Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 462 i Steam Railway

• WINTER ‘JACOBITES’ BEGIN The first ever season of winter ‘Jacobites’ got under way on December 20, running between Fort William and Glenfinnan with ‘5MT’ No. 45407. Hopes of a snowfall were dashed, however, by relatively mild temperatures, at the time Steam Railway went to press on December 21. • NON-STOP STOPPED Hopes of a renewed 122-mile non-stop run by ‘Castle’ Earl of Mount Edgcumbe (SR461) have been curtailed. The ‘Welsh Marches’ run between Droitwich and Hereford on March 4 is now planned to include a stop to inspect the locomotive. • ‘Q’ MEETS ‘N15’ AT GC A historic Maunsell pairing is in prospect at the Great Central Railway’s Winter Steam Gala on January 27-29, as visiting ‘Q’ 0-6-0 No. 30541 will meet up with ‘King Arthur’ No. 777 Sir…

Lord Nelson has entered Ropley’s workshop to be overhauled for a further stint of service on the Mid-Hants Railway - but it will have to wait for two other Southern Region machines to be outshopped before work starts in earnest. The now-unique Maunsell 4-6-0, which last steamed on December 27 2015, went into the shed in early December, following the completion of ‘4MT’ 2-6-0 No. 76017. A new loan agreement has been made between the ‘Watercress Line’ and the National Railway Museum. The overhaul is expected to take two to three years. However, the MHR’s main priority at the time of writing is another NRM Maunsell express passenger machine - ‘Schools’ 4-4-0 No. 925 Cheltenham, which is receiving attention to a crack in its frames, where an old BR weld…

The biggest locomotive ever to grace Kent & East Sussex Railway metals will arrive this year in the form of ‘Manor’ No. 7822 Foxcote Manor - the first visitor to arrive courtesy of the KESR’s Guest Engine Club. Launched in October 2015 to raise funds for visiting locomotives to the Colonel Stephens branch line, the GEC has stepped in to cover the estimated £14,000 cost of transporting both locomotive and tender to the KESR; a figure the railway alone would have been unable to pay. According to KESR General Manager Shaun Dewey, a generous KESR supporter has brokered a deal with the Collett 4-6-0’s base, the Llangollen Railway, to run No. 7822 for 12 days during May in return for some surplus infrastructure components. Not only will this mark Foxcote…

IN A year in which the focus will be very much on Bulleid ‘Pacifics’ and the end of Southern Region steam, it’s appropriate that the first locomotive to return to steam in 2017 will be ‘Battle of Britain’ No. 34081 92 Squadron . The ‘Spam Can’ moved under its own steam for the first time in eight years on December 13 during a trial steaming at Wansford on the Nene Valley Railway. Running up and down a few yards of track in Wansford yard, the locomotive, resplendent in malachite-and-sunshine British Railways livery, was not yet fully lined out and was still awaiting a few final tweaks ahead of the steam test on January 11. Conspicuous by their absence were 92 Squadron’s enamel crests and nameplates, as owning…

West Coast Railway Company is investigating what caused a 12-coach train of Mk 1 empty stock to divide on December 3. The ‘top-and-tail’ train was part-way through its journey from Southall to King’s Cross with Duchess of Sutherland and a Class 47 when it split at London’s Mitre Bridge Junction. The train had been intended to make up the Railway Touring Company’s ‘Lindum Fayre’ charter from London to Lincoln and return. “We cancelled the train and took it back to Southall, and it’s being investigated,” WCRC managing director Pat Marshall told Steam Railway. “I know that the RAIB [Rail Accident Investigation Branch] and the ORR [Office of Rail and Road] have been fully aware of it from the day. We’ve just complied with everything, and that’s all I can say…

DEVELOPING DARLINGTON A Grade II-listed former Stockton & Darlington Railway engine shed is to be incorporated into a new housing development in Darlington. The development will have an industrial feel in keeping with the site’s historic past. It is hoped that giving the S&D engine shed a new purpose will ensure its preservation. RUDYARD LAKE EXTENSION The Rudyard Lake Railway is to invest £500k in its infrastructure over the next three years, including an extension to the running line towards Leek and a replacement engine shed. ‘MOORS’ WHITE ROSE The North Yorkshire Moors Railway has won the ‘Tourism Event of the Year’ at the White Rose awards on November 21, for the visit of No. 60103 Flying Scotsman to the 18-mile line on March 12-20 2016.…

