Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 550 i Steam Railway

It’s been a busy month to say the least for the heritage movement as – by the time you read this – the bulk of the gala events will have finished and our lines can begin the long process of winterising by and large, Santa Specials excepted. For my part it was pleasing to see a very healthy footfall at the events I attended, and some of the visiting motive power was a real treat. The sight of two ‘9Fs’ on Goathland bank on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway was definitely one to be remembered for a long time to come. It’s a really positive sign that we’re climbing back out of the aftermath of Covid and its long reach. All in all, it was a great time for the…

A PAIR OF ‘Spaceships’ and a unique ‘Caley’ tank helped to mark 50 years of preservation at the North Yorkshire Moors Railway with a gala that smashed all predictions. Riddles ‘9F’ No. 92214 from the Great Central Railway teamed up with ‘Moors’ resident ‘Spaceship’ 2‑10‑0 No. 92134 to provide serious heavy haulage capability at the event from September 21‑24 in a bumper 11‑locomotive line‑up. But No. 92214 wasn’t the only ‘Standard’ on the invitation list, as ‘4MT’ 4‑6‑0 No. 75069 from the Severn Valley Railway also starred in the celebrations. Glamour for the event was provided by a return of ‘A4’ No. 60007 Sir Nigel Gresley. It was the first visit by No. 60007 since it returned to full British Railways express passenger blue livery post‑overhaul. At the other end…

FOUR VISITING locomotives, including ‘B1’ No. 61306 ‘Mayflower’ and USATC ‘S160’ 2‑8‑0 No. 2253 ‘Omaha’, helped the Severn Valley Railway Autumn Steam Gala break visitor figure expectations. The September 14‑17 event, which boasted the return of all‑night running, did feature some timetabling difficulties, but still welcomed more than 5,250 passengers. The two 1940s tender engines were joined by tank engine duo: Ivatt ‘2MT’ 2‑6‑2T No. 41312 from the Mid‑Hants Railway, and North Tyneside Steam Railway‑based Bagnall 0‑6‑0ST Steel Company of Wales No. 401, with the pair double‑heading some workings. The four guests joined SVR‑based Ivatt ‘Flying Pig’ 2‑6‑0 No. 43106 for its last gala appearance before going out of ticket, No. 4930 Hagley Hall, ‘57XX’ 0‑6‑0PT No. 7714, Bulleid ‘West Country’ No. 21C127 Taw Valley, and BR Standard ‘4MT’ 4‑6‑0…

Narrow Gauge JUST A FEW weeks short of 145 years since the first steam locomotives were delivered to the Corris Railway, the 2ft 3in gauge line is once again able to boast a ‘Falcon’. Corris Railway No. 10 entered traffic on September 9, completing a dream to recreate one of the three original locomotives used on the line. Built at Alan Keef Ltd in Ross-on-Wye, No. 10 fills a gap that was created when the last Corris Railway locomotives, Nos. 3 and 4, were sold by British Railways to the nearby Talyllyn Railway in 1951. During its launch weekend, No. 10 headed four-carriage trains along the three-quarter-mile route from Corris to Maespoeth. It was also posed for photographers alongside the original Corris Railway engine shed, which has been restored to…

TWO OF the South Tynedale Railway’s steam locomotives were in action at an event marking the 2ft gauge Cumbrian railway’s 40th anniversary on September 16. In steam for the birthday celebrations were Hunslet 0‑4‑2TT Works No. 1859 ‘Green Dragon’ and ex‑Harrogate Gasworks Railway Thomas Green 0‑6‑2ST Works No. 441 Barber. The latter was making its first special event appearance following its controversial rebuild earlier this year, which has included raising the original cut‑down cab roof and fitting a new, taller chimney. The rebuild has attracted considerable criticism, most notably from National Railway Museum senior curator Anthony Coulls. The Leeds‑built pair lined up alongside a number of diesel and battery electric machines from the STR stable, while the STR’s third home based steam locomotive, Polish 0‑6‑0 ‘Naklo’, is currently under overhaul.…

