All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted in any form or means, or stored in any information storage or retrieval system without the written permission of the Dean Forest Railway Society.
Views expressed within this publication belong to their individual authors and are not necessarily those of the editors, the Dean Forest Railway family of organisations, the Society or its Trustees. The Dean Forest Railway Society accepts no liability or responsibility for any loss resulting from information provided in this publication.
How to submit an article
We prefer articles in electronic format (preferably Word) and high-resolution images to be emailed to the editors at: magazine@deanforestrailway.co.uk
Or by post to:
The Editors, DFR Magazine
Dean Forest Railway Society Norchard Forest Road, Lydney, GL15 4ET
This issue has been edited and produced by a team of volunteers and Trustees of the Society.
Laid out in Adobe InDesign & printed by Solopress.com.
Copy Deadline
Please send your reports, letters, comments, photographs and any other content for Issue 69 by, at the absolute latest: 1st November 2024
Front Cover: Adam Williams captures 5541 from a different angle (which will become a regular view for the engine crews) after the completion of the ballasting of the trackwork for the new inspection pit!
Rear Cover: Carl Brunnock was at Parkend on 27th July to capture D6515 Lt Jenny Lewis RN leading the London Transport 4TC set on the railtour from Basingstoke. A full write-up will be in the next issue!
All DFR Society post (donations, membership renewals and general correspondence) should be sent to: DFRS Honorary Secretary (Mrs. S. Williams) 109 Victoria Street
From the Editors
Dear Society Members,
Before we start, we would like to take the opportunity to announce that we are on the lookout for willing volunteers for multiple roles within the Charity:
• Publicity Officer
• Social Media Lead
• Website Lead
These are roles that are currently filled on a part-time basis and we would be interested in hearing from anyone that would be willing to pick up the mantle, and perhaps even lead a team (or teams) on a more permanent basis.
Anyway, as always, it’s editor’s prerogative to complain about the lack of content at every available opportunity!
As with the last issue, an empty inbox was soon loaded.
It’s difficult to make a choice between what goes in and what gets held over to the next issue, but we do try to leave as little as possible on the cutting-room floor.
Irrespective of that, please make every effort to submit content – we cannot publish what we do not have!
We’ve chalked up the copy dates for the next year, the plan is that the magazine is published during the following month (please do allow for major events and holidays)!
All members with a valid email address on record will be sent an electronic copy, with hard copies being mailed during the week after (the exception being those that have opted to receive the electronic copies only).
The deadlines for 2025 are as follows:
• Issue 70, copy date: 31st January
• Issue 71, copy date: 2nd May
• Issue 72, copy date: 1st August
• Issue 73, copy date: 31st October
To maintain the standard that you have grown to know and love – we use the same fonts, sizes, and styles throughout:
Title: Clarendon Blk BT, size 36pt
Body: Gill Sans MT, size 11pt
For anyone writing content you can use those parameters, otherwise please use the regular font in your chosen software, set at size 11pt. Images need to be high quality. If you're unsure or any need advice, please do get in touch!
Letters to the Editors should be sent either by email to magazine@deanforestrailway.co.uk or by post to the DFRS Honorary Secretary – any received by the copy date will be included towards the rear of the issue. As always, we value your support, and we remain dedicated to keeping you informed and connected within railway family.
With best wishes
Adam W, Ian & Tim
Your editorial team
Left to Right: Adam Williams, Tim McLennan, Alastair Clarke, Alex Davies, Adam Dickinson, Ian Pope
Society News
Chair of the Dean Forest Railway Society, James Graham, gives a brief update from the Society.
Volunteer Satisfaction Survey
A big thank you to everyone who has already taken the time to complete our Volunteer Satisfaction Survey. The survey was sent out in our latest email newsletter, and the insights are incredibly valuable, and we’re grateful for your feedback!
If you haven’t had shared your thoughts yet, we’d love to hear from you. You can easily fill out the survey online at https://bit.ly/DFRSociety-Survey, or if you prefer a paper copy, you can pick one up at the Norchard shop.
We’ve already received some fascinating and constructive feedback, and we would like know more.We’ll be compiling all your responses and sharing our findings, along with the steps we plan to take based on what you’ve told us.
Your voice matters, and your feedback will help improve the volunteer experience. Thank you for being part of our railway family!
New Discounts for Members & Volunteers
We’ve got some great news for our loyal members and hardworking volunteers!
For years, you’ve enjoyed discounts on standard fares, but now we’re thrilled to offer you even more savings.
Starting now, your discounts will extend to most of our special events too!
Whether you’re planning a festive ride on our Santa Specials, indulging in a Fish & Chip Evening, or solving the case on our Murder Mystery train, you can now enjoy these experiences at a reduced rate.
We’ve outlined the details of the new discounts below, so you can see just how much you’ll save on some of our most popular events.
Help Spread the Holiday Cheer!
The festive season is fast approaching, and we need your help to make this year’s Santa Specials a magical experience for all! While it might still seem a little early to be thinking about Christmas, the big event will be here before we know it—and we’re already gearing up for what promises to be another fantastic season.
The Santa Specials are our biggest event of the year, bringing in nearly a third of our annual ticket revenue last year. If you haven’t grabbed your tickets yet, head over to www.deanforestrailway.co.uk to book your spot. Tickets are already flying off the shelves!
To make the magic happen, we need a team of festive volunteers to keep the holiday spirit alive on and off the train. We’re looking for:
• Mince Pie & Miniature Distributors: Delight passengers with tasty treats on board.
• Elves at Lydney Junction: Help Santa hand out presents and spread some Christmas cheer.
• Mince Pie Heaters: Ensure each train is stocked with warm, delicious mince pies.
• Mulled Wine Vendors: Serve up some seasonal warmth to our guests.
• Café Helpers: Keep the refreshments flowing and smiles glowing.
• Ticket Office Assistants & Station Porters: Guide our visitors and keep everything running smoothly.
No experience? No problem! We’ll show you everything you need to know. If you’re eager to be part of this festive fun, please give us a call 01594 845840 or get in touch with me directly at jamesgraham@deanforestrailway.co.uk. Join us in creating unforgettable memories for our visitors and help make this holiday season the best one yet!
Volunteers must be members of the Dean Forest Railway Society to qualify for discounts.
... and a Shameless Plug!
Our Annual Carol Concert will return on the evening of Saturday, 14th December! This event has grown in popularity, and we’re incredibly grateful to St Mary’s Church in Lydney for hosting us once again. Tickets include a full steam train journey along the line, departing at 17:15 and making a special stop at St Mary’s for the carol concert. After the concert, the church will pass around a collection plate, and all donations will be warmly received. Tickets are now available online, so be sure to secure your spot soon. And don’t forget, members can use their discount codes for extra savings!
Recently published by the DFR Museum Trust is a newly enlarged edition of ‘Rails to the Forest’. Now running to 224 pages, this book describes the route of the former Severn & Wye Joint Railway from its junction with the Birmingham –Bristol main line at Berkeley Road to Sharpness Dock on the eastern bank of the Severn. From there, after crossing the Severn Bridge, the journey continues on to Lydney, one-time hub of the S&W system, with its docks and heavy industries, before heading north over what is now the Dean Forest Railway to Norchard, located at the very edge of the Forest.
Over 400 photographs, many never published before and most dating from the post-WW2 era, record the massive changes wrought upon the local railways, docks, and industries in recent times, also many DFR milestone achievements since 1970.
This enlarged edition of ‘Rails to the Forest’ was slightly delayed but arrived at Norchard during the summer, and copies are now available from the shop for £22.50 (+£3.00 P&P for mail order). Until the end of December there will also be a special offer on ‘Rails to the Forest’ plus ‘Rails through the Forest’ for £40.00 with free P&P. Mail orders can be placed either by calling 01594 845840 to pay by card, or by sending a cheque payable to ‘Dean Forest Railway’ together with your order, name, address and contact number, to Dean Forest Railway Shop, Forest Road, Lydney, Glos., GL15 4ET.
5541 departs Norchard with an evening special. (A. Copley)
HRA News
Lord Peter Hendy, the Chair of Heritage Railway Association gave a keynote brief on current themes which was originally published in the Spring Edition of the HRA News, and is reproduced here in full.
At the Spring Conference in Llandudno a few weeks back, I voiced a view that I’m aware many of you will find at least moderately controversial. But I’m going to express it again just in case you missed it. It never ceases to amaze me just how complex, burdensome, and convoluted the structures of many heritage railways are.
That’s coming from someone who is accustomed to the ridiculously complex world of the national network.
The majority of the railways and tramways in the heritage rail sector have a baffling suite of organisations in their midst. A limited company, a PLC, a charitable trust, a membership society, perhaps more besides... and all supposedly for one railway...
How much time and energy is wasted in duplication? Two, three maybe even more boards, meetings, sets of accounts, auditors, and all the other trappings of running an organisation. I often hear that there is a shortage of volunteers and competent people for governance roles in heritage rail and as a sector we don’t have enough diversity or professional skills on our boards and those bodies sometimes lack the ability to strategically analyse wider issues. Is it any wonder that’s the case if many railways require those roles in triplicate?
Those structures may very well have been set up with all the best intentions of protecting and developing a heritage railway – but now, they’re holding that same railway back
If it can take four meetings and six months to get a simple decision through all the myriad of different trusts or boards, the information being used to make that decision is probably already out of date. And that’s assuming there is consensus about that decision.
I can’t think of a single disagreement in heritage rail I know about that hasn’t had its roots in these complicated, obscure, and often impregnable governance arrangements. Some very public arguments between different organisations in the same railway or tramway have come to light in recent years and, often, it’s been a difference of views between two parts of the same railway with ostensibly the same aims but a clash of personalities.
Sometimes perspective and logic vanishes completely, and the original aims are lost in the pursuit of control, or frankly the pursuit of personal interests over those of the wider railway. You can change the personalities, but if the root cause of that potential conflict is still embedded in your railway, then it’s obviously going to come back sometime in a slightly different form...
If any of your volunteers tell you that they work for one particular organisation rather than the railway as a whole, you’ve got a problem.
If you have to explain at length to external stakeholders how on earth your governance system works (or perhaps doesn’t), you’ve got a problem. And if you’ve ever been sat in a board meeting and focused your attention not on what’s best for the whole railway, but for your specific part of it... then, yes, you’ve got a problem too.
It doesn’t have to be that way, and I can promise you that everyone will be happier, more productive, and more fulfilled if it isn’t. Will people object to change? Of course they will; but can any of those objections genuinely not be overcome for the greater good? I sincerely doubt it. If you can’t do it straight away for whatever reason, there’s absolutely nothing to say that you can’t do it virtually. Hold your board/trust/society meetings together – everyone around the same table. If you can’t fit everyone around one table, then you might want to ask yourself if you’ve got too many people involved in the first place.
Some of you might find it difficult to hear this but being on the Board should not be considered as a reward for long service – it is a duty to ensure the long-term success of the organisation, plan for a sustainable future, and support the management who actually run the railway on a dayto-day basis. If Board members don’t bring professional skills, useful governance experience, or effective strategic analysis then you should ask yourself why are they part of the governance and what are they adding?