The Keighley & Worth Valley Railway is going back to its Yorkshire roots for its March 3-5 event - with ‘B1’ No. 61264 and the first LMS ‘Crab’ to run on the line for almost 50 years. The East Lancashire Railway’s No. 13065 will be returning to its first preservation home; the 2-6-0 was partially restored at the KWVR after rescue from Barry but moved to the ELR, where it steamed for the first time in 1992/3. Along with resident ‘WD’ No. 90733, the ‘B1’ will perfectly represent local history, the two classes having been staple power on nearby GNR freight lines. All the rest of the active KWVR steam fleet is also expected to run.…

ST HELEN’S LISTED STATUS St Helen’s Junction, one of the original stations of the world’s first main line railway, the Liverpool & Manchester, has been granted Grade II-listed status by Historic England. In its recommendation, Historic England says: “In addition to its own intrinsic special interest, St Helen’s Junction station also has strong group value with the other listed structures on the Liverpool & Manchester line.” BLUEBELL JAZZES IT UP The Bluebell Railway has re-trimmed its 1922-built South Eastern & Chatham Railway ‘100-seater’ Third No. 1098 in reproduction 1930s Southern Railway moquette, a green and fawn design known as ‘Jazz’ pattern.…

‘Flying Scotsman fever’ has contributed to strong passenger numbers at the Severn Valley and East Lancs Railways. The ‘A3’ brought a “substantial increase” in footfall for the ELR, said Financial Director David Layland, with a predicted passenger figure for the year of around 185,000-190,000 - compared to 164,000 in 2015. Thanks to the Gresley ‘A3’s’ debut in January, and its subsequent visit in October, he said: “In terms of income and turnover, we’re well ahead - at the end of October, the fares side was 45% up, and the turnover is now approaching £3 million.” A combination of discounted family tickets during the summer holidays, and the meeting of Flying Scotsman and Tornado in September, has greatly lifted passenger numbers at the SVR, says General Manager Nick Ralls. “With a…

A fall in passenger numbers at the Bodmin & Wenford Railway during the summer has been attributed to the impact of the June 23 Brexit vote. Speaking to Steam Railway in October, General Manager Chris Hart said: “It’s been a steady year and we were mostly pleased with it, but July was well down - and Cornish tourism in general didn’t have a good month - bookings for holidays were quite low. “We’ve discussed it with Visit Cornwall and they feel that it was down to Brexit. “Down here we have a small population and don’t get many day-trippers, so visitors tend to be holidaymakers, and it’s noticeable if something happens to affect that.” Malcolm Bell, CEO of Visit Cornwall, commented: “2016 got off to a slow start, exacerbated by…

The future of celebrated ‘9F’ No. 92203 ‘Black Prince’ is more secure, following the launch of the ‘Friends of Black Prince’ club on December 9. Set up by North Norfolk Railway volunteers Ben Boggis, Edmund Crosthwaite and Mark Powley, the FoBP will primarily raise funds for the maintenance and overhauls of the 2-10-0, bought by the NNR from previous owner David Shepherd in November 2015. Its current boiler ticket expires in 2024. FoBP Press Officer Edmund Crosthwaite said: “It’s exciting to follow in David’s footsteps and we look forward to replicating his success with it, and generating more goodwill towards the engine.” In a handover ceremony at Sheringham station, the club’s organisers made Mr Shepherd an honorary member, with the appropriate membership number of 92203. For £5 a month, members…

Parts available to sponsor for The Unknown Warrior include: • Dome casting • Superheater header casting • Copper firebox stays • Steel firebox stays • Brake gear fittings • Rear cylinder covers • Piston castings • Rear sandboxes • Copper lubrication pipe (three-metre lengths) • Oil boxes • Big end strap • Outside big end bearing • Eccentric rods • Reverser wheel • Slidebars For a full list of parts, and details of how to contribute, write to the LMS Patriot Company Ltd, The Hub, 17 Eastgate Street, Stafford ST16 2LZ, or see www.lms-patriot.org.uk…

Looking set to attain the milestone of frame construction during 2017 is the GCR 567 Locomotive Group, which is building a new Manchester, Sheffield & Lincolnshire Railway ‘Class 2’ 4-4-0 at Ruddington. With the frame plates for the LNER ‘D7’ being machined, and the motion stretcher and mid-frame stretcher manufactured at Ruddington, the project “should make real progress on the frame assembly this year,” said Chairman Andrew Horrocks-Taylor. The pattern is also being produced in-house for the valve spindle extension support, which is the last major component needed to ensure correct alignment of the frames when being erected. After this, he adds, the next steps “will probably be at running plate level so it starts to look like a locomotive - we’ve got the front and rear bufferbeams, and the…

