Indholdsfortegnelse for Issue 307 i Heritage Railway

➜ See pages 20 and 21 for further images of No. 590 and a report of the winner of a Heritage Railwaysponsored research competition to mark the centenary of the full opening of the original WHR and a preview of the gala being held on June 23-25 to celebrate the occasion. I CAN NOT butapplaudtheinitiativesbeingtakenby the heritage sector to tackle the challenges of the cost of living crisis.While there is a positive response to the SevernValley Railway’s £1.5 million Survival Fund appeal, the line has not only reviewed its operating costs, but it has also initiated an extra steam-hauled service on 56 days to entice more fare-paying visitors. The Great Central Railway is trialling a new timetable facilitating visits to the footplate of a live steam locomotive so families with…

THE DukeofKentvisitedtheKeighley & WorthValley Railway to join in with the 100th birthday celebrations for A3 Pacific No. 60103 Flying Scotsman. The duke, 87, who is both a second cousin and first cousin once removed of King Charles III, became patron of the KWVR Preservation Society following a visit to the line in July 2008, attended the first day of the line’s Flying Scotsman Festival. Society chairman Dr Matt Stroh said: “It was wonderful to welcome our royal patron on a very special day for the railway. “We were running the first day of our sell-out Flying Scotsmanhauled services as part of the iconic locomotive’s centenary celebrations. “His Royal Highness’s eyes lit up when he realised he was going to visit the footplate, and he was particularly intrigued by its complexity.…

WHILE Britain’s National Railway Museum is hailed as a worldwide market leader in the preservation of rail artefacts and rolling stock, an archaeological dig to rediscover relics from centuries before the steam era has begun. In a new partnership between the NRM and York Archaeology, an area in the museum’s Great Hall outdoor courtyard – potentially home to objects from Roman and medieval times – is now the subject of excavations. Former Victorian railway buildings have already been uncovered at the site that are likely to be linked to coal storage for steam engines. The dig was been commissioned as part of the NRM’s Vision 2025 programme, ahead of any redevelopment of the site. Two days of free tours – where the public entered and saw the dig site and…

TO mark the centenary of the Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway’s Davey Paxman 2-8-2 River Esk, three days of celebrations took place over the May Day bank holiday weekend, with visitor numbers soaring by about 20% on the same time last year. The main guest locomotive was 96-year-old Davey Paxman 4-8-2 No. 6 Samson from the Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway, but a last-minute technical issue led to a decision being taken not to run it on passenger services. To avoid disappointment, Davey Paxman 4-6-2 No.2 Northern Chief was sent as a surprise addition and delighted passengers. The extra visits presented very rare opportunity for three RHDR steam locomotives to be at a different railway at the same time, with Davey Paxman 4-6-2 No. 7 Typhoon currently on display in the…

TWO oftheLNERCoachAssociation’s carriage fleet have emerged into the daylight at two different lines, with the unique lounge buffet car No. E1706E entering service just in time to partake in trains being run to celebrate the coronation of King Charles III. Built at Doncaster Works in 1948 to the design of Edward Thompson, the carriage rather fittingly became allocated to one of the most prestigious East Coast Main Line services, ‘The Elizabethan’, from 1953 following ascension to the throne of Queen Elizabeth II. By the 1970s, No. E1706E and its immediate numerical predecessor had become allocated to the Harwich ‘Boat Train’, before ending up on the West Highland Line in 1978. Upon withdrawal from service, both were handed to the chief civil engineer’s department for use by track maintenance gangs, though…

ON May14, 1951, theworld’sfirst passenger train on a railway run entirely by volunteers departed fromTywyn Wharf station on theTalyllyn Railway. What followed was unlikely to have been foreseen by many – if any – as the operational railway heritage sector that we know today was launched. This significant occasion is marked annually by the TR, and it was a double celebration for the 72nd Founder’s Day as Fletcher Jennings 0-4-0WT No. 2 Dolgoch, the locomotive that pioneered preservation, returned to steam – just! Withdrawn for overhaul in October 2021, it was initially expected to be a relatively swift turnaround to complete No. 2. As it was dismantled, however, more required work was revealed and thus a hoped-for return to service during 2022 passed by. Even approaching the anniversary date this…

LIFELONG steam railway enthusiast Stephen Murfitt has been named winner of the prestigiousWelsh Highland Railway research competition, held to commemorate the centenary of the line opening its entire length from Dinas to Porthmadog. The contest, which carried a prize of £500 and was sponsored by Heritage Railway, was for the best piece of original research on the history of the 1ft 11½in gauge WHR and its predecessor, North Wales Narrow Gauge Railways, including the personalities and customers involved. A final list of three entries was selected by the two judges, Dr Dafydd Gwyn, who advised Gwynedd Council on its successful bid for UNESCO World Heritage status for the slate landscape of North West Wales, and Gareth Haulfryn Williams, a former county archivist of Merioneth. ‘High standard’ After lengthy consideration, the…