I don’t doubt that some people may have forgotten this as they get too close to the situation; but nobody in this sector set out to preserve a governance structure.They set out to preserve a railway. If you’re now thinking about how to preserve an almost certainly dysfunctional governance structure, I’d bet that you aren’t doing everything you could be to preserve that railway.
9681 passes Upper Forge with a ballast train. (A. Copley)
The Family Tree
Gill Christopher ponders our railway’s structure, with the diagrammatic assistance of Cecile Hunt.
• Ever been confused by the structure of our Railway?
• Do you understand the different, separate parts that make up the whole of the Dean Forest Railway (DFR)?
• Do you know who’s responsible for what, do you care?
It became self-evident at the recent Annual General Meetings for both the Dean Forest Railway Society (DFRS) and Forest of Dean Railway Limited (FODRL) that a lot of us do not understand any of the above.
I’ve been volunteering at the Railway now for nearly thirty years and even I’m confused!
Cecile, as a professional accountant of many years standing, understands these things. She drew me a diagram setting out how everything worked, and I thought it might be a good idea to explain our Railway’s structure to my fellow volunteers, that way they can understand how they fit into the complex, overall organisation that is the DFR.
I read the HRA Chairman’s Briefing the other day written by Peter, Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill, Chair, Heritage Railway Association, which discussed his view that: ‘many heritage railways have complex, burdensome and convoluted structures which often have a baffling suite of organisations in their midst. A limited company, a PLC, a charitable trust, a membership society, perhaps more besides... and all supposedly for one railway’.
The HRA Chairman’s Briefing has been reproduced opposite. I agree wholeheartedly with his summation that a lot of time and energy is wasted in duplication, with different boards, meetings, etc. but what, to my mind is worse is the lack of communication between the Boards.
Unfortunately this seems to be the same in all areas where a group of people get together, whether this is to run a business or a voluntary organisation.
Cecile has kindly set out the structure of our Railway for us in this article but we, as Volunteers, need to be more aware of what is going on...
For instance if there is a project planned and we know it’s a rehash of one that was proposed a while ago there should be a method of checking whether the pre-assessment work has been done before.
We should be able to check if any of our volunteers have expertise in the specific areas required and whether they would be prepared to assist with that project. Therefore, we need to be aware of how our Railway works and understand how to best enjoy and exploit our knowledge and contribution.
The other point I would like to make is that if we understand the structures and how to effect outcomes for the railway, we may be more willing to put ourselves forward for the management posts.
There is a shortage of volunteers and competent people with the diversity and professional skills needed, not only on our Boards but generally, people who can look at the whole picture and put forward ideas and projects that are good for the Railway and not just their pet projects.
Finally, I would like to say that I don’t believe there is anything wrong with the structure of our Railway, but I do believe that it could be streamlined, linked better, so that all the Boards and the Society know what is going on to avoid duplication of effort and costs.
5541 shunts a goods train in Parkend Yard. (A. Copley)
Forest of Dean Railway Limited (FODRL)
• Private Limited Company
• Company No. 01714404
• Incorporated on 12th April 1983
• 100% Shareholder owned
• Owner of the Freehold Land and Buildings from Lydney Junction to Whitecroft
• Lease Holder of the Whitecroft to Parkend trackbed
• 100% owner of Dean Forest Railway Company Limited
• Company run by a Board of up to 11 Directors
• Directors voted onto the Board by Shareholders
• Positions held on a 3-year rotation
• Chairman appointed by the Board
• Company Secretary appointed by the Board
Dean Forest Railway Company Limited (DFRCL)
• Private Limited Company
• Company No. 01576461
• Incorporated on 24th July 1981
• Trading Arm of Forest of Dean Railway Limited
• 100% owned by Forest of Dean Railway Limited
• Company run by a Board of up to 9 Directors
• Directors appointed by parent company
• Chairman is Vice Chair of parent company by default
• Company Secretary appointed by the Board
• HMRC Registered Employer with Paid Staff
Dean Forest Locomotive Group (DFLG)
• Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO)
• Charity No. 1164847
• Registered on 14th December 2015
• Owns and hires steam engines and vehicles to DFRCL
• Membership Body
Dean Forest Railway Museum Trust (DFRMT)
• Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO)
• Charity No. 1178157
• Registered on 30th April 2018
• Specialises in the railway history of the Forest of Dean, in particular the Severn & Wye Joint Railway
• Operates the accredited museum at Norchard
• Owns some rolling stock and the historical artefacts
Western Steam Engineering Limited (WSE)
• Private Limited Company
• Company No. 08931664
• Incorporated on 10th March 2014
• Provides contract engineering support to the railway
Valley Rail Preservation
• Sole Trader
• Owns and hires diesel engines to DFRCL
Hawksworth Saloon Group
• Owns and hires Hawksworth Saloon to DFRCL
National Wagon Preservation Group (NWPG)
• Owns and hires rolling stock to DFRCL
• Membership Body
Independent Owners & Groups (Multiple)
• Owners of various items hired or loaned to DFRCL
Dean Forest Railway Society (DFRS)
• Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO)
• Charity No: 1183538
• Registered on 22nd May 2019
• 100% Member owned
• Charity run by a Board of up to 12 Trustees
• Trustees voted onto the Board by Members
• Fundraises and provides volunteers for the restoration, operation and maintenance of the Dean Forest Railway.
• Produces Dean Forest Railway Magazine for Members
• Owns and hires rolling stock to DFRCL including the Shark Brake Van and the Mark 1 and Mark 2 Coaches
Dean Forest Diesel Multiple Unit Group (DFDMUG)
• Owns and hires DMUs and rolling stock to DFRCL
• Membership Body
Heritage Wagon Group
• Owns and hires rolling stock to DFRCL including the Queen Mary Brake Van and the Loriot Wagons
DMU Group Update
Alan Pace gives a run through of the Summer activities, continuing to operate, maintain, and restore the fleet and whilst undertaking some much needed major improvement works to the depot area.
The jobs required to return M51914 to service were completed in time for the Summer services, this will enable E50619 to be withdrawn for work on the rear end. Recent jobs on M51914 include replacement of a tap on No. 1 fuel tank, fitting a replacement driver side wiper, installing a secondman side wiper and replacement of a faulty test switch on the No. 1 engine fire detection system.
The necessary servicing work, an A-exam, some cleaning, and a short test run in Norchard low level were completed to prepare the vehicle for service. It was paired with power car M51566 and put into traffic for the Forest Railway Stories weekend on 29th and 30th June. The set performed well, M51914 had previously not been used in passenger service since October 2022, our records show this is the first time these two vehicles have worked as a pair in preservation. Due to the poor condition of No. 1 engine on M51566 it is not intended to use this engine, but it is available if needed as a backup.
Trevor Daw – A Celebration of Life
On 5th June, a DMU special was run in order to celebrate the life of Trevor Daw (President of the Railcar Association). Members of Trevor's family, the 'SVR' DMU Group West Midlands and Dean Forest DMU Group enjoyed two round trips of the line, including a buffet lunch in the café at Norchard. A big thank you must go to all those who helped to make this special celebration of life happen.
Social Events
The social side of the group is going strong with recent visits to the Looe branch, the Tamar Belle visitor centre at Bere Ferrers, the Vale of Rheidol Railway, Pembroke Dock, and Milford Haven.
Depot Improvements
Some major DMU depot infrastructure work has been taking place. The concrete near our storage container was of poor quality, the surface was breaking up and pallet trucks with heavy loads tended to sink into it making movement of items difficult. With concrete being laid around the new DFR pit it was a good time to work with the DFR to replace and extend that in the DMU depot.
Our team has been busy breaking up and removing the old concrete and laying ducting for water pipes and electrical cables to reduce trip hazards and make the area tidier and safer. The drainage system of our shallow pit and surrounding area has also been re-worked.
We are fortunate that Rich Arthur has worked as a drainage engineer and that others in the DMU team have experience in groundwork, surveying along with drawing skills as well as being very practical and hard working.
Thank you to those non-DMU group members who have also helped with the work. At the time of writing most of the preparation work for the concreting had been done.
E50619 Corridor End
The scrap steel corridor end moved to Yorkshire to allow a new rear end to be constructed from aluminium. Chris Bull visited the supplier in June to give more information, manufacture is due to be completed in early August.
Other Items, etc
The DMU group PALVAN and VANFIT were made available for a photo charter on 4th July, this involved us in more shunting of the depot area. We have also been able to help other DMU groups with both spares and information.
Above: Richard Thomasson fixes drainage channels in place. (R. Arthur)
Left: Chris Blakemore and Chris Walker fit the drainage sump. (R. Arthur)
Below: A scrap steel corridor connection arrives in Yorkshire. (C. Bull)
Opposite page: M51914 and M51566, paired for the first time in preservation, sit at Parkend on 28th July 2024. (A. Pace)
Fencing the Line
Martin Hillier gives a brief update as the leader of our very busy fencing team.
Behind the scenes a very small team of members have been refurbishing the lineside fencing along the railway most of which dates back to the BR-era. Limited work was undertaken in the 1980s as part of Manpower Services Commission training, in association with adjoining development and as part of the Push for Parkend over twenty years ago.
Since then, it has suffered from fallen trees, wild animals, and sheep, trespassing and natural deterioration.The worst areas needing attention are north of Norchard towards Parkend, with north of Whitecroft being particularly bad.
Works have involved replacing rotten fence posts and rusted wire and cutting back vegetation to allow safe working. To allow wild animals to cross the line we have rationalised the number of fence wires to four and have incorporated deer jumps at a few locations. This we hope will offer alternatives to them breaking down the wires.
The refurbishment of the fencing along the western side of the line between Oakenhill Wood 1 and Whitemead Crossing is now nearly complete after many hours work. Reinforcement of the existing fencing at Whitecroft Yard with spiked fence panels have helped to deter the antics of a local sheep owner who keeps cutting the fencing...
Further work will, however, be necessary as the vandalism continues... Similarly, recent work north of Tufts Bridge is taking place to address trespass issues from Forest Road.
There are a number of future projects on the waiting list including refurbishment of fencing on the east side of the line between Oakenhill Wood 1 and Oakenhill Wood 3.
There are also works at Whitecroft, replacing the field gate at Oakenhill Wood 3 on the east side with a lift off fence panel; works at St Mary’s and Traveller’s Rest and replacing fencing at Platform 1 Norchard, as well as some works north of Middle Forge.
If any members would like to join our small team, they would be more than welcome. We normally work one day a week depending on weather conditions.
If you are interested in getting involved, please get in touch, you can email volunteering@deanforestrailway.co.uk or otherwise leave a message in the shop at Norchard for my attention and I'll get back to you as soon as I can.
Below: Tony Soughton weighs up the large challenge ahead!
Right: Tony Soughton and Alan Grant install the new straining wires either side of the recently created deer crossing.
Telecoms Update
Chris King recalls the work to reconnect the railway after the Lydney Town Level Crossing renewal.
