’, pages 78-79). It will appear alongside ‘Moors’ resident No. 76079, making it the first time the pair have steamed together in preservation. The pairing of Nos. 76079 and 76084 marks a historic reunion, as both locomotives were shedded together at Wigan (Springs Branch) MPD. They…

The Groudle Glen Railway has placed the order for the boiler of its new 2-4-0T Brown Bear with Bennett Boilers of Highbridge. This firm already has experience in the new-build steam world, having produced the boiler for the Lynton & Barnstaple Railway’s replica Baldwin 2-4-2T No. 762 Lyn. Design approval from British Engineering Insurance has been based on the replacement boiler that was built in 2002 for Sea Lion, the GGR’s original 1896-built Bagnall 2-4-0T. However, the all-steel firebox will be three inches longer, as Brown Bear is a replica of the slightly larger 1905-built Bagnall Polar Bear, now based at Amberley. It is hoped to complete the boiler during 2017, and to have the locomotive running by 2018 - but to do so, approximately £10,000 still needs to be…

BARELY FIVE months after its auspicious return to service following a long and protracted overhaul, ‘Merchant Navy’ No. 35006 Peninsular & Oriental S. N.Co. is to be withdrawn from traffic this month. The sole operational ‘MN’, No. 35006 has completed all its contractual steamings on the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway for 2016; it is likely No. 35006 won’t be in steam until the Cotswold Festival of Steam Gala during the May bank holiday weekend in 2017. Peninsular & Oriental S. N. Co. was allocated 45 steamings for the year; normally, steamings are spread out reasonably evenly over the course of a year. P&O Locomotive Society Chairman John McMillan explains: “We asked the GWSR to allocate our steamings in blocks, so the boiler would remain warm for a…

One of the Bowes Railway’s original wagons will require a complete rebuild after suffering severe damage in an arson attack. Wooden-framed hopper No. 971 - built at Springwell in the early 20th century and known as a ‘Bowes Railway Ordinary’ - was set alight late on the evening of Wednesday July 27. By the time a local resident called the fire brigade, the blaze had badly damaged the side planking and spread into the chassis, including the longitudinal bearers and bottom doors. The wheelsets, brake gear, draw gear and buffers are all recoverable and will be restored by Bowes volunteers. Donations towards material costs would be welcomed; cheques made payable to Bowes Railway can be sent to Springwell, Gateshead, Tyne & Wear NE9 7QJ.…

The only surviving Southern Railway-built ‘8F’ is to head to Southern metals, to star in the Swanage Railway’s Autumn Gala on October 14-16 alongside SDJR ‘7F’ No. 53809. Both 2-8-0s will be making their debuts at Swanage, with No. 48624 - constructed at Ashford in 1943 - being the first ‘8F’ ever to grace the Isle of Purbeck branch. The line previously played host to a ‘7F’ in 2009, when No. 88 attended that year’s Autumn Gala. The pairing makes for a strong ‘Somerset & Dorset’ feel, ‘7Fs’ and ‘8Fs’ having worked side-by-side on the route during the early 1960s. Rostered from the home fleet will be ‘Battle of Britain’ No. 34070 Manston, ‘U’ 2-6-0 No. 31806 and ‘M7’ 0-4-4T No. 30053. Another S&D-appropriate class could appear, as BR Standard…

The Mid-Suffolk Light Railway can now run a three-coach passenger train for the first time in more than 60 years, thanks to the completion of Great Eastern Railway First Class Smoking coach No. 140. The body of the unique 1863-built vehicle has been placed on the chassis of 1961 Darlington BR 20-ton brake van No. B955147. It will now join the MSLR’s other two GER four-wheelers - five-compartment Third No. 287 and Brake Third No. 13 - creating the first three-coach rake since the line closed in 1952.…

A lineside hot box detector saved the day for the RPSI’s 2-6-4T No. 4 after the locomotive ran a hot bearing on a trip from Dublin to Kilkenny on August 21. The fully booked ‘Radio Train’ special was gathering speed at Sallins, just 18 miles from Dublin on the main line to Cork, when the ‘Jeep’ triggered the detector and the train was brought to a halt. Iarnród Éireann organised a diesel from Inchicore to take the seven-coach train on to Kilkenny, where it arrived just an hour behind schedule. No. 4 returned light engine at low speed to Dublin. The RPSI said that an initial check suggested that no serious damage had been incurred, and that No. 4 would return to service on its next steam special, although the…