ON May2, the Lakeside & Haverthwaite Railway celebrated its 50th anniversary with a special train for invited guests. As LMS 2-6-4T Fairburn No. 42073 (which hauled the railway’s 1973 opening train along with classmate No. 42085) was unavailable and Chris Beet’s BR 2-6-0 Ivatt No. 46441 is not yet ready for service, the honour of the 50th anniversary train fell to one of the resident industrial tank engines – in this instance, Andrew Barclay 0-6-0T No. 1245 of 1911. The train journey was followed by a cruise on Windermere for the invited guests. The boiler for No. 46441 passed its hydraulic test on May 5, after which the smokebox fabrication was attached to the boiler barrel. The refurbished superheater header has been fitted, as have the new superheater elements, and…

RECENT visitorstothecoastaltownof Aberystwyth will have no doubt noticed a very clean and‘new’-looking station at the terminus of the 1ft 11 ¾in gaugeVale of Rheidol railway. The line is now in the final stages of a major £2.2 million improvement project, ‘Wales to the world’, funded in part by a £1.6 million European Regional Development Fund awarded in 2018. Phase one was completed in 2019 when the station platform was opened, having been relocated by 590 feet from its previous location adjacent to the main line terminus. Careful planning and in-depth research has ensured that an Edwardian-style heritage feel remains in keeping with the once-GWR tourist line. A GWR pagoda-style toilet block has also been constructed, replacing the temporary structure that was used following the arrangements enabling access to the BR…

£3.54 Pay just per edition When you take out a subscription to Heritage Railway Resplendent in Southern Railway green livery, new-build Lynton & Barnstaple Railway Manning Wardle-style 2-6-2T No. 190 Lyd storms across the Cob from Porthmadog with a ‘Woodland Wanderer’ service to Tan-y-Bwlch on the Ffestiniog Railway on April 17. This year, the Lynton & Barnstaple Railway in North Devon is celebrating the 125h anniversary of the opening of its line, as reported in the News section of this issue. OWEN HAYWARD VISIT www.classicmagazines.co.uk/hrdps GREAT REASONS TO SUBSCRIBE >> Free UK delivery to your door or instant download to your digital device. >> Save money on shop prices.   >> Never miss an issue. >> Receive your issue before it goes on sale in the shops. 13 print issues…

TWO UK-built preserved locomotives joined rivals from Australia and the USA in an event north of Sydney on April 30 in what was either a race or parallel running, depending on your point of view. It was billed as the Great Train Race and representatives of the winning engine were presented with a cup, which to most of the thousands of spectators suggested it was indeed a race. Throw in the fact that the aim was also to outpace a 1930s de Havilland Tiger Moth biplane flying above, and the ‘racing’ fraternity felt they were on firm ground. However, some members of officialdom described it as not a race, but parallel running, in which the quartet of locomotives ran side by side on the 18-mile four-track stretch of line. Whatever…

PASSENGER numbersattheSwanage Railway’s successful May 12-14 diesel gala returned to pre-pandemic levels, an increase of 5% on the figure for last year’s event. Five per cent more passengers were carried during the Swanage Railway’s 16th three-day diesel gala and one-day preview compared with the 2022 event – this year’s diesel gala passenger figures being almost identical to the 2019 event. Taking part were Class 45 No. 45108 courtesy of the Peak Locomotive Company, Class 47 No. 47 830 from Freightliner, Class 40 D345 courtesy of the Class 40 Preservation Society, the Diesel Traction Group’s Class 17 Clayton D8568, Class 50s Nos. 50021 Rodney and No. 50026 Indomitable, as well as Class 73 electro-diesels Nos. 73107 and 73201 from GB Railfreight. A shuttle service using London Underground’s 4TC push-pull carriage set…

FIGHTING for its survival, Staffordshire’s Rugeley Miniature Railway received a surprise and welcome boost from a fellow society. Steven Brown is a member from the 1968 founding group of the South Cheshire Model Engineering Society, which has its track on the outskirts of Nantwich in Cheshire. He drew the attention of the management committee to problems being suffered by the Rugeley club and asked if the society could arrange some sort of fundraiser to help – and the committee responded enthusiastically. It was decided that an extra public running day be added to the society’s calendar, with the day’s takings to be donated to the Rugeley club. The enthusiastic support for scheduling the extra day on May 21 was overwhelming. The normal running period was extended to 4pm, and members…