IT WAS third time lucky for the Lynton & Barnstaple Railway in securing guest locomotives for its gala on September 23/24. The event had originally been intended to feature Hunslet 2‑6‑2T Russell from the Welsh Highland Heritage Railway, which had to withdraw owing to serious mechanical problems. Ffestiniog Railway ‘Large England’ 0‑4‑0STT Welsh Pony was lined up as its replacement to visit the North Devon line, but was withdrawn from service in early September for motion repairs after one of its crank pins was found to be moving within the wheel. By way of compensation, the FR sent not one but two replacement locomotives to the L&B gala, ‘Quarry Hunslet’ 0‑4‑0STs Works Nos. 554 Lilla and 855 Hugh Napier. The pair worked alongside the L&B’s resident new‑build Baldwin 2‑4‑2T No.…

THE PONTYPOOL & Blaenavon Railway pulled off one of the gala line-ups of the year to celebrate its 40th anniversary, with no fewer than five 100-year-old-plus steam locomotives in action. More than 700 passengers travelled on the steeply graded route during the three-day anniversary gala on September 8-10. The South Wales line managed to field 160-year-old Furness Railway No. 20, the oldest working standard gauge locomotive in Britain, as a joint-headliner for the event despite requiring repairs to its right-hand front cylinder cover, piston and motion over the summer. The Furness Railway Trust-owned 0-4-0 was doing battle for the limelight with London & North Western Railway ‘Coal Tank’ No. 1054 during the event. The 1888-built 0-6-2T and its long-lamented sisters have a well-documented affinity with the area and No. 1054…

THE LAST bastion of regular main line steam in the world returned to the stage on September 4 following a 304-day hiatus. Steam-hauled service trains run twice a day between Wolsztyn and Leszno in Poland, Monday to Friday. Steam is also in charge of a Saturdays-only return service between Wolsztyn and Poznan. A return ticket for the 60-mile round-trip between Wolsztyn and Leszno costs 35 zloty (around £7) and can be bought either on board the train or at the ticket office before travel. Journeys take just over an hour in each direction. The re-emergence of regular steam-hauled services out of the 1907-built roundhouse comes as 2-8-2 Pt47-65 returned to steam following a year-long overhaul in August. The ‘Pt47’ class is a post-war two-cylindered express passenger locomotive, somewhat similar in…

PART TWO In part one of our interview with Michael Whitehouse, we discussed his views on main line steam – arguably the stamping ground he is best known for. This time we turn the spotlight on the smaller side of things – our heritage railways. Michael also knows a thing or two about these, having begun his volunteering career on the Dart Valley Railway, aged 18, helping re-assemble 0-4-2T No. 1450’s valve gear at Ashburton, graduating to work on the Ffestiniog in his university years, then becoming a fireman on the Welshpool & Llanfair, before returning to the FR as a lawyer, director and chairman of the company. As this magazine has said, the industry is at a crossroads – whether it be volunteer numbers, the impact of Covid, coal…

Back in the day, when designing a new class of steam locomotive, it was necessary to calculate as accurately as possible its working weight, and its weight distribution. This was to gain the prior approval of the Civil Engineer, over whose infrastructure it would run, and who would also need to be satisfied with regard to its compatibility with the loading gauge. The CE had the undisputed right of veto, which could either result in modifications being made in good time on the drawing board or, on extremely rare occasions, the outright banning of the locomotive’s use upon its completion. Somewhere in between there were several instances of locomotives whose actual weight was somewhat greater than it should have been, or was officially admitted to. The question of estimating locomotive…