A unique railway museum-cum-barber shop has been nominated in the Small Groups section of the annual Heritage Railway Association awards. Headhunters in Enniskillen was founded in 2002, and now attracts more than 7,000 visitors a year. Displays include material from all three railway companies that operated in Fermanagh: the GNR(I), the Sligo Leitrim & Northern Counties Railway and the Clogher Valley Railway. Recent additions include a section devoted to the role played by the railways in Fermanagh during the Second World War. The winners will be announced at the HRA’s annual ceremony in Birmingham on February 11.…

NEW LIVERY FOR ‘ZB’ The Bure Valley Railway’s ‘ZB’ 2-6-2 No. 6 Blickling Hall has returned to service in a new medium blue livery after a decade-long overhaul. Lined out in white and black, it was steamed for the first time on December 9, making a light-engine run to Buxton followed by a run with carriages to Brampton. Built in 1994, No. 6 ran in works grey livery for a short time, followed by Indian Railways-style black. Now superseded by blue, Midland red was adopted in 1997. EMBANKMENT FOUND Ground clearance during the renewal of points at the eastern end of the Ffestiniog Railway’s Tany-Bwlch station revealed the top of the embankment constructed when the railway was built in 1833-6. It had been lost from sight since the station was…

Amberley Museum has donated its 3ft gauge Peckett 0-6-0ST Scaldwell to the Southwold Railway Trust. Built in 1913, the locomotive was supplied to Staveley Minerals Ltd’s Scaldwell ironstone quarries in Northamptonshire. It was acquired for preservation by the Narrow Gauge Railway Society and moved to the Brockham Museum Trust’s premises in Surrey, in 1964. Following the closure of the Brockham site, it was transferred to Amberley in 1983. The SRT has launched an appeal to raise £1,500 to transport the engine from Sussex, with the intention of moving it to Suffolk by the spring. A complete strip-down will be required before restoration to working order can begin. In the meantime, the STR is seeking secure accommodation in which to store Scaldwell. It has also been stated that Scaldwell’s greater weight…

Members of the Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway Preservation Society have been given the opportunity to vote for the new name and livery that will be carried by its adopted Krauss ‘Pacific’ - from a selection of six in each category. The locomotive (No. 8457), colloquially known as the ‘Train from Spain’, was trial-steamed for the first time on British soil on November 22 (SR461). The six names on the shortlist are: Ghyll Force (Eskdale beauty spot), King of Prussia (pre-1914 name of Eskdale Green pub), Pinta (the locomotive’s original name, and one of Christopher Columbus’ ships), Scafell (a mountain that dominates Eskdale views), Volunteer (in acknowledgement of the part played by volunteers past and present) and Whillan Beck (a river at Dalegarth, continuing the river theme of existing locomotives’ names).…

An official launch for recently steamed Barclay 0-4-0ST Forth (SR461) is being planned at the Fife Heritage Railway. Currently being painted into Wemyss Coal Company livery (a separate entity to the similarly named Wemyss Private Railway) the 1926-built locomotive is expected to be officially renamed at a private event early in 2017. The first scheduled opportunities for visitors to see the ex-Granton gasworks, Edinburgh, machine in action is expected to come in April as the FHR begins its monthly open days on the last Sunday of every month. Volunteers will be gauging demand once steam operations commence and may consider more regular opening days if visitor numbers are encouraging.…

The long-held goal of 90mph running for Tornado (SR459) should edge closer early this year with A1 Trust submissions to the Rail Safety and Standards Board. Some of the process of gaining the papers needed to ramp up the speed from 75mph is similar to the process undertaken for Bittern to run at 90mph in 2013 (SR414 et al) - but some of it won’t be. “The difference is intention,” explains A1 Trust Operations Director Graeme Bunker. “Bittern was only ever intended to run at 90 on approved sections of the East Coast Main Line, and only ever do it three times - or once on each section. We’re looking at the maintenance regimes for more regular running at 90, and if the infrastructure is compatible with that.” A key…

Nigel Dobbing was as surprised as anyone when December 10’s ‘Christmas White Rose’ called at Retford for water. When Duchess of Sutherland eased to a stand ready for a refill on its way from York to London it wasn’t in the loop (SR461) - but at the platform, as ‘normal’. That was unexpected for the Railway Touring Company boss because - as you’ll know if you’ve been reading - watering on October 29 took place in the loop instead, in response to what Virgin said had previously been raised as “a possible safety risk”. While that move meant hoses weren’t being laid across the platform, passengers were stuck on the train, leading Nigel to complain: “We can cordon the area off, so I don’t see why we have to do…

