Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 463 i Steam Railway

The route of the Bodmin & Wenford Railway will stand silent on Monday January 30 - just as it did after the final BR passenger train ran over the 12-mile former LSWR route to Wadebridge and Padstow exactly 50 years previously. “We have no plans to mark the occasion… but we may do something in the spring,” said acting BWR manager Chris Hatton. “We don’t have the resources for a full-scale commemoration in the depths of winter.” Wadebridge will have something to celebrate, with firm plans to return the railway north of the present operating limits of Boscarne Junction. However, last year’s Brexit vote may slow down the process because of uncertainty about European Union grant funding for future Cornish projects. So far, it has taken ten years to get…

FLYING SCOTSMAN mania has gripped the Bluebell Railway, with £150 tickets for the railway’s three ‘A3’-hauled Pullman dining trains and a £75 ‘Breakfast Special’ in April selling out within days of going on sale on January 12. To cope with public demand, the railway has had to add an extra breakfast train to the schedule, to run on April 13, ahead of the booked dining specials from April 14-18. But whether the much-lauded Gresley ‘Pacific’ reaches the Bluebell Railway for its week-long, first-ever visit to the line appears to be an open question, for with a little over ten weeks to go, gauging issues at Dormans station, immediately north of East Grinstead, which would prevent the locomotive from accessing Bluebell metals, remain unresolved. Additionally, the restricted clearances through…

The building of the Churnet Valley line was one of the first instances of a canal being closed for conversion into a railway - but now it seems as though the canal is getting its own back, by causing the trackbed to subside at Consall. The Caldon Canal, which was diverted at this Staffordshire beauty spot to make way for the railway, is leaking underneath the embankment south of the station - putting the Up platform and loop out of use, and forcing the imposition of a 5mph speed restriction on the Down line. The problem was first detected and an initial repair carried out in 2014, says CVR Operations Manager Greg Wilson, but during August it was noticed that the track had dipped a second time. A subsequent attempt…

BRITISH STEAM, working hard. There’s one place it still happens - and Steam Railway can take YOU there. We have teamed up with specialist Darjeeling Tours to offer a bespoke tour to India’s famous 2ft-gauge line that still uses Sharp Stewart designed saddletanks, dating back more than a century. UNESCO World Heritage listed, the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway has connected India’s northern plain with the hill station at Darjeeling since 1881. The working steam fleet comprises distinctive blue ‘B’ class 0-4-0ST/WTs, the oldest dating back to 1893. Planned for January 31-February 10 next year, the tour includes steam on seven consecutive days, with dedicated specials to run over all sections of the 55-mile route from New Jalpaiguri. As well as the passenger specials intended for both riders…

Gresley ‘P2’ No. 2007 Prince of Wales remains on course for wheeling this spring, with the frames undergoing final inspections to ensure everything will fit together. With the parts for the crank axle sent to the South Devon Railway for assembly, and the plain coupled axles delivered from South Africa, the axlebox horn guides are being measured and checked for accuracy and squareness to the frames, and their manganese steel liners fitted. Timson’s of Kettering is machining the roller-bearing driving axleboxes, having already completed those for the Cartazzi truck. North View Engineering of Darlington has almost finished machining the last of the major frame stays, namely the leading brake stay. Further progress towards the completed ‘rolling chassis’ includes design work on the remaining frame stays, spring hanger brackets and pony…

Parts for the top and bottom halves of ‘Patriot’ No. 5551 The Unknown Warrior are steadily coming together - with the production of the last large parts for the boiler, and the remaining items for the motion. With the delivery of the dome and main steam pipes, the impending production of the superheater header marks the final major casting needed for the boiler, while Tyseley Locomotive Works has completed the top section of the outer firebox throatplate and begun work on the lower section. The angle ring which joins the boiler barrel to the front tubeplate has been delivered to Crewe, while the firebox foundation ring has been welded together and is ready for fitting. For the motion, orders have been placed for the return cranks, three valve crossheads, inside…