No. 3672 ‘DAME VERA LYNN’ One of preservation’s long-standing projects has been the return to service of North Yorkshire Moors Railway (NYMR)-based WD 2-10-0 ‘Austerity’ class ‘Dame Vera Lynn’. Since it was withdrawn from traffic in 1998 for a much-needed overhaul after completing its ‘ten-year ticket’, progress has been slow – with much the of the engine still to be assessed. However, the tender has recently been completed – but with a twist. “It’s been at Riley & Son. We knew the tank was pretty much rotten and tired, but we didn’t appreciate how knackered the chassis was…” admits Director of Mechanical Engineering Paul ‘Piglet’ Middleton. We’re talking to him and Motive Power Manager Nick Simpson about what lies in store for a locomotive that’s been a big part of…

LOCOMOTIVE AND rolling stock restorer Stephen Middleton has been awarded a Sir William McAlpine Award for his and his family’s restoration of ex-McAlpine Hudswell Clarke 0-6-0ST Illingworth. Today named ‘Nightingale’/‘Seacole’, the 1916-built locomotive (Works No. 1208) was known as No. 88 under Sir Robert McAlpine & Sons’ ownership. The award was presented to Mr Middleton by HRH Anne, The Princess Royal at the annual National Transport Trust awards ceremony held at the late Sir William’s Fawley Hill estate on September 18. Illingworth was in action at the event, working up the infamous 1-in-13 incline, and was reunited with another former McAlpine locomotive, fellow Hudswell Clarke 0-6-0ST No. 31 (Works No. 1026 of 1913). NTT president and Sir William’s widow, Lady Judy McAlpine, said: “Stephen is well known in railway preservation…

A3’ No. 60103 Flying Scotsman was temporarily withdrawn from traffic for inspection after it was involved in a rough shunt at Aviemore. The National Collection Gresley ‘Pacific’ had been making its first ever visit to the Strathspey Railway as part of the locomotive’s centenary programme, having arrived on September 15. It had been on static display in light steam with the rebuilt LNER ‘Beavertail’ observation carriage during the Scottish line’s ‘Flying Scotsman Steam Rally’ on September 16/17 – which starred the line’s resident ‘Black Five’ No. 5025 and Ivatt ‘2MT’ 2-6-0 No. 46512, as well as visiting Andrew Barclay 0-4-0ST Bon Accord from the Royal Deeside Railway – and had hauled public services on September 23/24, with further services planned for September 30/October 1. The incident occurred at around 6.15pm…

A SMALL team working on wooden waggons at Boston Lodge on the Ffestioniog Railway are close to completing their latest project. The 19th-century four-wheeled coal waggon No. 19 has undergone timber replacement to various sections of underframe. The two-ton capacity waggon has also received considerable body repairs, and now sits on new wheelsets. First restored by the FR’s Midland Group in 1959, this latest rebuild was begun in 2023. It was hoped that No. 19 could feature at the ‘Bygones Weekend’ on the Porthmadog-based line during October 6-8.…

CLUN CASTLE will recreate its role in the legendary 1964 Ian Allan ‘1Z48’ railtour with a special 60th anniversary train in May next year. The 1950 BR-built double-chimney ‘Castle’ hauled the Plymouth-Bristol leg of the original ‘Great Western’ railtour on May 9 1964, achieving the-then fastest ever non-stop run between the two cities and reaching a top speed of 96mph. The run was subsequently bettered by three minutes by Vintage Trains’ other double-chimney ‘Castle’, No. 5043 Earl of Mount Edgcumbe, during a 50th anniversary re-creation in 2014. No. 7029 will reprise its starring role as part of VT’s two-day tour marking the train’s 60th anniversary, hauling the outward leg from Birmingham to Plymouth via Oxford and Bristol on May 10 2024, and returning to Paddington via Bristol on May 11,…

THE SWANAGE Railway’s youth group, known as ‘the Sygnets’ made an exchange visit from their home base in Dorset to the Churnet Valley Railway in Staffordshire during early September. During a two-day visit 12 youngsters got to work across several departments. Their work included the day’s locomotive and fault finding at Consall Signal Box. The group were treated to breakfast in First class, before visiting the CVR’s extension works towards Leek. Churnet Valley Managing Director Greg Wilson said: “If heritage railways are to survive, then it’s imperative that we encourage the younger generations. Many years ago, I was the youngest steam driver at the CVR at the age of 23 – sadly that title no longer applies for myself. However, only the other week we passed out two more steam…