A MURDER mystery, cheese train, and a youngsters’Nerf experience are on the spring and summer menu at the SpaValley Railway. The mystery is titled Faulty Towers The Dining Experience, which gives a clue that laughter, furrowed brows, and dinner will be heard, seen and eaten on board the early evening steam and diesel-hauled trains on June 10, August 12, September 30, and the following Saturday, October 7. Improvised fun As the title suggests, it is a tribute to the BBC’s much-loved sitcom Fawlty Towers, featuring a cast that serves up mayhem in a travelling show during two return dining trips from Tunbridge Wells West to Eridge, which has a direct link on the national network to London Bridge. Much of the show is improvised, and is described by Spa Valley…

GRADE II*-listedWinfield station, alongside the Midland Main Line in Alfreton, which fell into disrepair after being closed in 1967, has been reroofed withWelsh Slate Ltd’s Penrhyn Heather Blue slates. The 1840-built structure, which was built by the North Midland Railway, is the sole survivor of architect Francis Thompson’s notable sequence of picturesque stations between Derby and Leeds and widely regarded as his finest work. It was compulsory purchased by Amber Valley Borough Council, before the Derbyshire Historic Buildings Trust took over ownership in 2019. A first £470,000 phase of urgent works, requiring specially-designed scaffolding during night-time possessions of the main line, is now complete after nine months. It led to the stations’ appearance on Yesterday UKTV’s The Architecture the Railways Built as the trust’s flagship project, funded by a Historic…

WEST Country history, sun, seaand sand will be at the heart of an internet and telephone auction being held by RailwayanaSales’ChrisFranceonJune26-July 2.The headline lot is GWR nameplate Dartington Hall from No. 4918, built at Swindon in March 1929 and withdrawn from Cardiff East Dock (88L) in June 1963. The 4-6-0 was named after an historic house and 2000-acre country estate near Totnes, in south Devon, that dates from medieval times. A selection of posters includes two BR representatives, ‘Teignmouth is Devon’ and ‘St Ives glorious sands’ and a Southern Railway contender, ‘South for sunbathing,’ and from the Oakhampton line comes a SR platform target sign from the west Devon market town station of North Tawton that was opened by the LSWR in 1865 and closed to passengers in June 1972.…

RAPIDO’S SECR 20-ton six-wheel brake vans arrived with retailers at the end of May, bolstering the manufacturer’s range of pre-Grouping stock available with an ideal vehicle to attach to the end of the rakes. With a design similar to Midland region vans, 90 were built and all passed into SR ownership and latterly 86 into BR, with single and dual veranda variants. Four versions of the dual veranda type have been released in the standard range, spanning early SECR goods grey and SR brown through to BR engineers black. Rails of Sheffield has exclusively commissioned single veranda models, available in store or online. Another exclusive is that commissioned by Sussex-based retailer Train Times Model Shop, which has a limited run of models representing the sole-surviving example, No. 2010 in SECR…

THE year is 1832 and the Festiniog Railway Company (yes, only one F) has just been incorporated with the aim of transporting slate from the quarries at Blaenau Ffestiniog down to the coastal town of Porthmadog, to be loaded onto ships and distributed around the world. James Spooner was tasked with surveying the route and construction began in 1833, lasting three years. Mr Spooner was a clever fellow and surveyed the route in such a way as to provide a continuous downwards gradient from Blaenau Ffestiniog to allow for the use of gravity to bring loaded slate trains down to Porthmadog – with the horses that hauled the empties up returning in special ‘dandy’ wagons as part of the same train. Come 1860, the board began to look into the…

THE A1 Steam LocomotiveTrust – the ground-breaking charity which built and operates new Peppercorn Pacific No.60163 Tornado and is now nearing completion of a new Gresley P2 2-8-2 No. 2007 Prince of Wales – vacated the carriage works on Hopetown Lane, Darlington, its home for more than a quarter of a century, between May 19 and May 26. It has taken up a new permanent residence half a mile away at a new purpose-built facility in Bonomi Way, part of the Darlington Railway Heritage Quarter, which is being transformed into a cutting-edge tourist attraction. The move has seen the boiler for its flagship A1 and the rolling chassis for its P2 positioned side by side for the first time within the facility. Trust chairman Col Steve Davies MBE said: “The…

ONE of the most significant developments ever in Britain’s world-leading heritage railway and preservation sector was announced in May 9, when the proposal to link the RotherValley Railway with its neighbour, the Kent & East Sussex Railway, was given the go-ahead. Approval, which was granted to the RVR in the form of a Transport & Works Act Order, was described as “the realisation of a dream” by KESR chairman Simon Marsh, while Mike Hart, vice-chairman of the RVR Heritage Trust, lauded the “significant contribution” linking the two railways would make to the local economy. Mike, who will oversee the privately-funded £6 million project, told Heritage Railway that he expected the work – which will result in a 14-mile railway between Robertsbridge and Tenterden – to take three years, adding: “I…