THE LAST BR passenger train through Llangollen is to be re-created at a gala marking 50 years since the end of steam in the area. Stanier ‘8F’ No. 48624 from the Great Central Railway will be used during the March 3-5 Llangollen Railway event to re-create the Railway Correspondence & Travel Society’s ‘Wrexham, Mold & Connah’s Quay Railway Railtour’. Hauled by ‘8F’ No. 48697, on April 29 1967, that train ventured from Ruabon as far as Llangollen Goods Junction, on the section that remained open to goods traffic until April 1968; it was not allowed to stop at Llangollen station, because BR feared encouraging the International Eisteddfod organisers in their campaign for excursions. The LR’s rake of five maroon Mk 1s will be used, possibly with blue and grey SK…

The Talyllyn Railway brought its 150th anniversary celebrations to a close on December 16 by running a re-creation of the railway’s inaugural train. The exact date of the original is unknown; a newspaper report from December 22 1866 claimed that trains were running, but failed to mention when they had started, assumed to be during the previous week. The 2016 train comprised Fletcher Jennings 0-4-0WT Dolgoch, hauling two carriages and a van, with typical stock from 150 years earlier. The railway’s anniversary celebrations actually started in 2014 with the 150th birthday of No. 1 Talyllyn, which was built at the Lowca Engineering works of Fletcher, Jennings & Co. in Whitehaven.…

The Llangollen Railway’s ‘Winter Warmer’ gala on December 30/31 provided an unexpected opportunity to travel behind Hudswell Clarke ‘Cornist’ class 0-6-0T Samuel Fox No. 20 on the Welsh line. Although overhauled at Llangollen, the locomotive is part of the railway’s hire fleet and had never before worked a scheduled passenger service there. As valve repairs to ‘Large Prairie’ No. 5199 were not completed in time, the Hudswell Clarke engine stepped in to work two return trips to Carrog each day, handling three-coach trains. Samuel Fox No. 20 had a varied existence since leaving the Stocksbridge works in South Yorkshire where it was delivered new. After a spell at the West Somerset Railway, it later moved to Winson Engineering before arriving at Llangollen in 2001. It returned to steam in 2008.…

A REDUNDANT tender which has lain derelict for more than 50 years could play a role in the Railway Preservation Society of Ireland’s plans to build a Class W ‘Mogul’ (SR462). The former Great Northern Railway (Ireland) Type E 2,500-gallon tender, No. 43, was built at Dundalk Works in 1948 to run with Class U or UG 0-6-0s. It is one of four that survived the end of steam in the 1960s to be deployed as a noise barrier at Inchicore, shielding local residents from the din of diesel locomotives in the running shed. In the 1980s, two of the tenders - Nos. 43 and 73 - were acquired by the RPSI and sent to Mullingar, where the society had established a base in the old locomotive shed. Peter Scott…

“Good effort, modern railway. It shows confidence to make this happen and overcome the challenges” It’s the final step. Steam-hauled service trains. Not a special, but a normal, everyday passenger train. Something you might catch not because it’s steam-hauled - but because you’re off to the shops, or to work, or to visit friends. Where a normal ticket is valid. It’s what separates ‘now’ from ‘then’. For while Britain has probably the biggest main line charter business on the planet, crossing the line into scheduled passenger services is something we’ve almost completely stayed away from (see panel). There are reasons, because here’s the bad news; the blunt reality that maybe none of us want to accept. Steam cannot hope to get close to most of today’s train services. They’re simply…

“It was the ‘Castles’ that formed the backbone of the GWR and Western Region” THE MOST POWERFUL (AND ECONOMICAL)… Eyebrows were raised when the GWR sent No. 4073 Caerphilly Castle, to be displayed alongside Gresley ‘A1’ Flying Scotsman at Wembley in 1924. Swindon’s claim that its smaller 4-6-0 was the “most powerful express passenger engine in Britain” threw down the gauntlet for a series of trials that would have a profound effect on locomotive history. In an exchange the following summer, now-preserved No. 4079 Pendennis Castle represented the class on the East Coast Main Line, while No. 4074 Caldicot Castle was pitted against ‘A1’ No. 4474 Victor Wild between Paddington and Plymouth. In both cases, the GWR locomotives proved to be the superior machines, putting up better performances than the…