STOP and Examine EVERY YEAR, the stress of those who manage the finances on our railways is raised by the need to satisfy the annual examination by the auditors. This is as close to a prostate examination that an organisation can get, and it is similarly invasive. The magic words we all want to see on the report from the auditors are “going concern”. These indicate that the organisation will have the cash reserves to carry it through to the next audit at the end of the following year. This is not a measure of profit or loss of the organisation, which is a good thing within a sector that never truly ever makes one. So why am I teaching you to suck financial eggs? The simple reason is to…

GET IN TOUCH Steam Railway, Media House, Lynchwood, Peterborough PE2 6EA steam.railway@bauermedia.co.uk or www.facebook.com/steamrailway STAR LETTER Nothing lasts forever Congratulations on the excellent and timely article by Michael Whitehouse in SR549. Since the demise of BR steam in 1968, we have been incredibly lucky to have enough people with the enthusiasm and skills to keep our memories of steam days alive. However, the numbers of that generation that remember steam are rapidly dwindling. I have noticed that few railways or model railway shows offer concessions these days because their main customer base is seniors! If main line steam is to continue for a few more years yet, Michael is right that it must appeal to a wider audience and offer a special experience. Many who choose a day out on…

The Llangollen Railway paid a sad farewell to one of its leading lights on September 20, when founder member and president Bill Shakespeare passed away just two weeks shy of his 96th birthday. Bill was instrumental in the revival of the Llangollen Railway from the very beginning, and it was he who, on July 1 1975, was handed the keys to the-then derelict Llangollen station, from where the ultimate restoration of ten miles of railway through the Dee Valley would commence. He was a lifelong volunteer on the LR, serving as chairman of the Llangollen Railway Trust from 1976 until his retirement in 1998, when he was made a Member of the British Empire for his services to the railway. He continued to support the trust right up until his…

If someone mentions Swindon to you in a railway context, what do you think of? Perhaps your mind turns to 4‑6‑0s, such as ‘Castles’ or ‘Kings’, maybe the Great Western Main Line, or the STEAM Museum of the GWR, which houses its collection on part of the site of the former Swindon Works. It is fair to say, therefore, that the Swindon & Cricklade Railway is a little way down the list, however, the line’s new chairman, Michael Abbott, wants to change that perception in the coming years. Aged just 25, Michael is keen to put his stamp on things: “I see this line as a blank canvas. The railway has a long way to go to get up to a really high standard visitor attraction. I want to base…

ALN VALLEY RAILWAY: ‘Santa Specials’ December 9/10, 16/17. AMBERLEY MUSEUM: ‘Meet Father Christmas’ December 2/3, 9/10, 16/17. AMERTON RAILWAY: ‘Santa Specials’ December 2/3, 9/10, 16/17, 23/24. APEDALE VALLEY RAILWAY: ‘Santa Specials’ December 9/10, 16/17, 23 ‘Winter Warmer’ December 27. AVON VALLEY RAILWAY: ‘Santa Specials’ November 25/26. December 2-, 9/10, 16/17, 19-24. BALA LAKE RAILWAY: ‘Santa Specials’ December 9/10. BATTLEFIELD LINE: ‘Santa Specials’ November 25/26. December 2/3, 9/10, 16/17, 23/24. ‘Mince Pie Specials’ December 28 – January 1. BLUEBELL RAILWAY: ‘Santa Specials’ November 25/26. December 2/3, 9/10, 16/17, 19/24 ‘Reindeer Specials’ November 23/24, 29/30. December 6/7, 13. ‘Steam Lights’ November 17-19, 24-26, 30. December 1-3, 6-10, 13-17, 19-23, 28-30 ‘Santa Steam Lights’ December 2/3, 9/10, 16/17, 19 -23. BODMIN & WENFORD RAILWAY: ‘Santa by Steam’ December 2/3, 9/10, 16/17, 21-24. BO’NESS…