As part of the Lydney Town Level Crossing renewal the Telecoms group needed to provide a new cable and two cabinets (one each side of the crossing). A suitable length of 50-pair cable had been recovered from the relocation of another cabinet at Middle Forge earlier in the year.
Before the works at the crossing had commenced, the existing cables were disconnected and pulled back. On the north side of the level crossing the buried cable had to be carefully excavated using the RRV. The cable was then installed into flexible ducting and diverted under the track ready to reach the new cabinet when installed.
After the bulk of the crossing works had been completed, the recovered 50-pair cable was pulled into the new ducting under the road. The ends of the ducts were then finished with angle joints and draw pits.
With the new link cable pulled in through the draw pits, new cabinets were installed on concrete bases at either end.With the cables in place and connected, new concrete troughing was installed and the cables laid into them.
The new cabinets were recovered from Network Rail after being made redundant by enhancement projects, namely Stage Four of the Bristol Area Signalling Renewals and Enhancements and the Filton Bank Four-Tracking.
These cabinets are more modern than the older wooden Western Region cabinets that we are used to, but they do have the benefit of using a screw-down crimp connection, rather than the 2BA nut and bolt block commonly used.
The benefit if the newer crimped connections is that they are waterproof with a grease covering. A smaller cabinet has also been installed for housing the S&T equipment at the crossing – a new sounder and indicator lamp.
Left: Chris King and Rick Gillingham connect up the cables.
Below Left: Huw Thomas, Adam Dickinson, Richard Hooper, and Rob Alpin install and level the north-side cabinet base.
Below Middle: The new cabinet and draw pit installed, with the ground already prepared ready to lay in the cable route.
(Photos: A. Williams)
Above A close-up of one of the newly installed cabinets.
Right: The new cabinet and cable route on the north-side.
Below: The new cabinets and cable route on the south-side.
(Photos: C. King)
Above Left: Richard Hooper preparing to lift the first cabinet.
RRV Round-Up
Williams gives on update on the swarm of yellow machines that appeared at Lydney Junction.
The summer has thankfully been very busy for the railway, but that comes with its own challenges – there is never enough time to get out and do all of the various maintenance activities! The more trains we run, the faster the infrastructure degrades and at the same time the less track access that we have to make any interventions… Maintenance activities require funds, which means we need to run trains… a vicious cycle!
Following on from the works to connect the new inspection pit the RRV has seen a reduced amount of hours. With the machine being mainly confined to the Lydney Junction yard area, sorting materials, and tackling vegetation. However, this doesn't stop us fitting in the testing of Quattro machines (which forms part of the donation, operating and maintenance agreement for QPL331 – our RRV).
We had five Komatsu machines at the beginning of August for a week – two PC138 tracked excavators and a smaller PC128 tracked excavator from Cwmbran and two PW160 wheeled excavators from Fareham. All coming to us for rigorous testing – the idea being that we try break as many of these machines as possible.
As ever with these type of days, Quattro supply operators and a mobile fitter, whilst we provide supervision and the work-bank. Along with the machines came trailers, ballast boxes, rail lifting beams, plate grabs, and a ballast brush. Not forgetting the standard supply buckets. We never get everything done, but we try to do as much as we can!
What sort of things have we done, or do we do?
One task was to complete the work alongside the East Loop at Lydney Junction. Over previous years an amount of scrap metal and rotten timbers had been removed and at the end of July we took the opportunity to flail along area. There is a small amount that needs to be attended as we lost the belts on the flail head late one evening but we did what we wanted to do with the area cleared.
Quattro went in with a tracked machine and a wheeled excavator with ballast box. All of the piles of spoil and broken brick, etc along the East Loop were collected up, levelled, and pushed further along in order to help build up the tight parts of the embankment towards the south end.
Adam
The completion of the renewal of Lydney Town level crossing and the relaying of the track on the north side meant that a lot of ballast had been dropped there.
This ballast has been ploughed but beyond that we were waiting on the attendance of a ballast regulator. The ballast brush was run through to remove the excess from the four-foot and sleeper ends and to rebuild the shoulders.
With trains running both on Tuesdays and Wednesdays during the week it was very awkward trying to plan in possessions. The Civils works along the East Loop were happily fitted in for a Monday and with a slight tweak to the DMU shuttle timetable, the ballast brushing at Lydney Town was easily completed on the Tuesday.
With the rest of the line out of bounds on a Wednesday, especially with it being a two-train day that limited us to operation along the East Loop at Lydney Junction. So that opportunity was taken to complete the ballast brushing.
Thankfully, ballast had already been dropped to create a temporary access point for the tracked machine to get alongside earlier in the week. So, that ballast was ploughed and brushed along to build up the ballast shoulders.
On Thursday and Friday time was spent tidying Lydney Junction yard. An area of ten-foot wide by thirty-foot long was cleared allowing the sliding puzzle to be continued with. Concrete sleepers found scattered around the yard were added to the stacks opposite the station building.
There were other jobs that were planned for the machines such as moving rail from Norchard and Middle Forge to Whitecroft. However, our goal was to test the machines to near destruction and that we did!
One of the track machines suffered a hydraulic failure, one an electrical fault and the other one just kept overheating! Both of the wheeled excavators followed suit with minor electrical faults, both requiring fitters’ attention – by Friday, our elderly machine QPL331 was the last one standing!
All of the issues experienced can be resolved in a workshop, but thankfully it hasn't cost Quattro delay minutes for a possession over-run on Network Rail. The machines went back to their respective depots for remedial work.
Undoubtedly, we will be seeing more machines from Quattro in the near future, they have taken over a portion of the assets of TXM who went into administration in the New Year. Whilst on the point of TXM, their other assets went to Readypower who had a plant auction during July… now I couldn't turn down that opportunity down!
Above Left: Consternation as an excavator overheats...
Above: The tidier sleeper stacks in Lydney Junction yard.
Below: Stablemates, but our QPL331 plods on with the flail.
Below Left: Ballast Brushing the re-lay north of Lydney Town.
The opportunity of acquiring items at relatively low prices compared to having to buy new should not be sniffed at...
We went in looking to see what maybe an interest – there were rail beams, panel beams, and various machines of all different sizes and shapes. When it came to the day, we were after a rail beam, a panel beam, and a ballast plough. We also took a punt on a 6-tonne swivel-tub road rail dumper, which with the other attachments can exponentially increase our current capabilities.
Not beating around the bush, but the dumper went for stupid money compared to some indicative values that I had been given! However, we managed to acquire a ballast plough and a pair of rail lifting beams at reasonable cost.
The ballast plough was not my preferred choice of the two available, albeit they had the same design just a difference in weight. With a quick change of fittings, Quattro were kind enough to test the ballast plough. However, the two rail beams will require some work before they can be serviceable, but that’s the chance you take in an auction!
Above: The swivel-tub dumper sold for in excess of £25,000.
Above Right: The rail lifting beams require some repairs.
Below: The ballast plough, worth around £38,000 new.
Below Right: The drive unit, auger, and cement mixer drum.
The ballast plough can be on and off tracked and carried between works without needing a train.When serviceable, rail lifting beams can be used on the RRV and the JCB excavators, making rail handling easier and safer.
We have also taken the opportunity to purchase an item of new equipment – an auger. If you have been at Norchard during August then you may have noticed the two-foot diameter auger, power unit, and cement mixer drum.
The attachment was stored outside the shop waiting for transport to Lydney Junction. The word around Norchard is that I am going to be installing electrification stanchions this winter, ready for the next overhaul of 5541 when a kettle element is going to be installed in the boiler...
Now for the real reason! As Alex Davies and Adam Dickinson detailed in their articles – we have a lot of drainage works that are coming up this winter and the auger is the correct size to create a hole ready to install pre-formed drainage catch pits. With these catch pits being up to two and a half metres deep, the ability to carry out the excavation mechanically is essential and avoids working in confined spaces or with trench supports.
Also, I think I can speak for most in that I do not even want to think about hand digging a two-foot diameter hole to a depth of eight feet! Let alone do it! However, installing drainage catch pits is just one use, we plan to use it to help install the new locomotive water tank at Lydney Junction.
The water tank structure requires concrete foundations, how do we create those in potentially unstable ground?
The answer is four new forty-five-gallon drums inserted into pre-bored holes, levelled, and then filled with concrete. Once set, the lattice frame for the water tank would then be bolted on top, followed by the water tank itself.
As hinted above, the auger unit isn't just for boring holes, we also acquired a bolt-on cement mixer drum. Other items that are available to suit the highly geared drive include a stump planer and log splitter, not forgetting the array of auger sizes from 150mm (6") up to 1200mm (48"). Listed alongside are our attachments, the hours of use, the outlay, and importantly the pay back ratio to date.
Working with Road Railers and attachments is a mindset that everyone needs to get into irrespective of discipline.
Work must be planned and in the work bank well in advance. The correct materials and attachments need to be in the right place and the machine serviced ready to go.
Work must be planned to reduce attachment changes, non-hydraulic attachments can be changed in a matter of seconds but changing to or from hydraulic attachments loses a lot of valuable operating time, for every change.
Machines have a dry cab, heaters and work lights, providing the operator can do so safely, keep the machine working. Once crewed, and in service, never let a machine sit idle.
Serviceable Hydraulic Attachments
Serviceable Non-Hydraulic Attachments
Non-Serviceable Attachments
Above Left: A brush bucket aimed to become a ballast brush.
Below: An evening of sorting through concrete sleepers.
Below Left: The land rake being separate out scrap metal.
Tour by Diesel Railcar
Owen Humberstone Prosser detailed touring Severn & Wye lines for Meccano Magazine (November 1951 – Volume 36, No.11) and Forest Venturer (Autumn 1984, No.45), reproduced for your pleasure.
In July 1950 the Birmingham Locomotive Club organised a tour of railway branches in the Forest of Dean which lost their passenger services in 1929. The trip was very popular and was repeated two months later, when exGreat Western diesel railcar No. 7 again left Moor Street Station, Birmingham, at 8.40 a.m. The sum shone bravely as we shot off southward to Stratford-on-Avon in the comfort of the steel-on-steel vehicle.Through Cheltenham and Gloucester, the car reached Berkeley Road Junction, where it turned off for Sharpness. Here the Docks and Inland Waterways Executive keep a stud of small 0-4-0 saddle tanks in a suitably diminutive shed near the end of the Berkeley Ship Canal and we were able to visit them resting from their usual duties of shunting on the quayside near by.
With all aboard once more, we ran parallel with the dock lines for a short way, passed through Sharpness Station and entered the cutting which gives access to the majestic Severn Bridge, a tall and imposing structure which is almost a mile long and must surely rank as one of Britain’s foremost engineering triumphs. Wide expanses of sand and estuarine waters formed a noble prospect from the windows as we passed over, but even better were the views of the bridge itself as we swung round Severn Bridge Station and headed for the tunnel beyond it.