British Railways may have had a grand total of 171 ‘Castle’ 4-6-0s on its books, but the variations among them were so great that it is unlikely any two were technically the same. The oldest, a rebuilt ‘Star’ that started its career as a Churchward ‘Atlantic’ 4-4-2 in 1906, was significantly different from the post-war builds, many of which were refined with higher-superheated boilers. Another was once the sole GWR ‘Pacific’, No. 111 The Great Bear. The definitive reference sources for GWR locomotive history are the records maintained by Bill Peto (now with the Great Western Society), and the Railway Correspondence & Travel Society, which published a 14-volume series covering the GWR’s entire locomotive fleet from the company’s formation up to 1994. Other material is from personal observations. The ‘Castle’…

“We had to take a step back, recognise our limits and act before we reached them” It’s been an exciting time for the Nene Valley Railway - we’ve just emerged from one of our most successful Santa seasons to date, on the tail end of a year of increased passenger and visitor numbers, and straight into 2017 - our 40th anniversary! But resting on our laurels wouldn’t keep us successful for long, and it’s left me pondering some big questions. What really made 2016 such a successful year for us? What was the secret? What makes a quaint little railway set in the heart of the Nene Valley quietly attract a 15% increase in passenger numbers? Equally as important, what did we learn from 2016 that will help us achieve…

AUCTION SEASON COMES SOONEST IN THE SOUTH THE NEW collecting year has started and, by the time you read this, the first railwayana auctions and collectors’ fairs will have taken place, with a busy calendar of events ahead of us. Solent Railwayana Auctions starts its sale year at The Wickham Centre, Hampshire on Saturday February 11. Describing itself as “The South of England’s Premier ‘Live’ Auction” you would expect to find some locomotive numbers beginning with ‘3’ and you wouldn’t be disappointed, as smokebox numberplates from Class 0395 0-6-0 No. 30581 and Class N ‘Mogul’ No. 31817 make an appearance. The 0-6-0 was a real survivor, as it was built by Neilson & Company for the London & South Western Railway back in 1885, being one of the class members…

TWO VISITING ‘Spam Cans’ will complete the Swanage Railway’s dream of fielding at least five Bulleid ‘Pacifics’ at once - and there are hopes of adding a sixth. The March 30-April 2 ‘Strictly Bulleid’ gala will welcome City of Wells and 92 Squadron, joining classmate Manston and rebuilt guests Sir Keith Park and Braunton. The line’s general manager, Matt Green, told Steam Railway that the railway might field another Bulleid 4-6-2 at the gala, subject to available finances. Although he did not disclose which locomotive was being considered, the options are limited as the only other available working Bulleids are ‘West Country’ No. 34027 Taw Valley and the sole in-traffic ‘Merchant Navy’, No. 35006 Peninsular & Oriental S. N. Co. (‘MN’ No. 35018 British India Line has recently made its…

The Swanage and Mid-Hants Railways won’t be the only former Southern lines remembering the 50th anniversary of the demise of steam in the region. For its commemorative event on July 7-9, the Bluebell Railway has secured the services of ‘West Country’ No. 34092 City of Wells, the ‘Spam Can’ making its second sojourn to its former home region since 1988, following its March visit to Swanage (see separate story). Neither of the Bluebell’s resident Bulleids, ‘West Country’ No. 21C123 Blackmore Vale and ‘Battle of Britain’ No. 34059 Sir Archibald Sinclair, will be available for the 1967 commemorations; having last run in 2008 and 2011 respectively. Blackmore Vale lasted until the end of Southern steam, along with fellow Bluebell residents BR Standard ‘4MT’ 2-6-4T No. 80151 and ‘USA’ 0-6-0T No. 30064.…