RESEARCH INTO Stockton & Darlington Railway pioneer Locomotion, arguably George Stephenson’s most famous locomotive, has unearthed and confirmed a series of revelations about its past. The evidence confirms that most representations of the history of the 1825-built locomotive have been erroneous for more than 160 years. Perhaps most strikingly, it is now certain that at the opening of the Stockton & Darlington Railway on September 27 1825 there was no vehicle named Locomotion or even carrying ‘No. 1’. The number was not introduced until 1827, while the name Locomotion dates from 1833. Prior to that, it is believed that the pioneer S&D locomotive was generally known as Active. The biggest surprise was that it really did have two chimneys on the second boiler The investigation was carried out by renowned…

WHAT MIGHT be the oldest surviving station building in the world has been given Grade II* listing. Heighington & Newton Aycliffe Station on the Stockton & Darlington Railway has had its listing – and therefore statutory protection – increased from Grade II (awarded in 1980) to Grade II* following recent research showing that the structure, once thought to date from the 1830s, was in existence by September 1827. Built originally as an inn, next door to a coal depot, it was where passengers on the railway could refresh themselves, purchase tickets and wait for trains. While it is perhaps the oldest surviving station building, it is not the first: that distinction goes to the ‘Mount’ in Swansea on the Swansea & Oystermouth Railway, which opened in 1807 as the first…

PLANS TO extend the Bala Lake Railway into Bala itself received a boost in late September, with the biggest obstacle to securing planning permission resolved. The line’s application for the ¾-mile extension was turned down in April, mainly over concerns that the expected increase in visitors would overwhelm Bala’s waste water treatment works, increasing phosphates discharged into the River Dee. However, Welsh Water/ Dwr Cymru informed the BLR on September 27 that the completion of an Asset Management Plan in 2025 “will enable an increase in organic loading, and there is currently headroom to accept the additional phosphate loading from your proposed development.” “The significance of the news cannot be underestimated. It really is the breakthrough we have all been striving for,” said BLR chairman Julian Birley. Meanwhile, the BLR…

A PAIR of 2ft gauge locomotives built for a massive reservoir contract in County Durham have been reunited, close to their original workplace. Better known today as Glyder and Ogwen, (Andrew Barclay 0‑4‑0WT Works No. 1994 and Avonside 0‑4‑0T Works No. 2066 respectively), the pair – originally named Grey and Durham – started their careers helping construct Burnhope reservoir in upper Weardale for the Durham County Water Board, which employed substantial numbers of narrow and standard gauge locomotives. The 1931‑built Grey would become Glyder after sale to Penryhn slate quarry in 1938. It would join 1933‑built Durham, by then known as Ogwen, having been sold to the North Wales quarry in 1936. Although they both departed for new homes across the Atlantic in 1965, neither locomotive would steam again until…

FORMER CHATTENDEN & Upnor Railway Manning Wardle 0‑6‑2T Chevalier visited the Sibiu Agnita Railway in Romania for its steam gala during the first weekend of September. The Sibiu Agnita line originally stretched all the way to Sighisoara and was completed in 1910. The last stretch of the railway closed to regular traffic in 2001, but a project to restore the railway began in 2007. So far, the restorationists have reopened 7km of the route with a diverse collection of rolling stock. Chevalier is visiting courtesy of its owner, The Flour Mill boss Bill Parker, who has built a strong relationship with the team rebuilding the Sibiu Agnita line. He has temporarily dropped the Chevalier name and is reportedly considering a more appropriate name for it while it is is Romania.…