There was a stop at Lydney Junction for those who wished to inspect the locomotives on shed there; but at the station there was a railway relic even more interesting
than the engines. This was a poster of the former Midland Railway, which a kind fate had preserved not only from destruction but also from any great disfigurement during the thirty or more years of its existence. The map of the system shown on the poster was still beautifully clear, and so were the inset pictures of the centres of the principal cities or towns served.
After lunch we struck off northward from Lydney Town station, the terminus of the regular passenger services, though there were football excursions from Parkend during 1950. A short way past Parkend, our diesel car reversed and followed the line to Coleford.This is a typical Forest of Dean branch, as one realised on looking out of the front window. Ahead stretched the grass-grown, rusty single track, piercing the dense pine forest like the solitary messenger of civilisation in what, otherwise, was a lonely and silent sanctuary of peace in a troubled word.
The trees come up close to the lineside and in places form almost an alcove of leaves and branches above the track. Even when the sun shines, it is dark and melancholy in such places. Stiff climbs and sharp curves abound on this and the other branches. Although in bottom gear and exerting all her power, the diesel car found it such hard work to haul her full load of passengers up the 1 in 30 stretches that at times we were down to only 5 m.p.h. So much the better; to have gone faster would have been to insult the magnificent views which benevolent nature has besprinkled this wonderful Forest.
Great Western type 70-seater diesel
No.
Railcar
7 at Lydney Town on the special trip described in this article. This view shows clearly the characteristic end outlines of these vehicles.
The platform clearance at Coleford was too small for the car to draw further forward than the position shown in the photograph; as it was, the side rested against the platform edge.
The return run to the junction was a higher speed, for, apart from the initial climb out of the terminus, the grade now favoured us. So back we glided, heeling over to round the sudden curves, and seeing numerous boards instructing drivers of freight trains to stop dead before descending. On the way from Parkend to Cinderford we passed old collieries and metal mines, which when in production, caused the building of the branches and the ancient plateways that preceded them. Beyond Serridge Junction we went over the track which was the most worth-while of all top cover; this section having lost its traffic to the other route into Cinderford, had been officially abandoned some time before the visit, and was not even shown in the working time-table.
This doomed line took us into Cinderford where during half an hour’s wait, we were provided with the entertainment which the push-pull motor-train from Newnham, like others of its kind, is so well able to give. It bustles into its terminus, briskly shunts in the yard, and returns to the platform. There the staff load all kinds of goods aboard and the driver oils up the motion as the little 0-4-2 tank stands there as demurely as the best behave cow that was ever milked.
On returning to Serridge Junction we ran on to the branch to Lydbrook, and almost immediately came to a curve even sharper than the usual. “This,” said the pilotman to those gathered about him at the entrance to the driver’s cab, “is what we call Speculation Corner: we always wonder if we shall get round it.”
Coleford Station, where lack of platform clearance prevented the railcar reaching further along than the position
The most scenic part of this run came towards the end, near the village of Lower Lydbrook. The single track is carried high above road and houses on a shelf cut in the hill sides, at one place passing through a tunnel cut in the bare rock without any facing. This gives an appearance similar to that of the old Welsh Highland Railway tunnels in Aberglaslyn Pass. After following this commanding position along the hill sides, the line crossed the valley by a tall viaduct, and so reaches Lydbrook.
Our return to Birmingham via Hereford, Worcester, and Kidderminster. Like a free and eager spirit rejoicing in the new-found freedom of the open plains, after a day where the curves and gradients of the Forest branches cramped her style, No. 7 fairly few along straight stretches of main line track. Perhaps our driver realised that he carried on this trip a more appreciate load of people than usual!
Railcar No. 7 at Serridge Junction, the route from Cinderford had already been abandoned when the journey was made.
shown.
Beneath your wheels
Alex Davies turns his back to regular maintenance works, whilst also planning the winter works.
With the Town Crossing works now behind us you would be forgiven for thinking that the Permanent Way team would be taking it easy.Well, the truth is that, to some extent we have. The summer months are always relatively quiet for the team. This is due to the combination of increased services meaning less non-running days where non-critical work can be carried out and higher temperatures.
Rails heat up quickly in direct sunlight, expansion gaps close up and working with rails becomes impractical. Add to that the sheer effort of doing physical work in the warm weather and major works become almost impossible. Whilst mentally we're twenty-one again, please remember that physically most of us are the wrong side of sixty-five!
Minor maintenance has continued, replacing broken chairs, lubricating fishplates, replacing bolts, etc. and although the crossing was finished in April there is still fettling work to be done so some of our time has been spent there.
Track patrols and emergency repairs are the order of the day, along with planning for future works. On the face of it planning work doesn’t sound so demanding but, among our many planning activities this summer, we have measured and assessed every one of the three-hundred sleepers in the points at Lydney Junction and devised a renewal programme that is likely to extend over the next two or three years. We have also spent time measuring all the 85lb rail in the line north of Whitecroft (some 1800 feet of it) and conducting a detailed inventory of our stocks of timber sleepers. All of this data gathering is crucial to the projects we are planning for later in the year.
High on the agenda is a remodelling of the area around the Geismar trolley hut on the high level at Norchard. The aim is to tidy up the area and make it easier to get equipment on and off track as well as providing a place to store the Plasser slewer. With four members of the team now qualified to operate the JCB 360 excavators, working in this area will be a great opportunity for them to gain first-hand experience. We are currently in the process of clearing the site of obstacles such as old trolleys and track components ready for the digger to start work.
Beyond that we are planning to carry out work to replace worn out point sleepers in the ‘critical path’ into Lydney Junction. This is the line that passes through the three points to the north of the Harbour Road crossing into the Platform 2 and West Loop roads. We identified thirty-five sleepers in this ‘critical path’ and a further twenty-six in the platform 1 road that need to be replaced.
Our intention is to replace all of these sleepers during the short “closed season” in November. This will be a severe test of our mechanisation with rails needing to be removed, beds to be levelled and re-ballasted, and around three-hundred holes drilled and screwed into new timbers.
The good news is that most of the sleepers in the platform 1 road can be replaced with screw bolted concrete sleepers from our stocks at Tufts Junction. The bad news is the hard wood timbers in the ‘critical path’ will cost us around £9,000 to replace.
Beyond that, in the longer "closed season" between the New Year and the start of the 2025-26 operating season we will be looking to carry out a number of projects mainly towards the north end of the line. These include
• Removing the redundant ‘up’ head shunt at Parkend
• Replacing sleepers and rail from Whitecroft to Parkend
• Possibly replacing the point at Middle Forge
Various items of drainage work are also being planned (including sorting annual flooding issues at Middle Forge), as well as other essential track maintenance activities.
In long-term planning, with the success of the Lydney Town level crossing renewal we are now talking to our supplier Edilon)(Sedra about renewing both the Whitecroft and Parkend level crossings. We have also opened discussions with Gloucestershire County Council regarding renewals of the Harbour Road and A48 Bypass Level Crossings too!
Above: Surface water flowing down from the Bream Road and flooding the track at Middle Forge Junction. (A. Williams)
Our mechanisation continues apace (and can’t come soon enough for us concessionary bus pass holders).
At the time of writing, we currently have:
• Three petrol impact wrenches (up by one on last year)
• Two sleeper drills (up by two on last year)
• Three sets of iron men (up by two on last year)
We are also in the process of purchasing two additional hand tampers to augment the two that we already have.
Work to repair and improve the Road Rail Land Rover has commenced in earnest and we have secured funding for two storage containers, one of these is planned for Whitecroft and whilst the other is for Lydney Junction.
We are looking for mechanically minded people to help our ‘back office’ team repairing and refurbishing tools and materials. We urgently need to refurbish a number of point hand lever mechanisms so that we can replace failing ones in the yard an Norchard and elsewhere.
We also have a large number of petrol engine tools, ranging from simple generators and impact wrenches, up to and including our trusty Geismar motorised trolley, which would benefit from a full servicing by a suitably capable engine mechanic.
We are also looking for people who would be willing to help us sort and catalogue the various permanent way assets that we have, and importantly their condition.
In the early days of the DFR we (like most infant heritage railways) acquired any materials that we could lay our hands on from the various railways and engineering firms that were closing down at the time. Many materials were stored at locations along the lineside in case they were ever needed. Unfortunately, for the majority, that is where they remain – with most now beyond their use-by date!
Now, as a more mature railway, we have a much clearer idea of what we will and will not need going forward. The development team are progressively tidying up the railway (ultimately making it more attractive to our visitors) by recovering materials from various locations and moving them to Lydney Junction.The items are then inspected and either stored for re-use or disposed of responsibly.
Once there, they need to be sorted into items we want to keep, items that may be of use to other railways and museums and items that should be weighed in for scrap. This is the sort of activity that could be done on sunny weekend days during the summer.
We’re always on the lookout for new volunteers, and you don’t have to be out in all weathers or in the middle of the week to work with our gang. Our core working days are Monday and Thursday but there are plenty of jobs that can be done at weekends and under cover.
If you think you could help us with any of these tasks, please do get in touch via volunteering@deanforestrailway.co.uk – we’d love to hear from you.
Survey data was collected by laser level and staff, allowing a 3D wire-frame model of Middle Forge Junction to be built. This highlights the position of the 10-inch medium pressure gas main relative to the track, which any drainage must cross whilst maintaining a falling gradient along the entire system!
(A. Williams)
Below: A series of trial pits were hand dug to establish the position, depth, and direction of the gas main. (A. Williams)
Development in Depth
Inspection Pit
During a steam day, our volunteer locomotive crews need access underneath the engine for preparation, inspections, and disposal. Access is needed to the motion and axle boxes, as well as the ash pan underneath the firebox for emptying ready for the next day’s services.
With the original pit at Norchard being rather short and shallow (particularly noticed by some of our taller volunteers) – a replacement had long been talked about, and finally in early 2023 funding was agreed to install a modern replacement. What then followed was a period of ground investigations, detailed discussions, and quotes, eventually a solution offered by Premier Pits was selected.
With the company being a supplier of inspection pits to both the motor industry as well as the rail industry, their offering brought with it several advantages. The main one being the ability to supply a one-piece steel fabrication pre-fitted with access steps, lighting and ducting for the supply of the necessary services.
With the position within the yard at Norchard determined by a number of factors – not least the necessity to still run trains during the installation process, above and below ground site constraints, and the desire to maintain flexibility for future developments. The first steps were to infill the siding adjacent to the new pit’s location to allow plant to operate easily, and to install ten concrete bases to be used as datum points, from which the pit could then be supported on steel beams whilst structural concrete was poured into the excavated hole.
With the concrete for the datum points poured and cured, the next stage would be to lift the existing trackwork below where the pit would be installed. Once the site had been prepared, a week of intense work was planned.
The arrival of the contractors early on a Monday morning in the early months of 2023 saw a quick start made on the excavation, with a flurry of activity as the spoil was excavated and tipped in the car park for later disposal.
The pit itself is eighteen metres long, and once excavated, the now aeriated spoil increases to become roughly three times the volume… so the spoil heap grew rapidly until close of play on the Tuesday, when the main excavation was completed. During this work, the opportunity was also taken to re-route a water pipe which was found to be not quite where the plan said it would be!