Steam will return to the West Highland Line this winter, after West Coast Railway Company decided to launch an extended season for 2017. It follows a trial season in 2016 , in which ‘Jacobites’ ran on December 27-29, with pre-Christmas Fort William-Glenfinnan and return ‘Santa’ trains on December 20-22 (SR462). The decision means the Fort William-Mallaig ‘Jacobite’ is to run in every month between April and December, other than November. This year’s ‘Jacobite’ season starts on April 14 , with the main period of running ending on October 27. Trains are then scheduled again from December 4-22, plus December 27-29. WCRC said it was also considering running 2017 ‘Santa’ specials, between its home base of Carnforth and Hellifield.…

A CHANGE you will never see will make Duke of Gloucester much closer to what its designers intended. The BR Class 8 Steam Locomotive Trust is to fit original-design Caprotti cams, in place of the modified items installed in preservation. Trust chairman Trevor Tuckley says this is to “try and turn it back into what [Tom] Daniels and Riddles intended.” When No. 71000 was being designed, Tom Daniels of Associated Locomotive Equipment Ltd - the firm that developed ‘British Caprotti’ gear from the Italian invention - recommended the engine be fitted with a double Kylchap exhaust. Instead, it received a Swindon-inspired design. Only after its rescue from Barry scrapyard did the ‘Duke’ get a Kylchap system - but, says Mr Tuckley, it is now thought that…

Passenger numbers on the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway broke the six-figure barrier for the first time in the line’s history - on the very last operating day of the season. GWSR Financial Director Chris Bristow told Steam Railway before Christmas that the line was on track to hit the six-figure mark, but it has been revealed that the final figure for 2016 stands at 100,020 - meaning the milestone was passed on the last train of the year. This figure is a 13% increase compared with 2015, itself a record-breaking year for the ‘GlosWarks’ and, according to press officer Ian Crowder, all the line’s events throughout the year bar one (‘A Day Out with Thomas’) also attracted record-breaking numbers. Further railways have reported a successful 2016 in terms of passengers. The…

THE BUILDERS of new ‘47XX’ No. 4709 are planning to completely restructure the project’s activities - with the realisation that without a significant change in approach, the locomotive may not be completed until close to the GWR’s 200th anniversary in 2035. Writing in the latest issue of the Great Western Society’s house magazine Great Western Echo, David Bradshaw - chairman of the LMS Patriot Project, and one of the original instigators of No. 4709 and Didcot’s replica ‘County’ No. 1014 County of Glamorgan - has set out a new strategy to increase publicity and fundraising for the Churchward 2-8-0, so that it “reaches completion in a sensible time frame”. “With rival new-builds coming on apace and ‘Saint’ No. 2999 about to emerge,” he contends: “it is clear that the 22…

Five decades after the last BR ‘3MT’ 2-6-2Ts were withdrawn at the end of Southern Region steam in 1967, 2017 is expected to be the year in which the new-build example reaches an advanced stage of construction - with the ‘rolling chassis’, firebox and boiler coming together. By the time of the Southern anniversary in July, the frames of the Riddles tank engine could be on their wheels at Bridgnorth - with the 82045 Steam Locomotive Trust hoping to attain this milestone in the first half of the year, according to Publicity Officer Chris Proudfoot. If all goes to plan, he added, the shell of the boiler will be completed at Bridgnorth this year, with the firebox and barrel riveted together - while the smokebox is also expected to be…

THE ‘MIDLAND’ takeover of the West Somerset Railway will be underlined in April - as the GWR branch becomes the first in preservation to offer the typical combination of double-headed ‘4Fs’. The WSR has secured Midland-built No. 43924 from the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway for its Spring Gala, only the 0-6-0’s second visit to another preserved line. Former Somerset & Dorset example No. 44422 is already a working Minehead resident. Although three of the four surviving ‘4Fs’ have steamed in preservation (No. 44123 remains under long-term restoration at the Avon Valley Railway) their paths have never crossed. However, double-heading of Nos. 43924 and 44422 will re-create what was once an everyday sight under the Midland and LMS ‘small engine’ policy. Derby-built No. 43924 is known to have visited Bridgwater…

