Heritage Railway Issue 306

LIKE many followers of the heritage sector, and fully aware of the multiple benefits it brings to many a local community and their economies, I was astonished at the decision by Snowdonia National Park Authority to refuse permission for Bala Lake Railway’s well-advanced plan to extend into the town centre. The primary reason appears to be the potential rise in phosphate levels in the River Dee, resulting from the increase in sewage generated by many more visitors to the town and using toilets. For many years, I have been concerned by reports of discharges of effluent of all types into the UK’s rivers and seas. However, we do have the technology to deal with it, but so often it appears that water companies fall short of their responsibilities in this…

IN its centenary year, LNER A3 Pacific No. 60103 FlyingScotsman made history again by becoming the first steam locomotive to use the newlyrefurbished 65ft turntable at St Blazey depot in Cornwall – opening the door for a resumption of steam-hauled tours into the duchy. On April 30, No. 60103 headed the Railway Touring Company’s ‘The Royal Duchy’ from Bristol Temple Meads to Par and back, and was turned at St Blazey midway. It was originally thought that the A3 would be able to haul the tour only as far as Plymouth, with a diesel taking it on to Par. However, on April 22, a successful trial run saw Class 66 No. 66131 turned at the nearby depot, the turntable’s first use since 2018, paving the way for Scotsman to follow.…

ALL 10RailwayTouringCompanytours with Flying Scotsman in its centenary year have sold out. The first tour,‘The Royal Duchy’to Par, will be followed by five further trips in June, the first from Paddington to Cardiff on Wednesday, June 7, then from Euston to Chester on Saturday, June 10. Afterwards, No .60103 returns to the south coast with a trip to Portsmouth from London Victoria on Saturday, June 17, quickly followed by Salisbury from Paddington on Wednesday, June 21. There follows a return to the locomotive’s old stomping ground from King’s Cross to Great Yarmouth, via the Hertford Loop and the Cambridge Branch, on Saturday, June 24. The next excursion is on Sunday, July 9 from York via Leeds to Carlisle. This tour is repeated on Sunday, August 6 and Sunday, September 10,…

THE NorthYorkshire Moors Railway, the UK’s most popular heritage line in terms of passenger numbers, marked the exact 50th anniversary of its official opening train on May 1, 1973, by running a special service headed by the same two locomotives. Furthermore, three volunteers returned to perform the same duties they did on that historic occasion half a century ago, when the Duchess of Kent rode on that train. Double-headed by J27 0-6-0 No. 65894 and Lambton, Hetton & Joicey Collieries 0-6-2T No. 29, just as in 1973, the special departed from Grosmont at 1.30pm for a return trip to Pickering. It was driven by the original train crew Chris Cubitt and Terry Newman from Platform 3, while John Bruce was busy in the Goathland signalbox, just as he was on…

THE heritagesectorhasexpressed outrage after advanced plans by the Bala Lake Railway to extend into Bala town centre were halted by the Snowdonia National Park Authority over fears that the tourist boom it will bring may lead to more sewage polluting the River Dee. The railway’s planning application for the extension was refused by the park authority’s planning and access committee on April 19 after its planning officer recommended refusal, partly because of concerns that additional visitors to Bala would result in recent Welsh Government guidance regarding the discharge of additional phosphates into watercourses being breached. In short, more tourists using toilets in the town will result in higher sewage levels. The decision immediately dismayed volunteers who have worked on the project for more than nine years and to hundreds of…

THE SevernValley Railway has teamed up with a local luxury catering business to launch a range of premium on-train dining experiences for 2023. Working in partnership with Bewdley-based Paisley Flour Catering, the railway is offering high-quality Sunday lunches, afternoon teas, wedding breakfasts, private dining in a luxury observation saloon, ploughman’s lunches and Murder Mystery evenings on selected dates from May to September. Diners will travel in first-class luxury as they are served locally-sourced and seasonally-inspired dishes. The SVR’s visitor experience manager, Nicky Freeman, said:“We successfully trialled a Sunday lunch at Easter with Paisley, which received excellent feedback from our travelling diners.” Local businesswoman Emma Passey, who has been running Paisley Flour since 2012, said the firm was“incredibly excited”to be working with the SVR. Find out more at https://svr.co.uk/experience/dining-experiences/…