…

The West Somerset Railway is to go ahead with its Autumn Steam Gala this year, after volunteers voted to keep it in the calendar. With the enthusiast bash coming hard on the heels of Flying Scotsman’s visit to the Minehead branch, between September 5-12, the WSR was concerned that a second major special event just three weeks afterwards may prove “too much for staff and volunteers”. These thoughts echoed those of the Severn Valley Railway, which called off its own Autumn gala in 2016 to make way for the first-ever meeting of Flying Scotsman with Tornado - and whose general manager, Nick Ralls, expressed concerns that a November gala in addition to a major September event may be asking too much of volunteers (SR461). WSR General Manager Paul Conibeare said:…

Plans to sell off the site of Snibston Discovery Museum in Coalville, former home of several unique railway exhibits, for housing have been unveiled by Leicestershire County Council. In plans put before the authority on December 13 2016, consultants envisage no fewer than 133 homes on the site of the main exhibition building. The building was demolished in December 2015, at a reported cost of £180,000, less than six months after a local campaign failed to stop closure. Among the museum’s exhibits was ex-GWR 0-4-0ST No. 921, the sole surviving standard gauge steam locomotive built by Brush which, among other exhibits which include an Andrew Barclay fireless locomotive, is currently stored with no public access following the closure. Campaigners and supporters have long voiced concerns that the site would ultimately…

Doubling of the Great Central Railway throughout its full 8¼-mile length has become a very real prospect. It comes with the disclosure that directors have completed a ‘technical assessment’, and are to authorise a feasibility study into the laying of a second track on the remaining single-line section between Rothley and Leicester North. Looking ahead to 2021, when a new ‘Midlands’ annexe of the National Railway Museum is due to open adjacent to the GCR’s southern terminus, the Great Central Railway plc board wants to determine whether the existing single line and single platform at Leicester North can cope with the anticipated increase in passenger flows. The study will also review proposals to enlarge the station and track layout at Leicester North, with the addition of a new island platform…

While 1967 is remembered by many for the end of Southern steam, the Llangollen Railway’s March 3-5 gala will recall another date in steam’s demise. The weekend marks the 50th anniversary of the last steam-hauled ‘Cambrian Coast Expresses’ on March 4 1967, hauled by BR ‘4MT’ 4-6-0s Nos. 75033 (Up) and 75021 (Down), and the final through trains from Paddington to Birkenhead (Woodside) the same day. The latter occasion was marked by two ‘Castle’-hauled Ian Allan specials (see also Down Main). Full details and guest engines are still to be confirmed for Llangollen’s gala, but the organisers are promising “one of the most historically accurate and authentic steam events yet achieved.”…

The conversion of all 13 public road level crossings on the 15in gauge RHDR, from flashing red lights to automatic lifting half-barriers, is to be completed by Easter, at a total cost of around a million pounds. Conversion of the level crossing at Romney Sands Holiday Village at Greatstone, New Romney, brings to a conclusion the programme of crossing replacement which was begun six years ago, and instigated by the RHDR board following the death of locomotive driver Suzanne Martin in a collision with a car.…

WELCOME TO a new regular column where, like an engineman signing on for duty, you can see at a glance the status of the ex-BR locomotive fleet this month - what’s visiting your local railway, what’s on shed for repairs, and what’s coming up for a return to steam. To start the ball rolling, here’s a round-up of what we have to look forward to this year - which locomotives are set to make their welcome return to service following overhaul (some for the first time in many years), as well as those to which we will be bidding a fond farewell at the end of their boiler certificates.…

2885: Restoration of the oldest surviving Collett ‘2884’ 2-8-0 is making steady progress in the hands of new owners Practical GW Steam Ltd. During last summer, the 1938-built heavy freight machine was dismantled at Tyseley, with the boiler lifted and the frames cleaned and repainted. Steel has been ordered for minor frame repairs, and platework, such as the running plates and cab floor, replaced. Having received a late overhaul (and new tyres) at Wolverhampton Stafford Road in 1962, and been withdrawn in January 1964 - not to mention leaving Barry early, in 1981 - No. 2885 remains largely complete and is judged to be in good condition. Director Terry Jenkins told Steam Railway: “The valve gear is all original, and most of the pins and bushes remain fit for further…