Two extremes of steam power will be on show at the Churnet Valley Railway’s season-opening enthusiast event on February 25/26, with a visiting SECR ‘P’ 0-6-0T, and the first pairing of double-headed ‘S160’ 2-8-0s in Britain for over 70 years. The Bluebell Railway’s No. 323 is the guest for the Winter Steam Gala, working shuttle services over the CVR - although it is not expected to venture up the steeply graded branch to Ipstones, whose leasehold was recently acquired from Moorland & City Railways (SR461). This stretch of 1-in-40 will be the domain of Greg Wilson’s ‘S160s’, Nos. 5197 and 6046 - the latter having returned to the CVR on December 27 following its stint on the Telford Steam Railway’s ‘Polar Express’ trains. No. 5197 was expected to undertake its…

JUST OVER a year from its launch in November 2015, the L&B Blackmoor Company plc share offer to buy the Old Station House Inn at Blackmoor Gate, and act as a launch pad for the Lynton & Barnstaple Railway’s ambitious expansion plans, has raised barely one third of its £750,000 minimum target. In January, would-be supporters were told that some potential shareholders had been deterred by the complicated application process, which includes a questionnaire to demonstrate the applicant’s awareness of the risk associated with the purchase of unlisted securities before a prospectus and application form would be issued. Others were awaiting the outcome of the railway’s planning applications to extend the existing line at Woody Bay. The company states that the questionnaire process is a regulatory requirement, but Steam Railway…

Traces of the Ffestiniog Railway’s past resurfaced during track re-laying on the Cob on January 9, when more than 20 stone sleepers dating from the 1830s were found about 12in below the current track level. Some longitudinal timber sleepers were also found at the same depth, and a slate kerb was uncovered on the seaward side of the embankment. Twenty-four hours later they were covered in new ballast. These discoveries follow the uncovering of an embankment wall at Tan-y-Bwlch in December (SR462). At Boston Lodge, the new carriage shed was weatherproofed before Christmas, with the first of three roads put into use to stable stock. The other two roads were laid but still require ballasting and aligning. The 175ft-long shed has 423ft of siding space on three roads, enough to…

Real, wholescale timetabled steam is back (see News). And it’s not just for the joy of being able to hop aboard a train hauled by a Peppercorn-designed ‘Pacific’ with a standard National Rail ticket - but to help the towns and villages along the currently severed Settle-Carlisle. The Midland Railway had built 72 miles of railway through the Pennines by 1875. But having survived the threat of closure during the 1980s, it was severed in February 2016 by a huge landslip at Eden Brows near Armathwaite. That drained the route of through-traffic and charters, and Network Rail has undertaken a massive amount of work to repair it (see panel). On February 14-16, the ordinary will become the extraordinary. Instead of running through to Appleby, the Northern DMU that forms the…

“There are fewer and fewer enthusiasts - and if they’re not travelling, they’re not going to be high on our priority list, are they? ”NIGEL DOBBING Are Steam Railway readers still being catered for by today’s tours? Or has the market moved on, leaving us to pick up the scraps? And if that’s the case, what can we do about it? Big, basic questions… the sort you hear among those who’ve chosen to put their wallets away, and take their cameras out instead. It’s not just grumpy linesiders though. Talk to people involved with main line steam and you’ll often hear that the number of hardcore fans has fallen, to be replaced by dining passengers simply looking for a nice day out. Less Steam Railway, more Sunday Telegraph. Is…

“Mechanical Foreman Day repeatedly voiced the opinion that ‘Pendennis’ could be the best of the lot.” By the 1960s, Caerphilly Castle had been preserved for the nation’s museums and fully restored by Swindon craftsmen, effectively to original condition. She was one of the agreed 20 or so steam locomotives to be kept by the state for the education of future generations. Enthusiasts clamoured for representatives of more classes to be saved, but appreciated that the deal for a ‘Castle’ to be kept had been done. All they could do now, while some of the class still worked out their days on top link services, was to spend all the hours God sent watching, photographing and riding on the remaining active class members while they could. And nobody did that more…