The Tuesday afternoon saw the arrival of the prefabricated pit itself from Lincolnshire on a trombone trailer, escorted through Lydney by the contractors who’d just finished the main excavation. It was quickly but carefully unloaded with a pair of telehandlers, then expertly brought into the work site, and positioned alongside the excavation.
happening around the railway.
The Wednesday morning saw the pit lowered into position, firstly into the bottom of the excavation, but then jacked back up on the supporting beams, this was to allow for the final alignment to be correctly established.
Incredibly, just before lunch the first of the structural concrete arrived and was poured. The nature of the concrete meant that the remainder could be poured when it arrived early the following day. By Friday, the first pour had cured sufficiently to allow the removal of the supporting steelwork, and the contractors were off site as scheduled on the Friday afternoon.
Installation of flat bottom rail on the pit itself was undertaken during the summer of 2023 and now with the critical item installed and its ‘as built’ alignment established, the draft plans for connections were firmed up. Ducting for the electrical supply for the pre-fitted lights and the outfall for the built-in drainage was installed across the loco preparation areas of the yard, tapping into the existing drainage infrastructure and importantly the oil interceptor.
The groundwork was then prepared for the next concrete pour, this was apron around the pit itself. Before the pour, a degree of levelling was required and installation of the reinforcing steel mesh. The concrete delivery and pour were delayed slightly due to the variability of the weather.
By this time heavy rain and frosts necessitated keeping a close eye on the forecast for a suitable window of fair conditions. Unfortunately, whilst we played weather roulette a key member of staff from the family firm contracted to undertake the groundworks for the project was hospitalised after being involved in a serious road traffic collision. Thankfully, he has now fully recovered.
Whilst these items were being dealt with, discussions continued in the background as to the best way of completing the trackwork required to connect the new pit into the existing trackwork. Once this was agreed, and a contractor appointed, all that was needed was a suitable window to carry out the work.
Unfortunately, this then required a combination of a reasonable expectation of acceptable weather, contractor and supporting volunteers’ availability, and importantly Norchard yard being relatively empty to allow room for moving around sleepers, rail, and spoil. All of this work had to happen without causing damage to rolling stock and even more importantly – without injuring anyone.
Availability pointed towards the late May bank holiday weekend, which happened to be the Branchline Weekend… Two steam engines and the DMU would be out in traffic, Norchard signal box would be manned all day, and the yard would be relatively clear, leaving minimal shunting. Bingo!
Adam Dickinson takes a closer look at some development activities
An intense week of long days followed (in what transpired to be warmer than expected weather) and saw the existing track lifted, the bed graded, the track relayed, jacked, packed, and ballasted. The first engine steamed on to the pit on the last day of May during the ballasting operations.
Electrical connections were made for the pit lighting and the sump pump, as well as the installation of a pair of floodlights on the end of the Blueline Building ready for those early morning starts and late evening finishes.
In addition, the shed water column has also been relocated to better suit the new pit (albeit connected to the same tank).The column itself has also been altered allowing it to be accessed by engines on all three shed roads. A cabinet alongside the column has a separate connection into the water supply allowing it to be used for boiler washouts.
The one-piece fabricated construction arrived at Norchard after having to be escorted through the town centre, the sheer size of the new pit can be easily appreciated here.
There are a few jobs outstanding – an additional concrete apron is being installed around the long siding which passes alongside the new inspection pit. The siding was relayed as part of the works on both an improved level and alignment. Other plans include the relocation of the cleaner’s cabin and fire iron rack.
With the majority of the work completed, and the pit in operational use as of the August Bank Holiday weekend - I would like to take this opportunity to thank those who have been involved in this project. Whether you assisted with the initial investigations and planning, or right through to the groundwork such as those who installed the new track and ballast. This has been a project that has been more complex and time-consuming than it should have been, but it will bring countless benefits in the long term.
Following its arrival, the pit was delicately unloaded from the transport using a pair of telehandlers. The fabrication then had to be carefully weaved through the Norchard site, the first obstacle being the right-angle turn over the bridge.
Once over the bridge, another right-angle turn had to be made in order to access the courtyard. After passing through the Blueline Building, the fabrication was negotiated passed the excavation before being lowered into it.
Once located, the pit was jacked back up and a steel framework constructed to maintain it at the correct level and orientation from pre-defined datums.
Concrete was poured into the hole around the steelwork. Once cured, shuttering was built to cast the concrete apron, this will provide a safe working environment around the pit that is strong enough to use lifting jacks on.
The concrete apron was poured in stages, seen half way through the works. The base for the relocated water column can also be clearly seen. Once the concreting was complete, the pit services were plumbed in and tested.
For the rail connection, a number of alternative track components were required. The RRV collected a shallower crossing vee for the yard point from stock at Tufts Junction.
On the late May Bank Holiday, the existing Long Siding and Restoration Shed connections were removed using the RRV. This allowed for the site to dug out and levelled to suit the alignment and level of the new pit.
With the old track out of the way, the removal of the spoil could commence. Our small dumper couldn’t get rid of the volumes fast enough. This is something that we’ll need to think about and resolve going forward.
With the bulk of the spoil removed, a laser level was set up to achieve the correct levels throughout. The bed was then carefully scratched out to the final depth.
A morning downpour didn’t dampen spirits, the RRV was able to deck out the sleepers on the graded bed and drop the rails into place for the new pit siding in reasonable time. The closure rails were then cut to fit into the altered point.
With the sidings complete, the final track components were installed before jacking and packing. A first (unorthodox) use for the pit was to access the hydraulics for the RRV Sleeper Grab, which proved its worth during this work.
Ballasting was undertaken using 5541 and a pair of dogfish – an excellent reminder that both the locomotive and wagons are still more than capable of a day’s graft!
The works ready to be signed back into use, there’s always paperwork to do! It is safe to say that it was an intense week and that everyone deserved to have a weekend off to rest, some were even asleep before they got home…
A damaged Permaquip Ironman lifting frame was acquired and suitably modified in the workshop. It was expertly crafted into a dram that the engines can be ashed-out into, rather than directly onto the pit floor.
The ash dram runs on the inside edge of the inspection pit; the 3-foot 6-inch gauge cart pays homage to the early Severn and Wye as a tramway from 1810 to 1868.
The water crane was moved from the old to the new concrete plinths. With a cabinet sourced to house the water supply and connection for washout hoses, a day was then spent plumbing in and commissioning the relocated column.
Other Developments
Ongoing projects include the installation of CCTV and foot crossing improvements at Lydney Junction. Whilst ground investigations will be taking place on the site, another key item has arrived too – a water tank. Our engines take water at Parkend on a normal running day. However, for better resilience and flexibility a second water supply is required that can fully replenish a locomotive quickly.
Following investigations into several options, a suitable tank was located and purchased, and is now awaiting preparation and installation. The tank has a capacity of 12,000 Litres (2,640 Gallons), so could easily fill the Pannier or Prairie twice from empty. The plan is that it will be installed behind Lydney Junction Signal Box, where there are existing water supplies and drainage.
The steel tank is of agricultural origin, seen here in its original location being used for the storage of molasses. The tank will be professionally cleaned before it gets put in to use.
Funding
Including the locomotive water tank mentioned, the board has agreed to fund the following items:
• Purchase of a 8t 360 excavator – now delivered
• Refurbishment of the 6t 360 excavator
• Purchase of a powered trolley to assist with moving café stock and dining train operations – now delivered
• Track Drainage improvements at Pill House Sidings (aka Albany Pumps), Lydney Town and Middle Forge
• Purchase of storage containers for Permanent Way
• Purchase of Fibre Optic cable for Telecoms
Training
An annual budget will be shared between departments for training, this will cover items like the recent 360 training.
Parkend Monday Gang
George Smith reports on the activities of the Parkend Monday Gang.
It was not that long ago that I wrote the last report, so this one is a bit shorter. With the holiday season upon us John Goldrick has been taking short trips to Europe using a three-month Eurail Pass. Chris Bladon has been away several times, and I write this in mid-July as I will be away just before the August copy date.
Ground Works
The earth that had been piled in front of the signal cabin has now been spread and levelled. Some has been left for back filling the pit for when the Ground Frame is removed.
Whitemead Park Foot Crossing
The replacement hinge post (outer west gate) that had been fitted in the Spring had moved causing the gate to sag and not close properly. The stones surrounding the post were dug out and the gate was tied back to one of the concrete fence posts.This was to hold it such that the gate would swing freely and close with the latch bolt engaging properly into the other post.
A bag of Postcrete was poured into the hole and watered. The gate was tied open for a day to give the Postcrete more time to fully harden.
As the refitted hinge post was in a slightly different position, the latching bolt no longer fitted well into the opposing post. A block of wood was fashioned to fit to the other post to give a deeper bolt hole.
The path close to the road had become boggy as water was flowing across it from an orifice below the cycle hire car park. A shallow trench was dug which created a gush of water which flowed across the path into the ditch. A short section of land drain was placed in the trench which was backfilled and covered over. Some old ballast will be used to make a firm surface.
Signal Cables
Two signal cables, for the axle counter head and Facing Point Lock, had been lying across the walking path near to the drain sump. Trenches were dug to let in short lengths of protective orange pipe. During the following week S&T re-routed the cables into the pipes and laid more pipe between the point rodding and the running line. As these new pipes had only been placed on the surface they were subsequently dug in to soil and ballast level.
Permanent Way Hut
A sheet of plywood left over from a gala had been saved with a view to repairing one rotten roof panel on the PW Hut.The old roof panel was a former scrap one which had gone soft with the seepage of rainwater while the chimney was being rebuilt. Two coats of fence paint were applied to one side and around the edges of the new panel. Using a scaffold tower for access we folded back the roof felt to half way. There were three layers; felt over underlay over old felt over the panel. The rotten plywood panel (nearest to the chimney) was prised up and removed. Its poor quality was evident as it centre was made from narrow strips rather than sheets or blocks.
The resulting gap was measured, and the new panel trimmed to be a good fit. The cut edges were again coated with fence paint before the felts were laid back down; each one being stuck down where small tears had occurred. With the three layers back down, they were pinned around the edges and seams.
The old battens were cleaned and repainted and reattached to hold the roofing felt to the sides of the roof. Some mortar was mixed to refit the lead flashing between the chimney and the roof. The was lead hammered home with a soft-headed mallet.
Car Park Yard
An effort has been made to tidy up the car park. The fine chippings used for the platform were emptied out and moved to form a virtual quarry under the footbridge. A bag of sand and gravel just inside the car park were emptied, their contents filling bags on the other side of the photographer’s enclosure. The remaining two bags of aggregate and sand are full and too heavy to move yet.
Concrete Pad
The concrete slab outside of the Gents/Disabled toilet had suffered frost damage. The affected section was cut out, broken up and re-poured.