Winning just one award is enough of a feather in the cap, but the South Devon Railway hit the jackpot in 2016 - with ten. The line’s Totnes Riverside station has won the Heritage Railway Association’s Interpretation Award. The line also won ‘Best Tourism or Hospitality Business’ in the Western Morning News Business Awards, as well as Gold in ‘Best Visitor Attraction’ and Silver in ‘Best Tourism Experience/Activity in the English Riviera & South Devon Tourism & Hospitality Awards. In the Devon Tourism Awards, it won Silver for ‘Large Visitor Attraction of the Year’, and its driver experience courses took Bronze in ‘Artistic, Cultural & Learning Experience’. From TripAdvisor came a Certificate of Excellence, and from the Royal Horticultural Society, an ‘Outstanding’ commendation and a Gold in the Business Leisure…

Thurrock Museum has been awarded a Heritage Lottery Fund grant of £10,000 (100% of the total cost) for its project ‘Exploring Kynoch Explosive Works and Corringham Light Railway 1914-1918’. An interactive exhibition will be created. Opened in 1901, the Corringham Light Railway carried heavy traffic in both global conflicts, serving Kynoch’s ammunition factory in the First World War, and Thames Haven oil refinery in the Second World War, but was closed in 1952.…

THE ‘BOTTOM HALF’ of new ‘Patriot’ No. 5551 The Unknown Warrior is effectively 90% complete - at least in terms of how much metal the project has in hand. The revelation follows a recent meeting between the LMS Patriot Project and Llangollen Railway Engineering, when a review of the parts already produced, or on order, was undertaken. Most of the Fowler ‘5XP’s’ inside motion, much of the reversing gear, brake gear, sanding gear and lubrication fittings are all in the group’s possession, while the new driving wheel springs have been ordered from Owen Springs. Other components ordered recently include the remaining pieces of the outside motion (the return crank forgings, and eccentric rods mentioned in SR460) plus the locomotive brake cylinder - the latter made new…

The Holden F5 Locomotive Trust will celebrate the start of the New Year when its frame plates are machined and drilled, as it prepares to take the first steps in the erection of its GER 2-4-2T No. 789. A meeting is planned with Tyseley Locomotive Works to plan the frame construction, and quotations have been received for the driving wheel patterns, while those for the leading and trailing wheels are already in the group’s possession. Explaining the recent decision to fit Stephenson instead of Joy valve gear, CME Elliot Powick told Steam Railway that while the latter would be cheaper to manufacture, “ironically, it would cost more to fit. The cylinders were made to the later design with Stephenson gear, and although it was hoped that an economical way could…

A self-employed contractor working at the 7¼in gauge Beer Heights Light Railway at Pecorama, Devon, has been cleared of negligence by Exeter Magistrates Court. After a fusible plug blew and showered a trainee driver with steam, badly burning his legs, on July 7 2014, the Health & Safety Executive brought a single charge under the Pressure Steam Regulations Act 2000 against contractor Ian Farrance of Lymington, Hampshire. The locomotive concerned was 0-4-2T Samastipur, built in 1999 by the Exmoor Steam Railway and previously owned by video-maker Nick Dodson. The HSE claimed that the boss into which the plug was screwed was corroded, and that Mr Farrance should have detected this when he inspected the boiler in December 2013 and March 2014. The defence suggested that the damage seen after the…

The Hampshire Narrow Gauge Railway Trust’s Hunslet 0-4-0ST Cloister was steamed at the Statfold Barn Railway on December 6, following repairs to its damaged frames. The locomotive had been ‘dropped’ during a transfer from the Purbeck Mineral & Mining Museum at Norden to the Swanage Railway’s works for minor repairs in August. The SBR was commissioned to repair the locomotive by the museum’s insurance company. At the HNGRT’s Bursledon Brickworks Industrial Museum base, planning permission has been obtained for a 46ft, two-road engine shed, capable of housing six locomotives. An application for grant funding for the project is being made.…

The only working fireless steam locomotive in Britain is scheduled to be in action during five days in 2017. Shell Refining Co. No. 8 is expected to handle demonstration trains at the Dunaskin base of the Ayrshire Railway Preservation Society, on the last Sunday of the month from May to September. The Andrew Barclay 0-4-0F (W/No. 1952 of 1928) was returned to action in 2015. Barclay 0-4-0ST National Coal Board, Ayrshire Area No. 10 will also give rides. The Dunaskin resident, W/No. 2244 of 1947, will be run between April and September.…

