Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 565 i Steam Railway

Welcome It’s the last issue before 2025, and I’m finally starting to get excited about Railway 200. ‘Finally’ you might say? ‘Finally?’ Well, yes, because until now it’s seemed like a bit of a damp squib, and I’ve been waiting with bated breath to see what our railways are going to pull out of the bag to make it so special. That in mind, I was delighted to hear that the Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railways are going to put 200 wheels on the ‘Cob’ by gathering all its engines – bar two far-flung examples – together at the same time in a cavalcade. This really is going to be something worth watching, and on June 22 I hope to be on the spot and watching history itself literally roll…

THE HERITAGE Railway Association has called on the Government to fully consider the long-term impact a ban on coal mining would have on the heritage rail sector. It comes as the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero announced on November 14 that the Government intended to introduce “as soon as possible” new legislation to prohibit future licencing of new coal mines. The mining of British coal suitable for locomotive use came to an end in November 2023 when the Ffos-y-Ffran surface mine near Merthyr Tydfil, South Wales, finally ceased production – over a year after its mining licence expired in September 2022. The Government’s announcement came weeks after Britain’s last coal-fired power station – Ratcliffeon-Soar – and the last blast furnace at Tata’s Port Talbot steelworks were both shut…

PEAK RAIL has become the latest heritage railway to plan a special event for the forthcoming ‘Railway 200’ festivities – with a special ‘after dark’ experience. Dubbed ‘The Night Shift’ and scheduled for February 15, starting at 5pm, the event aims to recreate the atmosphere of a railway at night, complete with goods trains running under the stars; stations, signal boxes and crossings lit up to recreate an authentic atmosphere; and brake van rides with lit stoves for the genuine steam-era guard’s experience. The event will also feature a wide selection of local beers and craft ales, and live music. ● Tickets are £20 each for adults, with a £5 supplement per brake van ride round trip. To book tickets, visit www.peakrail.co.uk/the-night-shift ● To explore other ‘Railway 200’ events, visit…

A LEGACY OF nearly £75,000 has enabled the Sittingbourne & Kemsley Light Railway to order a new boiler for one of its Kerr, Stuart ‘Brazil’ class 0‑4‑2STs, expediting its return to service. 1924‑built Works No. 4219 Melior was withdrawn in May 2024 upon the expiry of its latest boiler ‘ticket’ (SR559). A boiler inspection 14 months prior identified thinning of the firebox crown; while the thinning is repairable, Melior would not have been attended to in the immediate future owing to the SKLR’s focus on repairing the firebox of its Bagnall ‘Baretto’ 0‑6‑2T Works No. 2624 Superb, leaving the railway reliant upon its currently sole working steam locomotive, ‘Brazil’ Works No. 886 Premier. However, in August 2023 the railway was informed by a firm of solicitors in Galashiels that it…

THE TALYLLYN Railway’s long-standing project to tell the story of how slates were transshipped at Tywyn Wharf was finally completed in November – thanks to Network Rail. The railway has long wanted to better tell the story of how slates from Bryneglwys quarry – the main reason for the line’s existence – were transshipped onto standard gauge wagons at Tywyn Wharf for onward transport, either to a port at Aberdyfi for export, or by rail to other parts of the country. This was enhanced by the delivery of an ex-LMS five-plank wagon – restored by Stanegate Restorations & Replicas of Haltwhistle, Northumberland, in Cambrian Railways livery – in December 2023 (SR553). However, the wagon has had to wait until now before being put into its final position. On September 23,…

ONE OF only two genuine ex-LNER ‘J94’ 0-6-0STs, No. 68078, is set to steam for the first time in preservation next year, as its overhaul races towards completion. Based at Hope Farm, Sellindge, in Kent since 2001, the last major items were fitted to the 1946-built locomotive on November 4. 68078 Society project leader David Brailsford said: “The cab, tank and chimney require bolting down and then there are a lot of pipe runs to install. It is hoped that the locomotive will find a new home in the South East during 2025.” He added: “We got the boiler into the frames in May 2023. Since then, we have lagged and clad it. Work has been done in the smokebox to get it airtight, and a cast bell mouth has…

Firing a steam locomotive is a physically demanding job that requires a thorough knowledge of rules and regulations, focus, skill, and safety awareness. One key question for firemen is whether or not to wear gloves while performing their duties, particularly while shovelling coal into the firebox. Gloves, as a protective barrier, have their merits, but they also introduce potential hazards. This article will explore both the pros and cons of wearing gloves while firing a steam locomotive, offering insights for those involved in this specialised field. Hand in glove This is a debated topic among enginemen on the main line and at various heritage railways, and it comes up from time to time. Most main line firemen wear gloves by default when shovelling coal on the move, emphasising that ‘you…