ALL BUT the most eagle-eyed of spotters could be forgiven for thinking they were seeing double at the Bodmin and Wenford Railway’s steam gala on September 9/10. Star guest for the event was Great Western Railway-built ‘Prairie’ No. 5553 in BR black livery. The Swindon machine, which was overhauled at Rowsley on Peak Rail in 2021, made a poignant return to the South West where it spent its last few months of British Railways service based at St Blazey shed. During the visit to Cornwall the ‘4575’ class machine reacquainted itself with a short rake of ‘clay hoods’, as well as working with passenger stock. Lining up alongside No. 5553 was No. 5552, also in BR black, giving the rare sight of consecutively numbered classmates in action. The duo worked…

The HRA view IT’S EASY to get bogged down… to get distracted… to find yourself stressing over the latest drama. It’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day minutiae of running heritage railways and staying on track through the myriad safety, commercial, people and finance challenges. But let’s just pause for a moment… let’s be excited, upbeat and confident again. LET’S SEE THE BIGGER PICTURE AND RECOGNISE THAT HERITAGE RAILWAYS ARE BRILLIANT AND STILL ACHIEVING THINGS NOBODY THOUGHT POSSIBLE NOT TOO LONG AGO Let’s see the bigger picture and recognise that heritage railways are brilliant and still achieving things nobody thought possible not too long ago. As I’m writing this, two all-new steam engines are having the finishing touches put to them. The team at Corris must be…

GWR & CONSTITUENTS 2807 The Cotswold Steam Preservation Ltd’s ‘28XX’ (below) made its first run under its own power since January 2020 on September 21 at the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway, following successful steam tests. The finishing touches are now under way ahead of the 2-8-0’s return to traffic, including the replacement of a badly fitting front plate, repair of a leaking injector, and adjustment of split pins on the motion and spring hangers. 5199 The Battlefield Line has secured the services of the West Somerset Railway-based ‘Large Prairie’ for its Santa Specials, as well as selected services between Christmas and New Year. 5619 Following repairs to its boiler backhead washout plugs and subsequent hydraulic and steam tests, the Telford Steam Railway’s ‘56XX’ has re-entered service, after being out of…

NUMBER 34 Crossword aficionado and railway enthusiast Alan Frost has come up with the perfect way to spend ten minutes (if you are quick) or a couple of hours (if research is required). The Steam Railway crossword is back – just for fun. No need to send in your answers – just test yourself and find the answers here next issue. ACROSS 1 Bird on Peppercorn ‘A1’ 4-6-2 engine 60131 (6)4 Place of worship next to ward of WR CME designer of 2-8-0s and 2-8-0Ts (6)8 Sir Martin, admiral giving name to ‘Jubilee’ engine 45640 (9)10 Zodiac sign under which ‘Castles’ and ‘Halls’ designer Charles Collett born (5)11 Windblown islands named on Stanier 4-6-0 engine 45614 (7)12 Orwell link for place of MPD with 32B code (7)16 Putting engine through…

For so much of its main line career No. 45110 was just another one of the 842 such engines that eventually formed the backbone of the LMS fleet. It was not built at an LMS works but instead under contract at the Vulcan Foundry, emerging as 5110 in May 1935. It was slow to gain its BR number, not becoming 45110 until April 1949. It went new to Crewe shed, but having resided there for just one week it was transferred to Holyhead and there it stayed until March 1964. While most engines will have strayed from home turf, much of No. 45110’s time will have been spent working along the North Wales coast to Manchester or Crewe, typically clocking up just over 40,000 miles per year. It eventually moved…

6F SHEDCODE Special The story of the shed at Bidston is – like our two previous sheds Wrexham Rhosddu and Chester Northgate – immersed in the history of the Great Central Railway (GCR), although unlike the previous two depots, Bidston focused on freight work, and was a relative latecomer to the scene. Bidston – a small town on the Wirral – had seen considerable railway-related expansion from July 1863 onwards when the Hoylake Railway established itself there. It took another two decades though before the Manchester, Sheffield & Lincolnshire Railway (MSLR), with aspirations to break into North Wales, oversaw the creation of the Dee & Birkenhead Committee to link Bidston to Hawarden Bridge. This, in turn, became the North Wales & Liverpool Railway Company, which lasted but a short time…