The Ribble Steam Railway has confirmed that it intends to hold two steam gala weekends during 2017. The Preston line is aiming to have up to four locomotives in steam for each of the events, one at Easter and one in autumn, both with the title of ‘Industrial Steam Gala’. The first is booked for April 1/2, while September 9/10 is the weekend chosen for the second bash. The events will also give visitors the chance to see behind the scenes and catch up with progress in the railway’s impressive workshops, where several engines are being worked on for a return to steam.…

Not long to go until No. 76084’s symbolic shindig past Lower Darwen on February 4 - and the ‘Standard Four’ should by now be at the East Lancs in readiness. The ‘Mogul’ was to arrive at Bury in late December for a three-month working visit - putting it a dozen or so miles from its first shed and well-placed for February 4’s Manchester start. That ‘Buxton Spa Express’ (expected to be paired with a Riley ‘Five’) is part of a trio of trips for the Railway Touring Company before the ‘4MT’ returns to Sheringham; February 25’s Preston-start ‘Buxton Spa’ (with Leander) and March 18’s York-Whitby and back ‘Whitby Flyer’, planned to be with ‘B1’ No. 61264, are the others. The return to East Anglia is now expected to be ‘engine…

Fifty-two years after it was withdrawn from service and shipped off to Barry scrapyard, British India Line has steamed. What’s less clear just yet is exactly when you should expect to see the ‘Merchant Navy’ emerge from its Carnforth base. “We’ve had it in steam,” confirmed West Coast Railway Company MD Pat Marshall on December 19, “but it’s a long way from being ready.” How long is ‘a long way’? “It’s a matter of ‘watch this space’. Most of the men are on holiday now for a fortnight.” “I could be ridiculous,” she quips, “and give you a date of April 1!” Built in 1948 and rebuilt in 1956, No. 35018’s journey so far has been a long one - it having left Woodham’s in 1980 and then moved around.…

 Last year, Flying Scotsman’s duties in the South of England were regularly supplied with a diesel on the rear, but the ‘Hadrian’ and ‘Waverley’ trips in the North were unassisted, with up to 12 coaches. The ‘Waverley’ ran out and back to Carlisle via the Tyne Valley. The outward run on August 21 was spoiled by checks, but on the return No. 60103 fared much better. The Carlisle-Newcastle line is not noted for performance because of speed restrictions owing to its curvature, mainly to 65-70mph. “The ‘A3’ was doing well to exceed 60mph each time in between the slacks” The numerous charming wayside stations on the line were severely culled in the 1960s, but many are still recognisable from their adjacent level crossings. The line was an early victim of…

The West Somerset Railway has conducted a review of its safety management processes, following an incident last year in which a volunteer was injured. A member of the locomotive department was taken to hospital on February 26, having been crushed between ‘Battle of Britain’ No. 34053 Sir Keith Park and its tender, while the locomotive was being unloaded from its road trailer at Bishops Lydeard. The volunteer has since recovered and returned to duty. The WSR investigation concluded there was no method statement or risk assessment in place for the unloading, or documentation to show that the personnel involved were competent - but also stated: “We discovered that generally in the heritage railway industry many others appeared to be in a similar position.” The incident was reported to the Office…

RISING FROM THE ASHES The Churnet Valley Railway’s carriage shed, damaged by fire on September 24 (SR460) has already had a new roof and two new sides fitted. Subject to weather, Operations Manager Greg Wilson said, the facility was on course to be reopened by Christmas. ‘1967’ BASH AT YEOVIL Yeovil Railway Centre is to take part in this summer’s commemoration of the end of Southern steam, with a 50th anniversary event planned for the weekend of July 8/9. Paul Gould, chairman of the South West Main Steam Company, said it is hoped the centre will host incoming steam excursions on both days.…

‘Battle of Britain’ No. 34052 Lord Dowding, one of the locomotives that survived to the very end of Southern steam, will be running for the 50th anniversary - creating the first pairing of consecutively numbered Bulleid ‘Pacifics’ in steam since 1967. In action on the last day, July 9 1967, hauling a van train from Weymouth to Westbury, No. 34052 was taken into Cashmore’s Newport yard for scrapping on February 1 1968 - but was ‘re-created’ last year, thanks to Jeremy Hosking’s Locomotive Services Ltd, which renumbered ‘West Country’ No. 34046 Braunton. The ‘Pacific’ is expected to retain its alter ego this year - including a visit to the Mid-Hants Railway for its steam gala of July 1/2 and 7-9, including the actual anniversary of Southern steam’s demise on July…