THE Bodmin & Wenford Railway’s May 20/21 gala saw the first-ever passenger train to be hauled by diminutive Port of Par Bagnall 0-4-0ST No. 2572 of 1954 Judy over the heritage line. Requiring some careful boiler management from fireman Chris Hatton, Judy hauled GWR autocoach No. 232 over the seven miles from Bodmin General to Bodmin Parkway on just one tank of water. Judy’s train also successfully tackled the three-mile 1-in-40 gradient up from the River Fowey valley to Bodmin without a hitch. The gala went ahead as planned despite a last-minute hitch the day before, when visiting GWR 2-6-2T No. 5553 failed at Bodmin Parkway during a private charter. No. 5553 had just detached from the demonstration clay hood train (as featured in issue 305) and auto-coach to run…

NENE Valley Railway-based Bulleid Battle of Britain Pacific No. 34081 92 Squadron has been temporarily renamed as No. 34111 Royal Auxiliary Air Force to mark the coming centenary of voluntary service in the RAF. The transformation was the brainchild of Squadron Leader Alfie Hall, of 607 (Co of Durham Squadron), Royal Auxiliary Air Force, who had the full support of the RAuxAF to create a locomotive ‘might have been’ (34111 would be the next in sequence in the class). No. 34081, out of action for firebox repairs until – it is hoped – late June, received a new set of nameplates manufactured by Procast, fitted together with owner the Battle of Britain Locomotive Society’s own crests, which were last used when No. 34081 ran as No. 34057 Biggin Hill on…

THE Welsh Highland Railway (WHR), Britain’s longest heritage railway, celebrated its incorporation as the Welsh Highland Railway (Light Railway) Company (WHLR) in 2022. The railway has had a chequered history characterised by stewardship under the auspices of a significant number of individuals, many of whom for extensive periods of time were supervised by the High Court of Justice. The WHR between Porthmadog and Dinas opened on June 1, 1923, and was immediately embroiled in financial crisis, circumstances that were to become a hallmark of the early WHR. The railway was the first of only two slate-carrying narrow gauge railways to be completed between the two world wars. Following the cessation of the First World War, local authorities were encouraged to invest in light railways, and in 1914 a joint decision…

LYNTON & Barnstaple Railway supporters have launched a nationwide appeal to buy the site of a fire-damaged former school beneath Grade II-listed Chelfham Viaduct. The 1.98-acre site, which is for sale by private treaty with a guide price of £625,000, has outline planning permission for the demolition of existing buildings and 15 homes. The Yeo Valley Trust, with the full backing of property-owning L&B supporting company Exmoor Associates CIC, hopes to acquire the site to restore rather than demolish, using the building as a new heritage museum to provide accommodation for L&B volunteers and holiday lets, along with meeting and office facilities and parking for up to 50 vehicles, whereas the restored Chelfham station currently has space for six at the most. It also wants to prevent the site from…

THE two sole-surviving Bulleid 4DD EMU driving trailers have been reunited for the first time in nearly 40 years – when driving motor brake third No. S13004 was transported to Sellindge, in Kent, to join No. S13003. The pair of driving trailers were last seen together in about August 1984 at Ashford Steam Centre, which was closed amid financial difficulties. A third class centre trailer, No. 13503, was cut up in situ by agents for creditors on August 15 that year, with the two driving ends surviving and rescued but stored separately since. On May 23, No. S13004 was moved by road from the Northamptonshire Ironstone Railway to Kent, where the Bulleid 4DD Group is now developing plans to restore this unique unit to museum standards for display; visit bulleid4dd.org.uk…

THE SevernValley Railway’s May 18-21 Spring Diesel Festival in May – which celebrated 50 years of main line diesels in preservation – smashed records not only for its visitor attendance, but also for the high number of locomotives taking part. More than 6500 enthusiasts saw the largest collection of diesel traction ever brought together at a heritage railway, marking 50 years since homebased WR Class 42 diesel hydraulic D821 Greyhound became the first main line diesel to be sold to the heritage sector. In May 1973, D821 moved from Laira to Didcot, another first as a preserved private owner diesel running on the main line under its own power, before the ban on such running was imposed. Now repainted into BR blue with full yellow ends following extensive bodywork springs,…

