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MOVES to have the original route of the Stockton & Darlington Railway designated as a fully-fledged UNESCO World Heritage Site have been started – and must succeed if the label is to have any real kudos. As reported in Headline News pages 6/7, local MP Alan Strickland proposed the idea in a House of Commons debate following the phenomenal success of not only the S&DR200 Festival in County Durham, but also that of the Railway 200 programme nationwide. The Railway 200 year has restored pride in Britain right across the board, enlightening millions of people both at home and overseas about the immense and positive part that Britain played in sowing the seeds in 1825 for a global transport revolution. Hopetown Darlington has developed into one of the finest multi-faceted…
ONE of the UK’s most distinctive private railway collections assembled over four decades by the late David Buck is now being offered for sale, representing an exceptional opportunity for preservationists, collectors, and heritage operators. The collection, based near Windsor, includes three operational steam locomotives including the largest in the UK, meticulously restored and maintained for use on his dual-gauge garden railway. It reflects a lifetime of passion and commitment to steam heritage by David, who died in August 2024 at the age of 80. At the heart of the collection is Hr1 No. 1016 Lady Patricia, a striking 5ft gauge Pacific built by Tampella for the Finnish State Railways in 1955. Imported to the UK in the 1990s and acquired by David in 2009, the locomotive was restored to working…
AN MP launched a bid for the Stockton & Darlington Railway to be made a UNESCO World Heritage Site during a debate in the House of Commons. As reported in Heritage Railway issue 338, more than 100,000 people attended the S&DR bicentenary celebrations around Darlington, Shildon and Stockton during September 26-28, with many visitors travelling from abroad to attend. Alan Strickland, Labour member for Newton Aycliffe and Spennymoor, said: “I was proud to welcome thousands of visitors to my constituency to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the S&DR, but we want to build a permanent tourism legacy. “Will the Leader of the House help me meet the relevant minister to discuss whether we could put forward this fantastic historic line to be a UNESCO World Heritage site?” Responding, the leader…
THE first public run of unique BR Standard 8 Pacific No. 71000 Duke of Gloucester since its overhaul, heading the ‘Royal Scot’ from Crewe to Carlisle on November 6, went faultlessly. It was its first run over Shap in 18 years, with modifications that owning group the BR Class 8 Steam Locomotive Trust believes designer Robert Riddles would have made had he been allowed the time on his prototype of a planned class of 50. Sadly, the Duke was withdrawn as the only unfinished prototype before Riddles had the chance to correct the faults that had become apparent. The performance on this run certainly showed what a capable locomotive it is now. Trust chairman Trevor Tuckley said: “The smiles on the faces of both the driver and fireman on arrival…
LBSCR A1 ‘Terrier’ 0-6-0T No. 72 Fenchurch returned to London on November 8 when it starred as part of the annual Lord Mayor’s Show procession, marking possibly the first time it has been back to the city since 1898! Built in 1872 and first allocated to local workings out of London Bridge and Victoria stations into the surrounding boroughs, from which many members of the class took their names, Fenchurch was sold to the Newhaven Harbour Company in 1898 with almost 600,000 miles to its name. Its light weight meant it was able to traverse the swing bridge between the NHC's east and west quays, and it remained employed there even after the company became part of Southern Railways in 1926 and subsequent Nationalisation in 1948. It ended its days…
‘GO big or go home’ seemed to be the motto for the Chinnor & Princes Risborough Railway on October 31-November 2, when the line hosted only its second-ever steam gala which featured two of the largest steam locomotives to ever grace the GWR branch. Once the domain of locomotives such as the 1400 0-4-2Ts, 5700 0-6-0PTs and 6100 2-6-2T large Prairies, in the heritage era the line has welcomed a plethora of different types. Not having its own resident steam locomotive means that the C&PRR relies on seasonal hires. Until this year, the largest locomotive to have appeared there was WR 4-6-0 No. 7820 Dinmore Manor. That changed in the spring when, in a break from its tradition of hiring former Swindon empire locomotives, USATC S160 2-8-0 No. 6046 arrived…