Almost five miles of track laid by BR in the 1950s, and over which the Bluebell Railway is still running 60 years later, is to be replaced in the biggest track renewal ever undertaken by the West Sussex line. The original saved section of the Bluebell between Sheffield Park and Horsted Keynes - most of it laid with bullhead rail on timber sleepers before BR closed the East Grinstead-Lewes line in 1958, has undergone only minimal ‘spot-replacement’ during more than half a century of preserved steam operation. But the deteriorating condition of the track, which is said to have contributed to an acceleration in tyre wear on locomotives and rolling stock, and whose drainage systems have failed in several areas, has forced the railway to give a new and urgent…

‘Manors’ have been closely associated with the West Somerset Railway in preservation - and line will be able to call on two examples this season. Former WSR resident No. 7820 Dinmore Manor, which is expected to undertake a four-month stint on the line during the peak season from June to September - and now No. 7822 Foxcote Manor from Llangollen has also been signed up. Having briefly visited the WSR once before, for its reunion with three other classmates at the October 2013 ‘Cambrian’ steam gala, Foxcote Manor will also be staying from the beginning of June to the beginning of September. The WSR’s own ‘Manor’, No. 7828 Odney Manor, is undergoing firebox repairs, with both it and GWRdesign ‘Mogul’ No. 9351 expected to return to steam in 2018.…

Steam Railway would like to correct errors published in a story detailing the out-of-court settlement of the dispute between Julian Birley (owner of ‘Quarry Hunslet’ Alice) and author-illustrator Pauline Hazelwood, and railway writer Cliff Thomas (SR461). We wish to clarify that there was no judgment “in favour”, nor was the case “won” by Mr Thomas, as suggested in the article. Indeed, Mr Thomas did not “successfully claim” to the High Court, as the case was settled without being heard in court. The magazine apologises to Mr Birley and Ms Hazelwood for any reputational damage or distress caused by the inaccurate publishing of the item. Furthermore, the piece stated that 0-4-0ST W/No. 780 (which inspired the disputed Alice the Little Engine from Wales books) was repatriated. In fact, Alice has never…

Lowdham Railway Heritage, which aims to preserve and relocate the Midland Railway signal box at Lowdham on the Nottingham-Lincoln line, has suffered a setback - its application for Heritage Lottery funding has been rejected. The 1896 ’box has been decommissioned by Network Rail, signalling its last train on September 30. Also rejected were the Kilmarnock Station Railway Heritage Trust’s ‘Building Bridges: Sustainable Future’ bid to take on two members of staff, to free up volunteer trustees to produce a long-term business plan, and Melville Housing Association’s ‘Engineering the Imagination’ community project to create an oral and digital history of the railways of Dalkeith.…

The assembly of the frames for ‘B17’ No. 61673 Spirit of Sandringham will continue apace this year, with the remaining components now on order. William Cook Cast Products of Sheffield is to make the cast steel frame stays and spring hangers, with a delivery date of May. Using 3D CAD models, based on original LNER drawings, the parts will be made with traditional wooden patterns. The fabricated frame and gusset stays, including the one supporting the brake cylinders, will be produced by North View Engineering Solutions of Darlington (like William Cook, a supplier to ‘P2’ No. 2007 Prince of Wales). With the static frame assembly process appraised by Llangollen Head of Engineering Graham Elwood, the design for the completed ‘bottom half’ will be submitted to the rail authority for approval…

Generous support has allowed the Standard Steam Locomotive Company to obtain the “critical component” needed to ensure that the frames for its new ‘Clan’ 4-6-2 can be assembled in 2017. As detailed in SR461, a change to the original build plan for the new No. 72010 Hengist means the rear frame extensions will be erected at the same time as the main frames, rather than being added later. However this required the earlier construction of the rear dragbox to unite the extension frames at the cab end. Thanks to the generosity of benefactors, this part has now been ordered from CTL Seal of Sheffield, although a delivery date has not yet been finalised.…

The demise of semaphore signals at Castlerock (SR461), one of the last redoubts of steam-era signalling in Ireland, has had a silver lining for the two leading preservation groups in Northern Ireland. Translink has presented two redundant signals to the Downpatrick & County Down Railway and one to the RPSI at Whitehead. They have been replaced with modern colour light signalling in a £46 million upgrade of the Londonderry line. Downpatrick received the Down home and Down starter, while the RPSI was given the Up starter, which is planned to be used at Whitehead as the platform starter in the Belfast direction. The fourth signal is being retained by NIR for spares, because Portrush still has semaphore signals. The somersault signals were once a typical feature of the LMS-NCC routes…