The gang which meets on most Mondays at 09:30 is always seeking new volunteers. If you'd like to get involved, please do get in touch via volunteering@deanforestrailway.co.uk – we’d love to hear from you.
page:
Railway 1F, 41708 arrives in to Parkend on 23rd July 1994 with a goods train. (DFR Museum Collection)
Above: Breaking out the old crumbing concrete.
Below: The damaged section removed ready for re-pouring.
Opposite
Midland
View from the Box
Adrian Copley, DFR Operating Manager,
reports on a very busy Summer season.
Hello everyone and welcome to the Summer edition! So, we moved on from the May Photo Charter to the usual round of carriage shunting to re-form the running set for the Murder Mystery evening. This time only one day instead of two and there looked to be a little less stress among the organisers, but there is a lot of work involved for an evening dining train.
The following weekend was to be the early Steam Gala, but it was changed to a Branchline weekend as no visitors could be booked due in part to the level crossing works at Lydney Town. Our very own Pannier and Prairie on coaching sets and the DMU had fun chasing each other for the two days. A decision was made to use that Bank Holiday weekend to start ripping Norchard Yard apart in order to complete the trackwork for the inspection pit.
The trusty Class 08 locomotive D3937 (the shunter formerly known as Gladys) has new owners so now we all have to get used to a new inspection and maintenance regime which includes a monthly examination of the working bits, most of which will still take place at Lydney Junction. During July and August, the locomotive will, weather permitting, have a new coat of paint applied. This is to be the British Rail corporate blue livery and will include a change of identity from D3937 following the TOPS numbering scheme to 08769.
TOPS stands for Total Operations Processing System, which was an early computer system bought by British Rail from America in the early 1970s and it relies on vehicles having a minimum of five numeral digits so that’s why all locos were re-numbered in the 1970s. I remember this well when I started my apprenticeship in 1971 and began on depot at Bristol Bath Road the following year. There was an array of colours for the liveries on the hydraulic types, but the others (the electric traction types) were shades of green and some blue.
Slowly everything turned blue as each loco visited the works for their overhaul (known on the railway as ‘shopping’) some came out with their Dxxxx number but soon it changed to the TOPS number which included the first two numbers as a class number then three others which were the locomotive identifier. The Western Region hydraulic types never carried the TOPS numbers, although the class numbers were allocated, right to the end but they were painted in the corporate blue. A few remained in maroon or green until they were withdrawn.
The “Baby Warship” D63xx Class were all gone by December 1971, the last of the “Warship” D8xx Class went in late 1972, the “Hymek” D7xxx Class followed in 1974, and the last were the “Western” D1xxx Class withdrawn in 1977. The “Westerns” were also known as “Thousands” due to their numbering. I remember the first D4xx Class to arrive in 1974 – it was number D400.
The D4xx later became the Class 50 some of which still survive. There hangs another tale, for another time…
Back now to the DFR and faces returned on locomotives in June as we had our first ‘Forest Railway Stories’ event. This face lark could have inflicted night terrors for some staff because it was likened to the old Thomas events when all of the locomotives had faces... Hey, those were the days! All was well in the end and a successful event that will likely be repeated again next year. I missed the event as I was excused for a family wedding (phew!).
The following week we had a visit on a Thursday from Sutton Coldfield Railway Society, who are based in the West Midlands. We gave them the full day that they requested with two different trains and their requested locomotive 5541, even the sun shone! Cameras were in use (including mine), the crew had some rare mileage into the yard and along the siding at Parkend to leave a wagon.
Who has forgotten to install Summer this year? The Bluebells and Foxgloves were a poor show earlier in the season and the sun has not been seen too much up to now (the end of July). Hey Ho! We carry on regardless! (perhaps that’s a good name for a film? Sid James?).
The next big event was a visit of a Rail Tour from the main line onto our infrastructure. The train originated in Hampshire and was hauled by a Class 33 in green numbered D6515 (pre-TOPS livery) together with an old southern region unpowered, driving control unit (Class 438) known as a 4TC unit (TC = Through Control).
I started writing this a week before the visit of the Rail Tour and Network Rail had yet to confirm the timetable due to engineering works and diverted trains. Now, they are the experts in ‘last minute dot com’! Anyway, all was confirmed in time, and all of the staff organised. Although the train was late arriving at the DFR where everyone accommodated the visit and made sure it left on time so there were not any financial penalties or hold-ups! Well done everyone on duty that day, many thanks for a top job.
We now turn the corner to August – the busiest month with two train days three times a week, a time when we struggle to fill rosters! So, if you can offer more during these periods like Summer or the Santas, please do! Let’s hope we have lots of passengers to make it worthwhile. Planning is in full swing to organise and confirm guests for the Steam Gala at the beginning of November, not forgetting that the Santas start at the end of the month too. Although it does seem quiet for the Diesel Gala in September (last year was something similar, a last-minute thing), but with mainline visitors planned – perhaps that's understandable, only time will tell... All too soon we will have the plan for next year and the timetables required. I best go and sharpen my pencils and service the printer!
Carriage & Wagon
Dave Chappell report on the latest activities undertaken by the team.
4862 – Mark 1 TSO
The chassis painting has continued steadily at the north end with the addition of a black bitumastic top coat on top of the Rustoleum protective primer. The planks which form the border of the floor in the north end have been cut to size, and the individual sections routed along the relevant sides so that the planks lock into the chassis girders and come to the same level as the flooring sheets when they are added in the central area.
The girders have been drilled to create fixing holes for the planks and then each plank, (suitably identified by location) were drilled to match the girder mounting holes. Finally, the top of the mounting holes were counter-bored to take the heads of the retaining bolts.
The south-end vacuum cylinder was refitted during the work on the south end and, now that the chassis and girder structure have been prepared and painted, the north end vacuum cylinder to operate brakes on the north bogie has been manoeuvred into position, lifted into alignment and the suspension bracket bolted into place.
This is a difficult task and requires continuous adjustment of elevation, tilt, and orientation to get the mounting pivots to align without fouling on the girders or the brake linkage and mechanism.
Our thoughts are now beginning to turn to the electrical wiring, light fittings, and controls. It is intended to convert the existing fluorescent fittings to LED lighting to reduce the power consumption and extend the running time on battery power during the winter months.
We believe there is a wiring or connection fault in the regulator box which controls the lighting, so this fault will have to be traced or the regulator repaired or replaced to allow compatibility with the remaining carriages.
Progress this quarter has been slower due to staff issues. Two team members are awaiting hospital appointments, one has moved house, and various staff members have been absent due to holiday commitments, so there have been some weeks when the on-site team is rather depleted.
Above: Lifting the north-end brake cylinder into position.
Below: The existing wiring for the coach lighting systems.
Above Left: The chassis coated with black bitumastic paint.
Restoring 7362 Coach
Ian Godsave reports on his return to the DFR, and an exciting project to focus on!
I had spent some years in the Carriage and Wagon department, and as restoration of Mark 1 Brake Corridor Composite No. 34742 was concluding I drifted away from the railway. However, about two years ago I felt the need to do something practical again and rejoined C&W.
I found a team working on TSO 4862, carrying out a deep overhaul. I expect to be involved in the re-wiring of this coach, but there is little that can be done until the floor is re-instated. I enquired about “that coach under the tarp”. I was told, “it is a Collett Brake Corridor Composite No. 7362 belonging to the Dean Forest Locomotive Group”.
Following some enquiries, I was told that No. 7362 is due to start restoration when locomotive commitments are complete. Although, I thought that I could help them get ahead in the restoration by preparing some of the electrical components ready for installation when required. Fuse Board
The first part that I tackled was a fuse board. I found several spares, including the one originally in 7362. All of these had rusty steel backplates. I picked the least rough looking one and dismantled it. I discovered that the brass studs were insulated from the backplate by mica washers. Mica is a translucent mineral that is a good insulator, but it easily splits into thin layers and is readily broken by bending. The mica washers on the fuse board easily delaminated, However they were in not too bad a condition.
The brass parts, bolts, washers, nuts, and knurled nuts were dirty and tarnished. I read that soaking in vinegar was a good way of cleaning brass items. This process seemed to be good at removing tarnish but not at removing heavier layers of dirt. So, I resorted to manually cleaning of parts using a fibreglass pencil and some very fine “Wet & Dry”.
I removed the old paint and rust from the backplate with a rotary wire brush in a power drill followed by coarser Wet & Dry. I applied a coat of red oxide primer and a shiny black top coat. Reproducing the rating number for the fuses was difficult. I made a computer drawing of the numbers and printed that to the correct scale to use as a stencil. I found that spray painting, brush painting or stippling produced terrible results with paint going under the stencil and making a mess. I settled on a tiny, nearly dry brush, to paint the outlines through the stencil. I then removed the stencil and hand painted the filling of the shapes. This was not fun and rather time consuming.
On completing the next item, an “Auto Switch”, I realised that the brass on the fuse board was not as shiny by comparison. So, I dismantled it again and polished the brass parts using Peek metal polish. I reassembled the fuse board and hoped not to have to do it again!
The original fuses appear to be lead wire, but I have found no documentation that gives the wire gauge for each fuse rating or confirm that lead wire is used for the fuses. If anyone has any details, it would be much appreciated.
Left: The original fuse board, just urging to be restored.
Below: The restored fuse board with all of the brass highly polished, shown after the second 'final assembly'.
Auto Switch
The function of the Auto Switch is to connect the dynamo to the batteries when the dynamo is producing sufficient output voltage to provide some charge to the batteries.
In addition to a voltage sensing coil the Auto Switch has a current sensing coil to hold the contacts closed while the dynamo is producing useful current. Although the dynamo is unlikely to produce an effective charging current whilst running at our speeds of up to 25 mph, it is planned to re-instate the electrical control system as close to the original designs as is practical.
In addition to the existing Auto Switch, I managed to find another example. This proved useful, when reassembling the restored switch, not only did I have some of my sketches to refer to, but also the second complete switch.
I dismantled the Auto Switch and painted the steel parts in a similar manner to the backplate of the fuse board. I found that the insulating block that carries the connection terminals had become distorted. I made a new terminal block insulated support from SRBF (Tufnol).
The Auto Switch has two rectangular mica insulators that isolate the fixed and moving contacts from the steel frame. I acquired some 1mm thick PTFE sheet and made replacement insulators. The PTFE insulators do stand out on the finished Auto Switch as evidently not original, but hopefully will provide a good long-term solution.
The brass and copper parts were cleaned and polished and the unit reassembled. Steel screws and bolts tapped into steel parts greased in the hope that this will discourage rusting making easier any future disassembly.
Above Right: The heavily distorted terminal block insulator.
Below Right: The fully restored Auto Switch.
Below: The Auto Switch before disassembly for restoration.
On-Off Rocker Switch
The on-off rocker switch was dismantled, cleaned, and polished. The white filling in engraved "on" and "off" text was refreshed. Fortunately, the engraving was sufficiently deep to fill with paint and then wipe off the surplus.