The May 2018 return of Robert Stephenson and Henry Booth’s Rocket to Manchester for probably the first time since 1836 (when she was sold to work on the Naworth Colliery Railway) reunited her with one of her fellow Rainhill competitors: Novelty. The two probably last met nearly 190 years ago at Rainhill. Standing demurely behind one of the many cast-iron columns which support the vast timber roof of the Science & Industry Museum’s ‘Power Hall’ roof is a blue and gold locomotive like no other – John Braithwaite and John Ericsson’s Novelty, built in a record seven weeks to compete in the Rainhill Trials of October 1829. Well, not quite. The curious-looking locomotive at the S&IM is in fact a full-size replica built by the Science Museum in 1928 using…

9E SHEDCODE Special Of the eight sheds used by the Cheshire Lines Committee (CLC) during its relatively brief existence, Trafford Park was the largest. Work began on the shed – which cost £76,000 – under the Cheshire Lines Bill in either 1893 or 1894 (sources differ), with its official opening taking place on March 31 1895. From the start, the depot was an impressive structure consisting of housing for 120 engines over 20 dead-end roads with two of the three CLC companies – the Midland Railway and Manchester, Sheffield & Lincolnshire Railway (later Great Central Railway) initially having an office within. They were joined in 1898 by the Great Northern Railway, which needed additional room after being forced out of its small two-road shed at Deansgate by Manchester Corporation owing…

It’s been a long time – 16 years – since Bulleiddesigned ‘Merchant Navy’ No. 35005 Canadian Pacific turned a wheel under its own steam, but a long and involved programme of work means that a return to traffic is now tangibly close. For some years now, if you wanted to see a ‘Merchant Navy’ working in anger, you either had to wait for No. 35018 British India Line or No. 35028 Clan Line to pass by with a main line railtour, or visit the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway for a ride behind No. 35006 Peninsular & Oriental S. N. Co. But Nos. 35018 and 35028 are largely confined to operating in the North West and South East respectively, while ‘P&O’ seldom ventures away from its Cotswold home, where it is…

NEWLY OVERHAULED Peppercorn ‘A2’ No. 60532 Blue Peter hauled its first public, revenue-earning railtour for over two decades on November 20. The BR blue 4-6-2, which returned to steam in March this year following a comprehensive £5 million overhaul at Locomotive Services Group’s base at Crewe, was at the head of Saphos Trains’ Rugby-York ‘Christmas White Rose’. Although the three-cylinder ‘Pacific’ returned to national network metals on July 13, that train – which ran from King’s Cross-York – was for invited guests only, whereas the ‘Christmas White Rose’ was its first railtour for fare-paying passengers since its previous main line ‘ticket’ expired in September 2001. Joining the train at Crewe, taking over from LSG’s Intercityliveried Class 87 No. 87002, Blue Peter and its crew braved the icy conditions, with snow…

IT WAS a case of spot the difference at the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway’s Autumn Showcase event on October 26/27, with two GWR 2‑8‑0s in near‑identical black liveries. Headlining the event were newly overhauled Collett ‘2884’ 2‑8‑0 No. 3850 and Churchward ‘28XX’ No. 2807. Both are currently painted in almost identical GWR wartime black liveries, the former having carried the ‘Egyptian serif’‑lettered version since its overhaul was completed in August. The latter was making its public debut in its new paint scheme with unshaded sans serif ‘Grotesque’ font tender lettering – a peculiar Caerphilly Works specialty – having been repainted in just four days at Toddington in the run‑up to the gala. It is the first time the 1905‑built ‘28XX’ has carried black in preservation, and possibly the first time…

DESPITE A LINE-UP featuring a trio of classic Great Western branch line locomotives, it was arguably a diminutive Peckett 0-4-0ST that stole the show at the Dean Forest Railway’s Royal Forest of Steam gala on November 2/3. Built in 1952 as Works No. 2147, the ‘R4’ class locomotive was employed at the Central Electricity Generating Board’s Uskmouth power station for its entire working life, during which it allegedly took over a 1,000-ton oil tanker train from a ‘Western’ diesel hydraulic. Uskmouth No. 1 is an important locomotive for the DFR, being the line’s first steam locomotive, providing brake van rides at Parkend during the railway’s first ever open day in 1971, shortly after it had arrived from the power station after being displaced by diesel shunters. Last steamed in 1993,…