The eight preserved ‘Castles’ are broadly similar mechanically, but represent the years of continuous development to improve their performance. The boilers of five of them, Nos. 4073/9, 5029/51/80, were all built between 1932-40, and more modern versions (1946-60) are in the frames of Nos. 5043, 7027/9. Nos. 5043 and 7029 are survivors of the 66 members of the class that gained double chimneys after 1956. There isn’t much variety in the tenders. At the time they were withdrawn (most of them going to Barry scrapyard) Bill Peto records that Nos. 4073/9, 5080, 7027/9 were attached to 4,000-gallon Collett tenders, while Nos. 5029/43/51 had the same capacity flat-sided Hawksworth type. No. 4079 swapped its tender (its 38th change) when it was purchased by Mike Higson in 1964, and is preserved with…

Winter. What does that mean to you? Other than the mental image of snowy scenes we love to cherish, for many of us in recent years it has probably meant three things: wet, miserable and mild. However, while some today may bemoan the relative rarity of a ‘real winter’ - despite places crunching to a halt when one arrives - the railwaymen of February 1947 would surely have exchanged places with us with relief. Indeed, that goes not only for those whose job it was to try to keep trains moving, but much of the population immediately after the war. That winter, Britain was sideswiped with weeks of freezing temperatures, and what really was the ‘wrong type of snow’; by February it had really set in. The country’s arteries were…

lost the time gained and Tornado stopped at Bromley South to pick up passengers in 34min 35sec, against a 34½min schedule for the 12 miles to that point. The start from Bromley South is a difficult one, on a rising gradient of 1-in-95 to Bickley. 21mph was attained here, but there was a signal check to 9mph approaching Bickley Junction and a further signal check to 6mph once on the SER main line at Petts Wood. Recovering up-grade through Orpington at 33½mph, 37mph was attained at Chelsfield on the 1-in-120 gradient and Knockholt summit breasted at 36mph, reasonable work with this load in wintry conditions with a damp rail. The ‘A1’ attained 60mph for the first time exiting Polhill Tunnel, but the maximum in the dip at Dunton Green was…

A funding shortfall of £50,000 needs to be bridged before GWR ‘Castle’ No. 4079 Pendennis Castle returns to the main line. Great Western Society spokesman Frank Dumbleton says: “We have £17,000 already in the fund, but we need another £50,000 for fitting the Train Protection & Warning System and On-Train Monitoring Recorder, and the main line test runs.” It will still be “a year or more” before the Collett 4-6-0 will steam again. The overhaul of the ‘Castle’ continues at the GWS base at Didcot, where the next big job will be the locomotive’s steam pipes. Mr Dumbleton says: “The boiler is a few rivets away from hydraulic and steam tests, but these have been delayed to allow the rest of the engine to catch up, and to let us…

Nearly a month after it moved under its own steam for the first time, the overhaul of ‘Battle of Britain’ No. 34081 92 Squadron has come to a successful conclusion. Now fully lined out in Malachite green - though still minus its nameplates and crests - the ‘Spam Can’ passed its insurance exam on January 11. The same day, the ‘Pacific’ ventured out onto the Nene Valley Railway’s running line for the first time since it was withdrawn eight years ago. It ran short trips between the yard and Wansford tunnel, as a thank you to the supporters and volunteers who helped overhaul the locomotive. 92 Squadron is expected to haul its first revenue-earning passenger trains at the ‘Bulleid 50’ event on February 25/26, when it will be paired with…

British-built ‘19D’ 4-8-2 Saiccor No. 3, one of the last revenue-earning steam locomotives in South Africa, could be scrapped unless £75,000 can be raised to preserve it. Withdrawn from service at the Sappi Saiccor Pulp Mill on August 5 2015, the locomotive had been offered free of charge to the North British Locomotive Preservation Group in January last year (see SR451). However, funds to ship the ‘19D’ back to Britain have not been forthcoming and, says NBLPG Honorary Secretary Ken Livermore: “We are becoming seriously concerned that if it is not collected from the site soon, the offer from Sappi Management will be withdrawn and No. 3 will be scrapped.” Despite being built by Robert Stephenson & Hawthorns in Newcastle, NBLPG members raised £6,000 in the first three months of…