THE TELFORD Steam Railway is set to pull off a major coup this Christmas, as it becomes the first preserved line to offer a steam-hauled ‘Polar Express’ - and with an American locomotive. Subject to final agreement, the line is to hire US Army Transportation Corps ‘S160’ 2-8-0 No. 6046 from Churnet Valley Railway engineer Greg Wilson, to play the part of the locomotive - based on preserved Pere Marquette 2-8-4 No. 1225 - that appears in the popular 2004 animated children’s movie. No. 6046 is currently on loan to the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, where it will stay until November before taking up its Telford duties. It will be the first tender locomotive to operate on the TSR in preservation, the only other such visitor being National Collection LNWR…

The closed Snibston Discovery Park has now joined the list of preserved railways to be lifted. Work began in early August to tear up the running line, and the recovered materials will be gifted to the Great Central Railway (SR457). The museum closed in 2015 following a decision by Leicestershire County Council, amid much protest from campaigners and historians. The locomotives formerly housed in the now-demolished main museum building are being stored in the former colliery locomotive shed. The line had been used for regular diesel-hauled passenger trains, but had also hosted steam-powered visitors and successful photographic charters, taking full advantage of the industrial backdrop. The railway connection to Snibston Colliery can be traced back to the 1830s, with considerable links to Robert Stephenson. Rail traffic to the colliery ceased…

“The gauging issue needed resolving before the cab design was completed.” The Great Western Society’s Hawksworth County Project has reached a major milestone this year, with the wheeling of both the locomotive and new tender of No. 1014 County of Glamorgan, and we have also made major progress in the rebuilding of the boiler. It is a major exercise in recycling, and our ‘new’ engine will be a magnificent amalgam of re-used parts from other engines - many modified for their new role - as well as a selection of items from stock and a few unusual gifts, all of which were lovingly assembled by some of the most skilled craftsmen around. To date, £700,000 has been spent on the construction of No. 1014, and we believe that about another…

The CVR’s supporting charity is the North Staffordshire Railway Co. (1978) Ltd, which has recently funded several improvements to Cheddleton station in conjunction with the Churnet Valley Living Landscapes Partnership, a local derivative of the Heritage Lottery Fund. These have included the re-erection of a genuine NSR water crane, originally from Hanley, the resurfacing of Platform 2, and repairs to a landslip just south of the station, where the river was eroding the embankment opposite the locomotive shed. With logs piled into the river - a cheaper but effective alternative to rocks - it will now be possible to extend the loop to allow two five-coach trains to pass. In addition, these bodies provided funds for the restoration of Leekbrook Junction signal box and platform - where the next project…

The Norfolk resort of Hunstanton is trying to raise £40,000 to erect a statue to Henry Styleman le Strange, a local estate owner and entrepreneur who successfully raised funds to construct the railway from Kings Lynn. The monument will be erected outside the Golden Lion Hotel, which was the first building in the town, and was near to the station. It closed in 1969 and, after demolition, the site was turned into a car park. • The 200th anniversary of the birth of Sir Daniel Gooch, on August 24 1816, has been marked by the unveiling in Swindon of a bust of the Great Western Railway Chairman. It will go on a tour of the borough before finding a permanent home. Gooch selected Swindon for the locomotive works, which was…

There have been a lot of setup costs, but next year should be good running HUGH HARKETT More dining trains - and maybe running further afield than Cromer - are part of the North Norfolk Railway’s recipe for the future as it digests the success of its initial forays into main line running. The Sheringham line broke out of its home base on August 10 with the first of a series of dining trains to Cromer a little under four miles away - a modest but symbolic step onto the ‘big railway’. NNR Managing Director Hugh Harkett says that current trains are packed - and more will be planned for 2017. He openly admits he’s interested in discussing with the current local operator the possibility of something bigger: “I’d…

“There’s nothing to stop us, provided we can get the money in fast enough” DAVID BRADSHAW Within a couple of years we could be lighting the first fire in a parallel-boiler ‘Patriot’ since 1962. That’s the good news: that No. 45551 could now be alive within the kind of timescale typically taken up by a fairly swift ‘heavy general’. There is, however, a ‘but’… while the team behind The Unknown Warrior is confident it will raise the cash to finish the 53rd ‘Baby Scot’, the money isn’t coming in fast enough. As its name implies, The Unknown Warrior has been adopted as the national memorial engine; the British Legion is involved, and Falklands veteran Simon Weston has become the project’s first patron. All this means the Armistice Day centenary…