Distant Switch
The distant switch is a latching contactor that controls the coach lighting. The distant switch has two coils. Briefly energising the “on” coil closes the contacts and bring in a latching mechanism holding the contacts closed after the “on” coil is de-energised. Momentarily energising the “off” coil trips the latching mechanism and opens the contacts. The GWR drawings refer to this item as the distant switch, I called it the lighting contactor and will refer to it as the lighting contactor here.
I dismantled the lighting contactor and prepared the steel parts for painting and cleaned and polished the copper and brass parts. Like the Auto Switch I replaced the mica insulators with items cut from PTFE sheet.
Unlike the Auto Switch, it was apparent that the contact spacing could not be adjusted with contactor complete. So, I spent some time assembling the contacts onto the on coil with what I judged to be the correct spacing. I then found that the latching mechanism must be fitted before the contact assembly, so I started again...
The latching mechanism pivots on a stud attached to the “on” coil frame and is held in place by a special nut, which is held in place by a split pin. I found it necessary to carefully remove excess paint from around the latch stud to get the latch to move freely without excessive slack or free play.
Above Left: The restored On-Off Rocker Switch.
Below Left: The fully restored, untested Lighting Contactor.
Below: The Lighting Contactor before restoration.
I completed the reassembly of the lighting contactor, and the latching action seems to work correctly. It would be a good idea to check the action of the contactor with a test voltage applied to the coils. I have not, as yet, done that.
Single Fuse
Whilst working on the lighting contactor, I had assistance in dismantling, cleaning and polishing the single fuse holder.
Voltage Regulator
The next item for me to tackle is the Voltage Regulator. The regulator is a motor driven variable resistor that maintains a constant voltage to the lighting circuits and regulates the dynamo field current to set an appropriate charging current according to the battery voltage.
Unfortunately, the regulator that was found fitted to 7362 has the resistor element missing and the motor control relays are broken. The spare that we have also has a broken motor control relay. I am suspicious of the state of the voltage balance on both regulators, both of them are missing the balance spring. I doubt if one good regulator could be made from these two damaged items. I will be searching for another donor regulator.
Appeal
I would be pleased to hear of any information about the fuses used in GWR coaches. Is the fuse wire lead? Also, what gauge of wire is used for the various fuse ratings?
Also, does anyone have a collection of BA nuts and bolts they no longer need? Sizes 6BA and larger are of interest. I have yet to find any fasteners smaller than 6BA on GWR items. So, any donations would be gratefully received.
Above Right: The working regulator in the inspection saloon.
Below Right: The fully restored Single Fuse.
Below: The Single Fuse before disassembly for restoration.
Forest of Dean Gateway
West Dean Parish Councillors Steve Dunford and Bob Freshwater detail the plans for the proposed joint walking and cycling route along the valley of the River Lyd from Parkend through to Lydney.
West Dean Parish Council and Lydney Town Council are jointly promoting the Forest of Dean Gateway – a proposed path that would run for 5.8kms. The start would be opposite the former Marsh Sidings near the Fountain Inn at Parkend, through Whitemead Park to its end on the path that runs adjacent to the River Lyd through the Newerne Street car park in Lydney. This proposal builds on the all of the previous work that has been undertaken, and seeks to improve upon the most recent route that was put forward by Greenways & Cycleroutes.
The Gateway would be built to the same standard as the family trail at Beechenhurst and will be designed to provide a safe and attractive route for pedestrians and cyclists connecting Lydney to the heart of the Forest of Dean. The route would be traffic free over its length, save for four road crossings, and would be designed with relatively easy gradients to be suitable for most wheelchair users.
Our ambition is to link Lydney Station and town to the heart of the Forest with such an attractive walking and cycling route that this becomes the normal way of travelling between the Forest and Lydney. This will allow the public to travel without a car, to travel for pleasure, fitness and health, and to appreciate the forest and its seasons more closely.
The project incorporates tree planting, hedges and copses to create the illusion if not the reality, that the Forest has reached out to Lydney so that the town becomes known as the Gateway to the Forest of Dean.
At the same time as being an attraction for visitors and tourists, the route will be sufficiently direct, and evenly graded, for it to act as an attractive everyday route to school, the shops and for business.
This proposed route is the end outcome of a number of surveys over the years, and of detailed discussion and consultation with neighbours and landowners without whose assistance and cooperation high quality traffic free routes of this kind would otherwise be impossible.
Description of the Route
The route starts from Fountain Way a little to the west of the Fountain Inn at Parkend. From here a small new section of path would be constructed to connect with the track from adjacent to Beaver Lodge (opposite Dean Forest Cycles). This would feed into the existing paths around the interior boundary of Whitemead Park, and we are grateful for their support of this joint venture.
From the southern exit of Whitemead Park the route would run through the Parkhill Inclosure on existing forest tracks. This whole section is well to the west of the main road and brook, so that traffic noise is scarcely audible.
Emerging from the Forest, the path will cross over the main road and ramp up to join the ‘Coffin’ path alongside the railway all the way through to Whitecroft Station.
The details of the road crossings are hugely important so that the route is attractive and suitable for all users. At the Parkhill Inclosure we suggest repositioning the 30mph entry (if not a reduction to 20mph) so as to allow the crossing to be just inside this gateway so as to emphasise the significance of the crossing here. In addition, we propose advisory cycle lanes on the main road which will be suitable for most confident cyclists.
At the Miner’s Arms the path will follow Turnout Farm access road for a little way before joining on the edge Dean Forest Railway land and running along the boundary of this as far as Norchard Wood (just south of the Tufts Fish Farm). There is one deviation at the bridge over the Cannop Brook where a new bridge and field edge path is proposed in order to bypass the constricted section of railway land around Tufts Bridge.
At Norchard Wood we have the only reverse climb of any significance where we will need to ramp up almost 15m to reach the woodland levels. After a short section through the beechwoods the route follows a colliery track and then the existing forest road for the whole of the remainder of the way through Norchard Wood.
Not within the scope of the main route but being undertaken concurrently would be the closure of the New Mills level crossing and replacement with a suitable heritage pedestrian bridge, similar to the one at St Mary's – partly using the existing stone abutment.
From Norchard Wood it is downhill all of the way in to Lydney. A new path would need to be cut along the hillside and through the old quarry workings below The Reddings.
The path will cross the green lane from Middle Forge which goes up the hill to the Bream Road (an existing public footpath) and make for a good connection to the Lydney C of E Primary School.The main route to the town centre would continue along the field edge and pass down underneath the Dean Forest Railway in a new underpass followed by a bridge over the canal, to the island between the canal and the river.
After following this for a short section we bridge the canal twice more to pass some constricted land before crossing the main road and finally bridging the River Lyd to join the existing paths to the car parks and the town centre. From here recently opened paths lead through to Lydney Station, Lydney Harbour and the open views over the Severn Estuary.
The route starts on Fountain Way opposite the former Marsh Sidings and heads due south towards Whitemead Park. Within the first 100 yards of the start the route has its first structure, as it needs to cross the brook here.
The path would run around the inside of the boundary of Whitemead Park utilising some of the existing paths, although some new paths would need to be constructed to form the complete the link through the site.
Key to colours:
Red Route on Dean Forest Railway land
Green Route on existing paths or forest tracks
Blue Route on shared Public Highway
Magenta Route on land by others
The B4234 is crossed at the entrance to the Parkhill and Oakenhill Inclosures, the road is 60mph, we suggest repositioning the 30mph entry (if not a reduction to 20mph). The route then leads up to the existing ‘Coffin Path’.
This section uses the existing path that runs alongside the railway. Although this path is slightly narrower, it would be suitable for inexperienced cyclists and families. More confident cyclists would likely use the road instead.
The route through Parkhill Inclosure to the south of Whitemead Park would utilise the pre-existing network of forest tracks. Theses hard tracks already navigate their way through ancient woodland. These tracks would be resurfaced using a no-dig method – they would therefore lie proud of the surrounding ground as a consequence.
Here the path would give a lookout over the meadows which often flood during the winter, it would run through level on a causeway where necessary, and include suitable culverts in order to meet railway drainage requirements.
There is insufficient space on the railway bridge at Tufts, so the path would cross the river on a new structure and run along the edge of the adjacent field before rejoining the railway at the former spur to the Oakwood Branch.
The path would be able to start on the wider margin of railway land, set well back from the line. A small section deviating onto land adjacent to the railway at Turnout Farm, where the overall width from the boundary fence to the railway line reduces. The whole route would be fenced off from the railway with gates for rights of way.
As the level railway land tapers in, the route of the path would drop away by sloping down the side of the old fill material running next to the boundary fence. Here the gradient should not exceed 1 in 20 with the path then following the railway boundary wall at the lower level.
The 150-yard section to the south of Tufts Bridge is the tightest part of the route along the whole line, here the existing drainage ditch would need to culverted and then the path constructed on top of it. A picnic area would be provided in the alcove where Tufts Junction Signal Box once stood. The location falls at the mid-point of the route and is screened by trees from nearby properties.
To the south of Tufts Fish Farm a culvert runs under the railway and leads to the River Lyd. The culvert drop pit would be lined with reinforced concrete and the path supported on gabions to slope up to the wood behind it.
The route through Norchard Wood has three separate parts. First the slope up from the railway level, then a short section behind the hollows and old coal workings and finally a long section on the existing forest track. The slope up from the railway into the wood would ideally be as close to a 1 in 20 gradient as possible. Although this is a target gradient for new works it should be noted that short sections of the existing forest track in Norchard Wood have a gradient of 1 in 12 which will not be altered.
Not within the scope of the main route but included is the replacement of the footpath from Norchard Wood and the closure of New Mills level crossing. Instead a link would be made to a suitable pedestrian bridge that would span the railway from the side of the cutting across to the stone abutment. A stepped path would then lead down and join the existing network of public footpaths.
This is some of the largest work on the route, a small number of trees would need to be removed. In order for material to be excavated and used to infill and landscape the quarried areas that lie directly below The Reddings.
The path would be constructed in the same manner as a minor forest track with a good ditch on its uphill side. Culverts at intervals would ensure runoff is spread over a number of locations and picks up any of the existing watercourses. At two locations where the overhead power lines have been set underground, the path would cross the area in a low causeway rather than excavation.
Some areas would be built on an embankment to reduce excavation in the vicinity of mature trees.This is the start of the quarry part of the route, where a small number of trees, particularly diseased ash would need to be felled.
Over this section the path gradually descends towards the level of railway, along the edge of the fields above the line. The path will include a good ditch to collect the field runoff and direct it through culverts under the railway.
To access the town centre, the new route will need to cross the railway south of Middle Forge. As this location railway cannot be crossed above or on the level, resulting in the largest engineering challenge – going underneath.
South of Middle Forge the railway is constructed on an embankment for a distance just shy of ¼ mile, there are no other alternatives to route the path into the town centre. Constructing an underpass would be the most audacious piece of the entire project, with the details of its exact location and access ramp from the uphill side being dependant on the position of the 10-inch medium pressure gas main that runs along the railway from Lydney to Whitecroft.