EVERSHOLT Rail is to sponsor the National Railway Museum’s new Wonderlab: The Bramall Gallery for the next five years. Opening this summer, Wonderlab aims to ignite curiosity in engineering and rail through hands-on learning, including exhibits, art instillations and live experiments facilitated by the museum’s explainer team. The interactive gallery, part of the museum’s Vision 2025 masterplan, will be the museum’s most significant new family offering since opening in 1975. Eversholt Rail chief executive officer Mary Kenny said: “It is vitally important for our industry to be working together to fire the imagination of the younger generations and inspire them to pursue careers in the railway industry. That is why we are delighted to be supporting the NRM with this fantastic new gallery. Based on other successful Wonderlab galleries within…

THE West Somerset Railway will hold a 1960s weekend on July 8/9. In 1964, local schools were disrupted by the arrival of the Beatles and Steptoe and Son actor Wilfred Bramble on the Minehead branch, who were filming the iconic comedy film A Hard Day’s Night. With filming in Minehead and at Crowcombe Heathfield, the area became a magnet for Beatles fans. To reflect the end of steam locomotives on BR, there will be a mixture of steam and diesel services, and the Class 33 Hymek-hauled ‘Beatles train’ will be recreated. There will be live music at different points along the line and the return of the popular platform dance on the Saturday evening. The final line-up of acts was still being drawn up, with Helen Pearson and the Pashy…

THE Ffestiniog &Welsh Highland Railway pulled out all the stops to carry out a complete overhaul of its new-build articulated double Fairlie 0-4-4-0T David Lloyd George so it can play a key role in the 2023 roster. In 1992, the Ffestiniog Railway completed its second new heritageera double Fairlie locomotive, funded in part by a grant aimed at increasing the capacity of the railway; David Lloyd George has gone on to clock up a prodigious mileage over the last three decades. Its boiler was built to a new all-welded design created by Bob Meanley, of Tyseley Locomotive Works. The previous two new boilers fitted to double Fairlies Earl of Merioneth and Merddin Emrys were built by Hunslet in 1969 and although giving long service, they had flaws that the new…

The theme of this year’s extremely successful and well-organised Cotswold Festival of Steam was Cheltenham and Gloucester Steam Days, recreating the halcyon days of the 1950s and 1960s over the 14-mile heritage line between Cheltenham and Broadway. Cheltenham was the meeting place of both the Western and Midland region’s main lines from the West Midlands to Bristol and beyond, while routes from Southampton and Banbury also reached the former Cheltenham St James terminus. The theme recalled local scenes inspired by the huge variety of trains including fast expresses, inter-regional trains from lines long since closed, local workings and freight trains. From Gloucester, services headed for South Wales, Bristol, the West Country, Swindon and London, and between the two there were once some 300 train movements – both passenger and freight…

THE‘Coronation Deltic’tour which was planned to coincide with the crowning of King Charles III has been rescheduled to Saturday, August 19. The tour had originally been due to take place the week following the coronation but was postponed due to railway strike action. Luckily, UK Railtours has been able to secure the same locomotive, following the same itinerary. Deltic No. 55009 Alycidon is rostered to take the railtour, which will see the locomotive return to the East Coast Main Line from King’s Cross, picking up passengers at Potters Bar, Stevenage and Peterborough, before sprinting to York for the first stop and set-down of passengers. Those choosing to alight at York will have about five hours to explore the city. Chance to explore The next stop for the railtour is Scarborough,…

A 130-year-old cast iron footbridge at Beverley station,Yorkshire, is undergoing repairs and restoration to strengthen and preserve the structure in order to reopen it to passengers. Closed in September 2022 on safety grounds, weakened pieces of the canopy had to be removed for fear of them falling onto the lines below. On May 30, engineers commenced work that will strengthen the original structure and install new parapets, along with new surfacing and stair treads. Following this part of the work, it will be repainted in colours in keeping with its heritage and the wooden canopy removed. The trainshed roof and platforms will also receive repairs to give the station a new lease of life. As a Grade II-listed structure, the plans have been given the green light by Historic England…

ON May 27, B1 4-6-0 No. 61306 Mayflower made a welcome return at the head of a Steam Dreams tour for the first time since the company was taken over by Locomotive Services Limited. It made two journeys that day, the first from Paddington to Oxford in the morning and returning in the evening. The second was an afternoon circular trip starting from Oxford behind a diesel to Bicester South Junction, where steam took over for a northbound run down Hatton Bank to Dorridge. The train then reversed to Hatton Triangle for turning before returning to Oxford. Meanwhile, on July 15, Princess Coronation Pacific No. 46233 Duchess of Sutherland will head the custard and cream Mk.1 set over the Settle and Carlisle line. The tour starts from Colchester at 6am, cutting…