THE COLNE Valley Railway has launched an appeal to raise up to £1 million for a major development of its Castle Hedingham headquarters – and for possible extensions. Having secured ownership of the 11‑acre site and 0.9‑mile running line in 2016 thanks to a £1.75m grant from what was then the Heritage Lottery Fund, Colne Valley Railway Preservation Ltd is now looking to raise matchfunding, allowing it to seek further grant aid for its plans. A list of ten projects has been drawn up: a steam locomotive running shed; a steam locomotive engineering building; diesel locomotive maintenance, carriage restoration, and wagon maintenance buildings; a goods yard area, with shunting demonstrations taking place on selected dates; an extension to the current Brewster Museum; installation of the former Kennett signal box to…

THE HERITAGE Railway Association is monitoring the situation in Northern Ireland, where the Railway Preservation Society of Ireland’s main line steam operations have been at a standstill since the start of 2023. HRA President Lord Faulkner of Worcester told guests at the society’s diamond anniversary luncheon in Belfast on October 19 that he was aware that the RPSI was going through “a rough patch” at present. He said: “The HRA is aware that the RPSI is at present unable to operate steam trains on the main line in the north. I wish I could wave a magic wand and conjure up a posse of qualified drivers for you. I cannot do that, I’m afraid, but I have taken this issue up with our CEO Steve Oates and he has undertaken…

UNIQUE SURVIVING Bagnall 0-6-0PT Works No. 2613 Brookfield hauled its first revenue-earning passenger trains in 19 years at Mangapps Railway Museum in October. The 1940-built locomotive was the star of the show at the Essex museum’s end-of-season special event on October 26/27 – the first time steam has operated at Mangapps for almost two years. Originally intended to be built to metre gauge as one of a batch of five locomotives for the Turkish coalfields, it was requisitioned by the Ministry of Supply for the war effort and completed as a standard gauge machine. Initially used for shunting the Admiralty’s machinery depot at California Works in Stoke-on-Trent until it closed in December 1959, both the locomotive and site were taken over by the Brookfield Foundry, with Brookfield working there until…

IT’S AN expensive hobby that we have. Buy a horse, motorbike, an old sports car, and chances are that you can own your thing and call the shots as to what you do and when. We can probably count on one hand the number of people that own their own heritage railway though. So, if heritage railways are ‘your thing’ then chances are that you have to share your efforts with others to make it all work. This is all well and good and very sociable for the most part. Even then, if we had to pay outright for our hobby ourselves, few of us could afford to be involved. A reason why so many railways have done so well is that very early on railways worked out they could…

STAR LETTER A little effort makes a big difference I regularly visit the big northern heritage railways – East Lancashire, North Yorkshire Moors, Keighley & Worth Valley... but there is, as Anthony Dawson concludes in his feature (SR564), “something special and unique about the Embsay & Bolton Abbey Steam Railway”. On October 21 last year, my English nephews visited me from Spain where they have spent most of their lives. There is no great heritage steam railway culture there, so, after visiting other Yorkshire beauty spots, the day’s highlight was to be a visit to Embsay. We arrived late on the Saturday afternoon in gloom and drizzle to find a technical problem had completely shut down the railway, which was deserted except for one man moving coal in the yard.…

We’ve all seen them; a standard Barclay or Peckett 0‑4‑0ST dressed up with a British Railways or even ‘Big Four’ identity. Many ‘main line’ devotees will bemoan the lack of a genuine BR machine, while their industrially focused counterparts will no doubt be even more displeased by the denial of the locomotive’s true identity. But there were industrial locomotives that genuinely did make it into main line ownership, including some really surprising acquisitions – and some locomotives with more twists and turns to their history than any of their main line‑built counterparts could dream of. The Great Western Railway is often cited as being the master of locomotive standardisation, however, the further away from express 4‑6‑0s you go, the more the theory falls apart. In truth, the GWR was bedevilled…

SANTA AND SEASONAL TRAINS 2024 ALN VALLEY RAILWAY: December 1, 14/15, 21/22, 27-29 AMBERLEY MUSEUM: December 7/8, 14/15, 21/22. AMERTON RAILWAY: November 30. December 1, 7/8, 14/15, 21/22, 24. APEDALE VALLEY RAILWAY: December 14/15, 21/22. AVON VALLEY RAILWAY: November 23/24, 30. December 1, 6-8, 13-15, 20-24. BALA LAKE RAILWAY: December 7/8. BATTLEFIELD LINE: November 23/24. November 30. December 1, 7/8, 14/15, 21/22, 24, 30-31. January 1. BLUEBELL RAILWAY: November 30. December 1, 7/8, 14/15, 21-24, 28-30. BODMIN RAILWAY: November 30. December 1, 7/8, 14/15, 21-24. BO’NESS & KINNEIL RAILWAY: November 30. December 1, 7/8, 14/15, 21/22, 24. BREDGAR & WORMSHILL LIGHT RAILWAY: December 7/8, 14/15. BRESSINGHAM MUSEUM: November 24, 30. December 1, 7/8, 14/15, 21-24. BUCKINGHAMSHIRE RAILWAY CENTRE: November 30. December 1, 7/8, 14/15, 21/22. BURE VALLEY RAILWAY: December 1, 6-8,…