The Bluebell Railway will host a record number of working ex-South Eastern & Chatham Railway engines this spring. Event organisers hope to steam five ‘Chatham’ engines at the May 13/14 event: ‘P’ class 0-6-0Ts Nos. 178 and 323 ‘Bluebell’, ‘H’ class 0-4-4T No. 263 and ‘C’ 0-6-0 No. 592. Although not originally an SECR engine, it is anticipated the fifth will be ex-South Eastern Railway ‘O1’ 0-6-0 No. 65. The Stirling locomotive is nearing the end of its latest ten-yearly overhaul. All are in SECR green, apart from No. 323. Joining the SECR engines will be another pre-Grouping locomotive: LNWR ‘Coal Tank’ No. 1054, making its first visit to the Bluebell. The Webb 0-6-2T had been booked for last year’s event but was unable to attend due to the ban…

FORCED TO call off its autumn steam weekend on the Metropolitan Line in 2016 because of the threat of industrial action, the London Transport Museum is proposing to try again during the first two weekends in September. Head of Heritage Operations Andy Barr is expecting to run three round-trips each day on the ‘overground’ section of the Met, between Amersham and Harrow-on-the-Hill on one weekend, and between Watford and Wembley Park on the other, double-headed by celebrity ‘E’ class 0-4-4T ‘Met 1’, and Dennis Howells’ Hawksworth pannier tank No. 9466. Barr’s proposals for the weekends of September 2/3 and 9/10 are not yet at the ‘go’ stage, and are awaiting formal approval from London Undergound. As is usual with Metropolitan line steam events, it is proposed that trains will run…

The first main line tour for BR Standard ‘4MT’ 2-6-0 No. 76084 has been cancelled due to low ticket sales. It is understood that around 180 seats remained unsold at the time of the trip’s cancellation. Tour promoter Railway Touring Company Managing Director, Nigel Dobbing, said that the trip would have resulted in a £18,000 loss had it gone ahead. “If people don’t book, trains can’t run.” The ‘Standard 4’ had been due to haul the Manchester-Preston ‘Buxton Spa Express’ on February 4 and Eric Bond, spokesman for owning group 76084 Locomotive Company Ltd, fears that a further trip over the same route, scheduled for February 25, could be cancelled for similar reasons. Mr Dobbing said: “Hopefully people who did have tickets for the trip will transfer to the February…

To mark its 50th anniversary, the Corris Railway Society has launched a £300,000 appeal for a station building at its Corris terminus. The original station, with its unusual overall roof, was demolished after the railway closed in 1948. The new building will not be a replica of the original but will incorporate an overall roof in a similar style, as well as a booking office and toilets. Since passenger services started in 2002, passengers have been served from the nearby museum created in the railway’s old stable block, and there has been no covered waiting area near the trains. The station will accommodate trains of four bogie carriages, but with the site constrained by the need to retain vehicular access to a school and a farm, a traverser will be…

THE ELSECAR Heritage Railway is to welcome two very different industrial locomotives back into traffic this year, with the last survivor of Peckett’s ultimate 0-6-0ST design and a Sentinel named by Sir William Stanier expected to make their debuts. Peckett ‘OQ’ Class 0-6-0ST Works No. 2150, better known as the ‘Mardy Monster’, is heading towards a return to steam after two and a half years on the sidelines. The 1954-built machine was withdrawn from traffic in September 2014 with leaking stays. Since then, Locomotive Maintenance Services at Loughborough has replaced both firebox wrapper sides, the foundation ring, and the firebox throatplate. The boiler has passed initial inspection and was expected to undergo hydraulic and steam tests during January. Back at Elsecar, motion pins and bearings have been attended to with…