GREAT Northern Railwayana’s timed online auction that ran on April 19-22 produced two stand-out winners among the 451 lots on offer, comprising a handlamp at £5500 and an LMS worksplate that went for £3300. The lamp was a PW inspector’s Manchester Sheffield & Lincolnshire Railway example plated for the Macclesfield Bollington & Marple Railway, an 11-mile line opened jointly by the MSLR and North Staffordshire Railway in August 1869, while the worksplate was from an unidentified locomotive built at Stoke Works in 1912. These works were opened by the North Staffordshire Railway in 1864, constructed its first locomotive four years later, and in 1912 built three K class 4-4-2Ts and a Class KT 4-4-0. The facility was closed by the LMS in 1927. Two station totem signs that were also…

THE owner of a preserved steam locomotive has reunited his engine with one of its original worksplates after a chance discovery at Amberley Museum. The plate, from a standard gauge 0-4-0ST built for the Ministry of Supply by Peckett & Sons of Bristol in 1941 (works No. 2012), was formerly in the Brockham Railway Museum collection and came to Amberley in 2008, but why it was in the collection in the first place is unknown. Amberley marketing officer Joe Meacher said: “Just how Brockham acquired the worksplate is a mystery, as the museum was very much narrow gauge orientated, so why it included a standard gauge plate is anybody’s guess.” Chance visit Explaining how reuniting the plate with the locomotive came about, Joe said: “A recent chance visit to Amberley…

AWelsh railway line built to convey mainly coal trains to Swansea docks, and an LNER suburban service locomotive destination board from the interwar years, will feature in the live online Transport Auctions of London sale on June 24. The Welsh representative is a cast iron sign warning of 40s (£2) fines for trespassing on the Rhondda & Swansea Bay Railway, which ran for 24½ miles from Treherbert to Swansea and opened in stages from 1890 to 1899. Its main works and shed were at Danygraig (coded 87C by BR), and the line included the Rhondda Tunnel, which at nearly two miles was the longest tunnel in Wales, and a steepest gradient of 1-in-39. The GWR took over management of the line in 1906 and absorbed it in 1922. Although mainly…

THE Llangollen Railway finally welcomed its first fare-paying passengers to its fully constructed station and facilities at Corwen nearly 60 years after the line was closed in December 1964 – and following a 12-year-long project to reach the Denbighshire town from its previous terminating point. Although the doors were scheduled to open to the public on June 3, several trains have ventured the full length of the 10-mile line during the course of the past few months for volunteer training and familiarisation purposes. On May 16, two trips were operated by a hybrid DMU formation (comprising a driving end from both a Class 104 and 108), with a steamworked series of tests taking place on May 22. It was then that the first water was also taken from the station’s…

THE Darjeeling Himalayan Railway Society has donated £40,000 to support the DarjeelingTank LocomotiveTrust’s bid to buy the late Chiltern Railways founder Adrian Shooter CB E’s 1889-built ‘B’Class 0-4-0SWTT No. 19B. The locomotive is one of more than 100 lots being auctioned alongside the entire contents of Adrian’s Beeches Light Railway on June 21. As highlighted in the last issue of Heritage Railway, what is the only B class locomotive outside India is being sold by his widow, Barbara. The Darjeeling Tank Locomotive Trust has been formed to raise money to bid for it, and if successful, base it at the Statfold Barn Railway. Trust chairman Jeremy Davey said: “The trustees were overwhelmed with the generosity of our friends at the DHRS and we thank them on behalf of our supporters.…

Proudly carrying its coronation and 120th ‘birthday’ headboard, Peckett Jurassic arrives at Walls Lane station on the Lincolnshire Coast Light Railway. CHRIS BATES/LCLR HERITAGE railways big and small celebrated the crowning of King Charles III with special events over the coronation bank holiday weekend. The Talyllyn Railway – taken over by volunteers in 1951 and accordingly the only preserved railway that was part of the coronations of the last two monarchs – laid on two special trains on Saturday, May 6, the day of the coronation of King Charles. The event was well-attended, with visitors from all over the world. The first coronation train departed at 11.15am with the original headboard from 1953 and the second at 2pm with a new hand-painted headboard specially made for the occasion. A King’s…

WEST Coast Railways has filed for a judicial review of the Office of Rail and Road’s refusal to grant a further period of exemption from Regulation 5 of the Railway Safety Regulations 1999, which relates to the fitting of secondary carriage door locking systems to its heritage coaches used on the main line. The current exemption to the rule regarding central door locking – absent from West Coast’s fleet of Mk.1 carriages for charter trains – expires at the end of June. It will reportedly cost more than £1 million to fit central door locking to all of West Coast’s Mk.1 coaches. West Coast submitted a formal request to renew its exemption to the ORR in 2021 but was told in January this year that there will be no further…