Boom to Bust
Along with the rake of four-wheeled tanks, the recent arrival of a bogie tank wagon at Lydney Junction has raised a few eyebrows. Despite its modern appearance, the design dates back to the mid-1960s when the Oil industry was rapidly expanding. Not content with over nine thousand new four-wheel monobloc tanks being added to UK fleets in the early 1960s, Shell-Mex and BP Limited (SMBP) which was a joint venture between Royal Dutch Shell (Shell) and the British Petroleum Company (BP) teamed up with Metro-Cammell to develop a modern bogie tank wagon.
Bogie tanks were the norm in Europe by this time with operators enjoying the greater payloads being carried and the UK Oil Companies were keen to join the party. The challenge was the need to accommodate a bogie tank within the restrictive UK loading gauge without compromising load capacity. The design team utilised the monobloc tank technology from the four-wheelers and a shallow bogie was designed to fit underneath. The overall length of the new bogie tanks was based on a pair of fourwheel tanks coupled together. With filling and discharge points on the TEAs similarly following the TTA design, through skilful design they were fully compatible with all of the existing terminal infrastructure.
The codes referred to are those used by the computer system that is used for managing locomotives and rolling stock – Total Operations Processing System (TOPS):
TTA Air-Braked, 2-Axle Tank Wagon, 40-49t GLW
TEA Air-Braked, Bogie Tank Wagon, +100t GLW
So delighted and confident with the new design were SMBP that they ordered twenty straight from the outset and the prototype entered service in 1966. It was finished in dove grey with red sole-bars and black running gear. Large Shell and BP logos were displayed on each side with white and yellow stripes around the tank. After testing, the rest of the order soon followed, and the age of the fourwheel rail tank was effectively concluded overnight.
Everyone wanted to operate TEAs and over the next six years over two thousand two hundred were ordered. In addition to the Class A tanks finished in grey for flammable fuels, the design included Class B tanks finished in black for heavy oil and bitumen traffic. These new black tanks were painted similar to the grey ones with both Shell and BP logos prominent and the twin stripes. Class B tanks had internal heating elements and a layer of insulation covered in tin cladding was fitted externally to the tank barrels. Heating the contents reduced the viscosity, making it more fluid and eased unloading operations
SMBP ordered over nine hundred, the majority being of the black Class B examples. Wagon leasing was popular in the oil industry, as a consequence the smaller oil companies only purchased one hundred and sixteen tanks outright.
The leasing companies ordered the lion’s share of the production with over one thousand one hundred between them. Metro-Cammell couldn’t possibly build all of these tanks within the time-scales required, so construction was spread out to include Powell Duffryn, R. Y. Pickering, Standard Railway Wagon Company, and Charles Roberts. All tanks followed the same basic design with the handrail design on the end access platforms being a good way of identifying manufacturer. New owners and operators were very proud of these fleets and emblazoned them with large bold company logos and stripes whilst retaining the obligatory Class A and Class B liveries. In traffic experience on poor track highlighted limitations of the early bogies and a couple of replacement designs were developed as production continued into the early 70s.
In October 1973, the oil crisis hit the petroleum companies hard with over a 300% increase in the price of crude and resultant loss of markets, turnover and profitability. On the rail side, the oldest vacuum braked tanks were retired, and many modern vehicles placed in store. Cleaning was abandoned and the once gleaming tanks descended into a livery of universal filth and grime. As the industry emerged from the crisis, the markets had changed forever and demand for Class B products never fully recovered.
Chris Thorn gives the story of the National Wagon Preservation Group (NWPG) Bogie Tank wagon.
However, Class A fuels were a new growing market, so SMBP and others commenced the conversion of many of the Class B tanks to meet the Class A tank specification. This included the removal of the insulation, the cladding, and the heating elements. The converted tanks emerged in fresh coats of Class A grey putting some cleanliness back into the oil fleets for a short time.
Our tank 87867 was one of the later examples being ordered from Charles Roberts in 1971 by SMBP. Being constructed in 1972 it was numbered 8009 as a Class B example, and delivered in plain black livery without logos (as it was proving difficult to keep the logos clean from spillages). As a SMBP tank it would have travelled the length of the UK on many different flows. When the SMBP partnership ended in 1976, SMBP 8009 moved over to BP ownership and under was renumbered BPO 83389.
Class B demand continued to decline, so it was selected for Class A conversion and once completed was displayed at the GW150 Old Oak Open Day in September 1985. Now carrying BPO 87867, it re-entered BP service on the Class A flows. Around this time, the bogies were fitted with experimental low friction bearings which later aided its survival. By 2010 the non-standard 87867 was hired to Mobil at Coryton Refinery in Essex as an internal weights and measures vehicle and slops carrier. The site closed in 2012 and the last train eventually departed but leaving 87867 behind. During the site clearance in 2016, the tank was offered to the NWPG and it was gladly acquired.
Left: During early 1961 George Viner captured Hughes Crab No. 42784 at the head of a train of Class B 2-axle oil tanks having passed Lansdown Junction towards Cloddymore Bridge, the spire of St Mark's Church, Cheltenham being clearly visible.
Below Left: Later that year George captured British Railways 9F No. 92056 heading a similar working at the same location.
(Photos: DFR Museum Collection)
That was the easy bit, as finding a home in the commercial market of preserved railways was proving impossible. Railway Support Services were sympathetic to the survival of the 100-tonne capacity tank and stored it at Wishaw for many years. The breakthrough was the launch of Project Petroleum to save a rake of the last four-wheel TTA tanks. With the DFR as a possible home for the four-wheelers it seemed the best option to include the TEA into the same project. Thankfully the DFR agreed to give the NWPG a home, opening the door for the preservation of vehicles that would otherwise have been cut up without a thought.
The TTAs and the TEA fits in nicely into a final ‘what if’ chapter of the Berry Wiggins story. With a bit of further thought, it is likely that if the line from Coleford Junction to Speech House Road had not been closed in 1963, the branch would have seen tank traffic to the Wood Distillation Works at Cannop which closed in 1971. This under-recognised endeavour may have come into its own had it survived into the oil crisis later that decade.
The other TEA fleets continued to weather the contraction of the oil industry. The prototype SUKO 87000 was unfortunately scrapped in the late 1980s, in 1998 Shell abandoned the use of rail and this decimating the TTA and TEA fleets. The leasing company fleets didn't fare much better and by 2004 VTG was the main tank leasing company. By 2019 the final runs had taken place and some tanks clocked up a highly respectful 40 years of service.
Two other examples survive in preservation. 85209 a Phillips Petroleum example at NRM Shildon and 87224 a Shell example at Mangapps Railway Museum. 87867 will ultimately regain its original number, be repainted in an authentic 1960s livery to fit in with DFR themes and hopefully operate with the TTAs on the tanker train days.
Below: BPO 87867 at GW150 at Old Oak Common.
(Photo: H. Millington)
Time for a Change
Having been involved in heritage railways now for about 15 years and having spent the last 6 years working with the line side team at the DFR it was time for change. But what should I do, well I still had my Operational roles as Goods guard and diesel Secondman which could be developed a little further. So, needing a change I made the decision to leave the lineside team at the end of November 2023.
By chance in December 2023, I took a call from Alastair Clarke who was working on the development project at Lydney Junction, they were in need of a qualified chainsaw operator to assist in the clearing of shrubs and small trees. As I was a qualified chainsaw operator with time on my hands I willingly chipped in over several months to assist. This was quite interesting as we were clearing the yard to allow for planning and the surveying of the area.
So, I spent the winter clearing as much as I could, I knew it would grow back but I was also looking to try and keep it under some form of control whenever I could find time.
Once the new season started, I increased my activity in the Operational side of the Railway with more input to Goods Guarding and when not doing that I could assist with level crossing vacancies. Added to this I am learning more about both the Class 08 and signalling matters which are going to keep me busy for a long time as there is a lot to learn.
During the mid-summer, I saw that Lydney Junction station was looking forlorn with lots of weeds and grass thriving around the area. This being just the public areas never mind the yard. The lineside team are overwhelmed trying to keep the whole line in order added to that was the sad passing of long serving volunteer Roger Kent and the recent retirement of John Washbrooke who both worked hard to keep the Lydney Junction public areas in order.
So, what to do? After a conversation with Adam Williams and with his valuable support I developed the idea of creating a team to look after the Lydney Junction area.
All of the activities of the team will depend of course on the time and availability of any volunteers.
Several weeks were spent time securing a safe storage area, followed by the gathering of tools which is still ongoing. Time has also been spent preparing documentation to cover the safe working practices of the team.
At this stage the team consists of myself and Mark Lilley, Mark is a member of the lineside, but his availability is often restricted so being able to attend on a flexible basis works well for him and for me. However, there are others in the development team that will back us up when required.
Our first day was Thursday 19th July 2024 when we both gathered with Adam Williams to discuss our aims and objectives along with the development of the safety systems. Also in the discussion was the training we would need to meet some of the tasks in the future.
With that done we then spent a few hours strimming the public areas out by the gates and roadside by the station. Going was tough as some of the grass was over two feet tall in places. It was then we came up with a list of other hand tools that would be needed.
The following week it was back to the area with a lot more strimming and clearing as well as dealing with more tool issues. After two days of work, the area was starting to look a lot more cared for look which is one of our aims.
Looking ahead I need to keep compiling and updating the risks assessments, this will benefit both the team and the railway. We also need to look at our power tools to see what improvements can be made on a limited budget. High on the list is a good quality lawn mower which will help deal with the large grassed areas around the station.
Once we have things in hand in the public areas we will look at the yard and see what can be done to maintain some sort of order in that area. Until next time!
Doug Johnson discusses a slight change of direction with his volunteering at the DFR.
Who’s Who at the DFR
Forest of Dean Railway Ltd
Overall strategic management of the railway
Chairman - Ian Pope
Vice-Chairman - Adam Dickinson
Finance Director - vacant
Commercial Director - vacant
Development Director - Adam Dickinson
Health & Safety Director - vacant
Society Appointed Directors - Adam
Williams & Rob Harris
David Hurd Appointed Directors - Martin Hillier & Robert Morris
Company Secretary - Wallace Barnett
Dean Forest Railway Company Ltd
The day to day running of the railway
Chairman - Adam Dickinson
Operations Director - vacant
Finance Director - Cecile Hunt
Director of Civil Engineering - vacant
Lineside Director - Chris Bull
Support Director - Adam Williams
Chief Mechanical Engineer - Adam
Dickinson
Signal & Telegraph - Steve Harris
Carriage & Wagon - John Clarke
Electrical - vacant
Permanent Way - Alex Davies
Telecoms - Rick Gillingham / Charles Bristow
Dean Forest Railway Society
Registered Charity 1183538 dedicated to the preservation and development of the DFR.
Chairman - James Graham
Vice-Chairman - Adam Williams
Treasurer - Tim McLennan
Secretary - Sue Williams
Membership Secretary - Adam Williams
Filming Officer - Rob Harris
Volunteer Liaison - vacant
Other Trustees - Dave Churton, Ed Dyer,
Alan Grant, Martin Hillier, Lynne Wentworth, Peter Wood