Scarborough-based North Bay Railway Engineering is moving ahead with the construction of two new 2ft gauge steam locomotives. It follows the delivery of Hunslet 0-4-2T Green Dragon for the South Tynedale Railway in October (SR460). New Bagnall 0-4-0ST ‘Sipat’ Wendy is incorporating some components made when the North Bay Railway’s 20in gauge ‘Sipat’ 0-4-0ST Georgina was built. The frames have been erected and the smokebox and firebox cradles attached. The second locomotive is the first of NBRE’s intended batch of six Decauville 0-4-0Ts. Incorporating components made by Joe Nemeth, who had been intending to build one of these locomotives at Severn Beach, its frames have been assembled and the axle boxes and suspension fitted. The boiler barrel and other platework were delivered in November. Having seen Ffestiniog Railway-based Hunslet 0-4-0ST…

Former Wissington Light Railway Hudswell Clarke 0-6-0ST Wissington is set to visit the Lincolnshire Wolds Railway this spring, steaming on April 30 and May 1, 14 and 28/29. The LWR has two operational steam locomotives available following the completion in early 2016 of Andrew Barclay 0-4-0ST W/No. 1964 ‘Spitfire’, which has handled all of this year’s services alongside Peckett 0-4-0ST W/No. 1749 ‘Fulstow’. Making steady progress in the shed is RSH 0-6-0T W/No. 7597 ‘Zebedee’, whose cab has been repainted in Great Eastern Railway blue - a somewhat darker shade than that carried during its industrial service with the Central Electricity Generating Board at Rye House, Hertfordshire. It is hoped to fit the valves over the next few months, followed by the pistons and slidebars.…

“We can hear the Dean Forest Railway from here,” says Tony Goddard as we walk over the former GWR ‘high level’ bridge, looking down onto the Midland Railway bridge that still has rails set into its roadway. “It’s only 2½ miles as the crow flies - but a lot further by road or rail!” We’re exploring Sharpness Docks, which appears at first glance to be little more than a semi-derelict industrial wasteland - but, on closer inspection, proves to be chock-full of fascinating railway and transport history. It’s also the home of the newest entrant to the standard gauge steam preservation scene - the Vale of Berkeley Railway. Tony’s reference to the DFR is a reminder that the truncated 4½-mile Sharpness branch, which the VoBR aims to restore to its…

Didcot and West Somerset reps expect to meet early in the New Year to try to finalise a visit to the Minehead line for single-chimney ‘King’ No. 6023 (SR460). Great Western Society Chairman Richard Croucher says King Edward II is “more or less ready” and the goal of sending it to Somerset early in 2017 for trials “still stands.” Having the blue 4-6-0 signed off for a main line debut in time for an appearance on the Railway Touring Company’s ‘Great Britain’ (April 29-May 7) is “still in our sights - that’s our aim.”…

“A common need for all railways is to find new ways to increase passenger numbers” The Central line to Ongar was closed in 1994 by London Transport. After that, the line beyond Epping had a turbulent history until 2007, when Roger Wright, the railway’s future managing director, acquired the 6½-mile line and began rebuilding the track and stations. This eventually allowed the Epping Ongar Railway (EOR) to run its preserved trains. The EOR also operates a fleet of vintage buses, providing an additional attraction for visitors, and a direct bus link to the Underground at Epping has been established. Only a direct rail link could be more convenient, and this is what we are looking to establish. The terminus at Ongar means that there is no scope for expansion eastwards.…

As the Rother Valley focuses on creating the western outpost of the Kent & East Sussex Railway, its future parent organisation is building its motive power resource to serve the anticipated increase in demand - thanks largely to the output of Swindon works. The ‘new’ 13-mile line will be chiefly served by powerful Great Western tank engines. These will be former North Yorkshire Moors ‘56XX’ 0-6-2T No. 6619 and two of the former Terry Rippingale collection of ‘Heavy Goods’ engines; classmate No. 5668 and ‘42XX’ 2-8-0T No. 4253. KESR members-owned No. 6619 will enter the workshop this year, having been withdrawn in December 2015, while No. 4253 is part-way through its rebuild from derelict condition. Its restoration team are in a friendly race to the finish with the extension team.…