A BRStandard9F2-10-0hasventured north of the English-Scottish border to take up residence on a heritage line in the Highlands, becoming the only 9F to have ever been based in the territory in both the BR and heritage era. Unrestored No. 92219 – built at Swindon in January 1960 and spending its short working life of just over five years based entirely at Cardiff sheds – moved to the Strathspey Railway on May 30, where it is now being stored while its owner develops a full plan for restoration. No 9Fs were ever allocated to the Scottish Region, with Carlisle Kingmoor being the furthest shed north any were operated out of. No. 92219, the second youngest of the class, has yet to be restored despite leaving Barry scrapyard in 1985. Initially preserved…

HISTORIC Englandhasawardeda£252,000 grant towards the restoration of a goods shed which is believed to be the oldest surviving one in the UK. Built in 1833, the Grade II*-listed shed in Darlington formed part of the Stockton & Darlington Railway and was designed by its chief engineer, Thomas Storey. The building was the main point for handling goods such as agricultural produce at the railway and was doubled in size with an extension in 1839/40 to meet increasing commercial demand. A clock tower was added to the roof at the same time. Trains entered the shed through archways and stopped in bays where they were unloaded by local merchants using horses and carts for onward shipment. The only comparable earlier building is the 1830-built Grade I-listed railway warehouse Liverpool Road station in…

A NEW experimental Great Central Railway timetable aims to give visitors more time to get to know‘their’train, as it prepares for its special 50th anniversary weekend of celebrations. The aim is to encourage visitors to visit the footplate and meet the driver and fireman, when the locomotive runs around after reaching Leicester North. GCR general manager Malcolm Holmes said: “We know so many of our visitors now have no direct memory of steam locos when they ran on Britain’s railways but are still fascinated by them. “By changing our timetable and allowing trains to wait for longer at Leicester North, we want to encourage families to stand on the footplate of a steam engine, feel the heat of the fire, and meet our engine crews. It’s part of our drive…

SEVENTY years after the last Londonderry & Lough Swilly Railway trains departed from Tooban Junction, where the line from Derry split for Buncrana and Letterkenny, a signal has again appeared at the historic site. Buncrana sculptor John McCarron has recreated the junction’s characteristic starter signal as part of the Ghosts of Tooban Junction project, which aims to ensure that the once important junction is not forgotten. The station’s island platform carried an unusual arrangement of starter signal arms pointing in opposite directions on the same post at its Buncrana and Letterkenny end. Now, John has erected a steel-built replica at the remote junction site to mark the 70th anniversary of the closure of the L&LSR in August 1953 and to leave a permanent memorial to the railway’s heritage. John, whose…

DURING the weekend of May 20/21, the Dean Forest Railway held its first of two steam galas for 2023. The event saw resident GWR 2-6-2T No. 5541 and 0-6-0PT No. 9681 joined by pannier No. 1369, thus presenting an opportunity to compare two different styles of the iconic latter type. No. 1369 was built in February 1934 with an 11ft wheelbase and outside cylinders to replace ageing locomotives on dockyard duties. Of six built, No. 1369 is the sole survivor and appeared courtesy of the South Devon Railway. By contrast, the 1949-built No. 9681, perhaps considered as the more iconic of the pannier tank design, boasts a 15ft 6in wheelbase and is almost five feet longer in length over buffers. It was the first gala appearance for No. 9681, which…

SOUTH Australia’s National Railway Museum chief executive Bob Sampson has been celebrating several success stories as the Port Adelaide-based venue bounced back after the Covid-19 crisis. Not only has the pre-pandemic visitor annual total of 45,000 been bettered by 5000, but the museum has also marked 30 years of operating the 1 ¼-mile-long 18in gauge Semaphore & Fort Glanville Tourist Railway, which parallels the esplanade and the sand dunes of one of Adelaide’s most popular swimming beaches. The museum has also built a new diesel locomotive to assist steam stalwart No. 6 2-4-0 Bill in keeping the line running from October to April. Bill was built by Willis Engineering (formerly Willis Locomotive Works) in Perth, Western Australia. “We made an event out of the 30th anniversary on 2 April,” said…

A PROJECT to refurbish a 163-year-old wooden viaduct on the Cambrian was completed by Network Rail engineers in just 16 days, ensuring that the structure will continue to carry passengers for many more years to come. First constructed in 1860, the 230ftlong Severn and Carno viaduct near Caersws, which carries the Cambrian line over the two rivers, has been reconstructed twice before in its lifetime, first in 1906 and again in 1927. The work on this latest project saw the railway on top jacked up and three of the 11 spans of timber replaced. Floating platforms (pontoons) were positioned on the rivers below to facilitate access by NR engineers and AmcoGiffen contractors, who also undertook replacement of metallic straps and fixings during the process. In its commitment to a greener…