ALL THE Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railways’ locomotives will assemble for the first time ever on the Cob in June as part of an immense cavalcade to celebrate both ‘Railway 200’ and 70 years of the FR’s operations in preservation. Celebrations will start on January 1, when the railway’s fleet will take part in the inaugural ‘Railway 200’ ‘Whistle-Up’ when engines will be welcoming the new year across the country (see separate story). At the same time, tickets will also officially go on sale for the rest of the year’s events, which are expected to be very popular. The highlight of the festivities will undoubtedly be the railway’s 70th anniversary celebrations planned for June 20-22. The celebrations are expected to begin with a slate train demonstration, which will feature 50…

A RECORD total of 111 BR enamel station totems went up for auction at GW Railwayana Auctions’ recent sale on November 16. Expected to fetch over £150,000, the collection of 1950s-era totems eventually sold for a total of £167,130. The biggest seller was the Western Region totem for Caerleon, the now-closed station on the line between Newport and Pontypool and New Inn in South Wales, which sold for £6,700. Only one example of this rare totem had been sold at auction, at another GWRA sale nearly 20 years ago. Not far behind it was the BR(NE) totem for Whitby Town, which went under the hammer for £6,600. This totem was expected prior to the auction to fetch a high price, owing to its rarity, as the station was only named…

REPRESENTATIVES FROM 60 heritage rail organisations converged on the House of Lords on November 13 for a parliamentary reception hosted by the Heritage Railway Association. The reception was intended to help heritage railways connect with their MPs and Lords with an interest in the sector, and was the first opportunity to bring heritage rail representatives together in Westminster since the general election earlier this year. The reception was addressed by Liz Saville Roberts MP – co-chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Heritage Rail and whose constituency contains more heritage railways than any other in the UK. She said: “I welcome the opportunity to bring together colleagues from all sides in Parliament with their local heritage railways which are such an important part of the tourist economy and provide local…

THE GREAT Central Railway’s traditional end-of-season curtain call starred the line’s pair of consecutively numbered BR Standard ‘2MT’ 2-6-0s, Nos. 78018 and 78019. As has become tradition, the GCR’s resident fleet came to the fore for its annual ‘Last Hurrah’ event on November 16/17, its final enthusiast gala of the year. Four of the line’s home-based steam locomotives were in action, with ‘Modified Hall’ No. 6990 Witherslack Hall and BR Standard ‘5MT’ No. 73156 in action alongside Nos. 78018 and 78019. Also running were Class 20 No. D8001 and Class 37 No. D6700, as well as Derby Lightweight Railcar No. M79900 ‘Iris’, on long-term loan from the Ecclesbourne Valley Railway. Although the railway is now gearing up for the festive period, it is already preparing for its 2025 gala programme,…

NEWLY OVERHAULED Collett ‘14XX’ 0‑4‑2T No. 1450 made its public debut at the Avon Valley Railway’s End of Season gala on November 2/3. The visit from the ‘14XX’ (courtesy of its owners, Push Pull Ltd, the Severn Valley Railway and The Flour Mill, where it underwent contract overhaul) and autocoach No. 232 from the Bodmin Railway was the first time an ‘Autotrain’ had ever run on the AVR. No. 1450, which last steamed at its usual Severn Valley Railway home in December 2020 prior to being withdrawn for overhaul, was the sole guest locomotive at the event. It starred alongside Hunslet ‘Austerity’ 0‑6‑0ST Works No. 3839 Wimblebury – on long‑term loan from the Foxfield Railway – and AVR resident Polish Fablok‑built ‘TKh49’ 0‑6‑0T Works No. 4015 ‘Karel’. Not all went…