The RPSI’s Class WT 2-6-4T No. 4 is expected to be out of action for around two months while an Irish Rail train radio is installed. The radio will facilitate communication between Irish Rail’s Centralised Traffic Control and the footplate inspector, superseding the use of mobile phones. The positioning of the new kit will involve the relocation of some of the recently fitted footplate AWS and TPWS equipment, which makes the job more complicated. The ‘Jeep’ arrived back at Whitehead on January 8 for the work to be carried out. It is the first time since August 2015 that it has been back at the RPSI’s headquarters, having been based at Dublin Connolly for operating in the Republic. There is no indication so far as to whether the second Dublin-based…

“There are considerable costs associated with making it a success; the ticket price represents all of these factors” SAM MacDOUGALL, KWVR It is a big thing for us,” says the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway’s Sam MacDougall about its decision to run what must probably rank as the first ever Oxenhope to Carlisle direct steam working. It’s not just any special either, but marking the re-opening of the Settle-Carlisle as a through-route, on March 31. Oh, and it’s with a rather well known ‘A3’. “We have dabbled in this before, for our 40th anniversary when we ran from Oxenhope to Hellifield and back, and then again the following year.” “But as soon as we secured Flying Scotsman, it was immediately apparent that we could do something with it, especially…

“The works manager authorised a full overhaul with money no object, even though he knew full well the locomotive would never run again .” Right down to the fine detail, the pioneer Collett ‘Castle’ 4-6-0 No. 4073 is an immaculate and lasting memorial to the craftsmanship of the men of Swindon Works. Why has there never been a campaign to return Caerphilly Castle to steam? In truth, no-one wants it to happen. When there are seven other members of the class capable of main line running, what’s the point of interfering with a 94-year-old engine that looks as fresh as the day it was built? ‘Caerphilly’ has now been out of service for almost six decades, long enough for people to forget that its restoration cost three times the original…

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Once in a blue moon everything comes together, as it did on October 16 2010 for the then-annual West Highland photo-charter. Autumn in this part of Scotland usually means dull, unsettled weather, but on that morning there was a rare instance of steam being added to this amazing landscape, in unbroken sun, with temperatures low enough for a crisp exhaust. It made for a photographic session that participants will remember for the rest of their lives. UNSPOILT WILDERNESS The picture was taken about halfway between Rannoch and Corrour. Here, there is absolutely nothing - not even trees - apart from the railway and vast expanses of wild terrain as far as the eye can see. Steam is best seen in unspoilt wildernesses, and very few places in Britain can offer…

Cameron served steam with love No-one can ever suggest John Cameron has not served preservation in this country with due diligence, love and enthusiasm. Without both his monetary support and his passion for his charges, Union of South Africa and The Great Marquess, railway preservation would have been much poorer by far. The two locomotives have for years been the mainstay of railtours in northern England and Scotland, particularly in terms of LNER representation which, sadly, is very sparse. Truly they were both reasons to venture north for any LNER enthusiast and steam fan. I was therefore saddened by the article stating No. 60009 is to be retired to a private museum, and the ‘Mogul’s’ future dependent, potentially, on the NYMR deciding if it fits their plans (SR462). I have…

FEBRUARY 30742 CHARTERS Bristol Harbour Railway, evening shoot with Avonside Portbury and Bristol lorry. £30 (proceeds to overhaul of Peckett Henbury). DAVID WILLIAMS PHOTO CHARTERS Bala Lake Railway, ‘Quarry Hunslet’ George B . £65. TIMELINE EVENTS Great Central Railway, No. 30541 with mineral wagons. £70. Didcot Railway Centre, photographic, digital and printing workshop in conjunction with Permajet Print Academy. £295. South Devon Railway, evening shoot with No. 30587 on goods train and No. 6412 with autocoach. £39. South Devon Railway, No. 1369 and goods train. £60. South Devon Railway, No. 30587 and goods train plus night shoot with No. 1369. £60. MARCH 30742 CHARTERS East Somerset Railway, two days with No. 41313 on mixed and milk trains. £63 per day, £120 for both days. Beamish, Andrew Barclay…