WHILE Steam Dreams’highly-successful‘Garden of England’and‘Sunset Steam Express’tours continue to run this summer out of London, September is also set to be a busy month for the company, with five tours advertised. On September 10, there is an 8am departure from Paddington to Chichester for an 11.30am arrival, leaving at 6.40pm for a 10.15pm return. Several options are available, with choices to visit the city or Arundel Castle, or to the spiritual home of British motor racing for the Goodwood Revival, celebrating bygone days and where vintage fashion and wheel-to-wheel racing takes place around the classic circuit. On the same day is separate afternoon jaunt along the Sussex coast from Chichester at 1.40pm, returning at 3.50pm. It runs via Littlehampton, where it reverses through Worthing towards Hove and Brighton. Diesel-hauled to…

June 10 ‘The Cheshireman’ London Euston, Chester and return. Loco: 60103 Flying Scotsman. RTC 10 ‘The Settle & Carlisle Pullman’ Gerrards Cross, Carlisle and return. Loco: Midland Pullman HST. MP 10 Pathfinder Golden Anniversary Burton upon Trent, Weymouth and return. Loco: 40145. PT 10 ‘The Tynesider’ Cleethorpes, Morpeth and return. Steamhauled from and to York (outward/return). Loco: TBA. RTC 10 London to Portsmouth and Isle of Wight London Victoria, Portsmouth Harbour and return. Loco: 61306 Mayflower. SD 10 Portsmouth & Southsea Circular Circular tour from Portsmouth & Southsea. Steam-hauled between Barnham and Eastleigh. Loco: 61306 Mayflower. SD 10 ‘The Castle Centenarian’ Birmingham New Street, Hereford, Lickey Incline, Birmingham Snow Hill. Locos: 7029 Clun Castle & 5043 Earl of Mount Edgcumbe. VT 13 ‘The Dalesman’ Chester, Carlisle and return. Steamhauled between…

FULLY-BOUND volumes of The Railway Magazine from the year of its launch in 1897 to 2015 outsold all comers with a realisation of £1000 in a two-week timed auction held by GW Railwayana that ran on May 1-14. The set comprised 162 volumes, with some duplications, and it is believed to be the first time such a complete run had ever been offered at auction. The magazine, which was launched by Conservative politician Joseph Lawrence and former railwayman Frank Cornwall, is a sister publication to Heritage Railway within Mortons Media Group. Close behind at £940 came an official works photograph of Co-Co diesel No. 10000 signed by LMS chief mechanical engineer H GIvatt. This locomotive, the first main line diesel built in Britain, was outshopped by Derby in association with…

DAPOL has announced that it will be producing the Collett 2884 and Churchward 2800 classes of the GWR heavy freight 2-8-0 locomotives in OO scale, with the project currently in the design phase. Dapol’s new model is being produced thanks to the aid of many original drawings, and will include features developed for its recent release of the Manor class locomotives, such as the slide-in PCB in the boiler for tool-free DCC fitting, and conductive drawbar providing tender wheel pick-up and connections for high-bass speakers. A die cast compensated chassis and fully detailed cab interior are among the other features turning out to be standard from the manufacturer, with the front pony truck also planned to be sprung and operate on a cam to enable the model to negotiate second…

RAPIDO has also announced that its range of SECR freight wagons will be joining the N gauge range of models it offers, with the six-wheeled brake, five and seven-plank opens, and diagram 1426 12-ton covered vans set to be available. Initially, these will only be available in packs of multiple vehicles, with variations offering three opens, three vans or one of each of the four vehicles outlined being made available in a plethora of liveries. Three vehicle packs will have an RRP of £69.95, while the four vehicle pack will be £99.95. Running numbers are yet to be confirmed and each wagon in a pack will have a unique running number.…

THE recent Coiley Award for Steam Locomotive Engineering as part of the 2023 Heritage Railway Association Awards for the restoration to original appearance of the Sittingbourne & Kemsley Railway’s 1904-built Kerr Stuart‘OldType Brazil’class 0-4-2ST Premier (News, issue 305) is to be welcomed, but there is one respect in which originality does not appear to have been reinstated. As with several Kerr Stuart types, such as the Phaeton, Pompey and Petrolea classes for the Royal Arsenal Railways, Premier was built with water feed arrangements consisting of one injector and one axle-driven feed pump with an air chamber to smooth out delivery flow (a principle employed on early hand pump fire engines). I examined the motion stretchers of both Premier and Melior (a ‘New Type Brazil’ with Hackworth valve gear and redesigned…