A TRIO of locomotives, built to the same gauge but markedly different scales, were the star guests at the Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway’s autumn gala on October 26/27. Visiting from The Valley Railway Adventure (formerly the Evesham Vale Light Railway) was 2003 Exmoor Steam Railway-built 0-4-0TT St Egwin. One of the few tender locomotives built by the Devon firm, the design is loosely based on one of the RHDR’s resident engines, Krauss-built No. 4 The Bug. St Egwin was joined by a pair of locomotives from its sister line, the Perrygrove Railway – another Exmoor machine (2004-built 0-6-2T Anne) and American-outline 0-4-0 Soony, the latter making a rare visit away from its Forest of Dean home. Whereas St Egwin and Anne are both built to roughly half-scale, Soony is…

ANDREW BARCLAY 0‑6‑0T Works No. 1605 Ajax has moved to the Northampton & Lamport Railway for a long‑awaited return to steam, following a change of ownership. Based on the Isle of Wight Steam Railway since 1972, where it steamed between 2005 and 2014, the 1918‑built locomotive has no historic connections to the island or its railways, and has been deemed surplus to requirements. Faced with the prospect of many years in storage, the railway took the decision to look for new owners. Northamptonshire is a fitting home for Ajax – which arrived at the NLR in late November – as it latterly worked at Harlaxton ironstone quarries near Grantham prior to withdrawal in 1968, while the NLR was originally built to capitalise on local ironstone deposits, and was connected to…

The HRA view FOR MOST people, heritage railways are pure and simple escapism. They allow us to suspend reality and immerse ourselves in a world that seems familiar and comforting – transporting us back to the Victorian era in the hills above Tywyn, or to a main line in 1950s Leicestershire. They allow us to park whatever stressful stuff is going on in our day-to-day lives and focus on something a bit more wholesome, grounded and, frankly, exciting. Heritage railways might be the opposite of sitting in front of the TV or playing computer games, but they definitely offer that same escape for many people. And it doesn’t seem that long ago when heritage rail was a much more insular world. We did things ‘our’ way and that was that.…

GWR & CONSTITUENTS 1369 In addition to ‘Grange’ No. 6880 Betton Grange, Collett ‘1366’ 0-6-0PT No. 1369 has been announced as the second visitor for the Battlefield Line’s ‘Winter Warmer Gala’ over January 11/12. Two more guest engines will be announced soon. 3803 Being overhauled at Churston on the Dartmouth Steam Railway, the ‘2884’ 2-8-0 has recently had its frames water-blasted to clear them of dirt and rust for inspection and protective priming. There has also been attention to the boiler, which has had much of its corroded steelwork removed. Subsequent examination has revealed major grooving and cracking, which will need to be rectified. 5322 Currently in BR black, the ‘43XX’ 2-6-0 is to be repainted in GWR green at the Didcot Railway Centre. However, this will only be a…

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 1Terminus of the Peak Rail heritage line (7)5 Double chimney LMR ‘Jube’ No. 45735 (5)8 Meadow area at front of 84D MPD (3)9 Hall [5942] in Wye Valley, once home of inventor James Watt (9)10 Scottish Region MPD with 65G code (5) 11 Musical work by, e.g., WR 7005 composer [No. 2 dedicated to ‘King’ 6001] (8)14 West Sussex station opened in 1845 on the Brighton & Chichester Railway (8)19 One of the North American Great Lakes, partly in Province of 45554 (5)21…

HAWKSWORTH ‘COUNTY’ 4‑6‑0 No. 1014 COUNTY OF GLAMORGAN Group: Great Western Society Formed: 2004 Estimated total cost: £1.3 million Raised to date: £1.2 million As things stand right now, the competition to be the next standard gauge new-build locomotive to steam is a two-horse race between BR Standard ‘3MT’ tank No. 82045 and this – the replica Hawksworth ‘County’ 4-6-0 No. 1014 County of Glamorgan. But while the Riddles 2-6-2T currently has the lead by a nose, the Swindon-designed ‘County’ will likely follow it closely over the finishing line, if it doesn’t overtake it. Indeed, analysing a project that is so close to completion might seem like a pointless exercise, but there’s still some distance left to run and, in any case, it’s worth exploring how the resurrected No. 1014…

Ny-Ålesund, an international scientific research station, is the northernmost place on Earth that is inhabited 365 days a year. Located on the 79th parallel on the island of Spitsbergen in the Svalbard archipelago, it is fringed by the Greenland and Barents seas, and nudges the Arctic icecap. For four months of the year the sun never sets; for four months it never rises. Ny-Ålesund has everything that you might expect. Polar bears roam its perimeter. Walruses, seals, and beluga whales patrol its coastal waters. Skuas and fulmars sweep overhead. It also has something you might not have anticipated – a steam train. Now a static exhibit, the narrow gauge locomotive and wagons are relics of Ny-Ålesund’s coal mining days. Cold coal An English whale hunter, Jonas Poole, first spotted coal…