Great Western Star

SPRING 2021 VOLUME 1 NO 3 ISSN 2635-0564

BanburyBarmouth & Cheltenham BridgeRailway Then & Now

Major Refurbishment

National Rail Test Centre Exciting new centre History of the GWR Brunel Talks to Parliament

New Technology Hydrogen and Solar Power Exciting Steam Locomotive Rebuilding 4709, 2807 & Counties Working on the Railway Railwaymen tell their stories

Spring 2021 Volume 1 No 3 OUTSIDE FRONT COVER Maintaining our policy of having a Head-On picture of a loco on the front cover, this month we have a picture of the GWR Broad Gauge locomotive, The Iron Duke, possibly in Sonning Cutting but that is only my guess! Any more information welcomed.

Editor’s Thoughts

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The Class 800 Story – It’s a Cracker!

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News from Around the Great Western Region 4 - 19 Better Connectivity demanded for England and Wales Black Bridge to be Raised Babcock Looking to offload its Rail Business Florence begins her 3-year Tunnel Dig Work on next West Midlands Extension to get underway Old Underground Trains finally leave the Isle of Wight Lost and Found – Irish Style A New Bid for Anglesey The Flying Banana!

Plans for a 150m rail testing centre called in Plans approved for rockfall shelter extension Flagship national college for HS2 dissolved and relaunched Very Light Rail Rapid Charger Installed at Dudley Test Track and new Battery Charger Bid race for £70 million to restore disused Portishead rail line The Mystery of Box Tunnel Hants offer support for rail opening Siemens Mobility and University of Birmingham to establish a centre of excellence for rail Campaign to reopen north-south Carmarthen to Bangor rail link launches fund-raising drive Major Section of Chiltern main railway line between Leamington and Banbury secured from Landslips Golden Anniversary for re-opening of Feniton Station New Aids for travellers with sight problems GWR Honours a WWII Hero Northern Rail has problems with New Fleet The Changing Place of Women on the Railways 20 Scotland’s Only Lady Freight Train Driver 26 Government Funding Offers Hope for Rebuilding Cullompton Station 30 TfW Investment Repaid by Increased Reliability 31 It Went With a Bang!

33 Guest Column – Our Rail Industry is a sleeping giant when it comes to boosting international trade – Chris Loder, MP 34 Ironbridge Gorge to Bridgnorth – Could the reinstatement of the original Severn Valley Railway become a reality?

35 Edward Thomas Celebrates its Centenary 43 Remembering the Old Hands – Part the First – Adrian Vaughan 46 Remembering The Old Hands – Locomen’s incidents 47

Japanese High Speed Trains

EDITOR’S THOUGHTS

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The First Principles of Railway Signalling 54 Accident to I K Brunel 55 Pages from the Past – Paper Wheels and a Fireman’s Story 56 HP335 comes of Age 57 A New Railway Museum in Kent

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The New Silk Road New Technology – Railways Show Growing Interest in Hydrogen New Technology – Solar Power will Drive Mainline Trains

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The Shakespeare Express

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63 68

New Technology – Solar – How Green Will Our Valleys Be? 70 Tales from the Four Foot Eight and a Half – Life of the Oldest Railwayman Living 74 An Abnormal Load!

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The Brunel Institute – The Brunel Legacy – Tim Bryan 77 The New UK-based Global Centre of Rail Excellence 79 William Dean’s Ugly Ducklings 85 Taking the GWR Act to Parliament

– Part 2 86 Railway Art Gallery 91 The Banbury & Cheltenham Direct Railway – Then and Now – Peter and Paul Towey 94 The Origin of the Railway Gauge 102 Railroad Gauges of the World (1888) 103 The Dartmoor Line – the FIRST to reopen under the Government Scheme and at Record Speed 104 Railway News from Around the Preservation Scene The HRA Goes Virtual for 2021 Awards 109 The Heritage Railways Steam (and Diesel) into Summer with a Sigh of Relief! 111 A Night Owl Emerges from the Dark Part 3 – Paul Perton 114 GWR 2800 Class No 2807 & The Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway – Part 1 120 The New Counties – a Photographic Update 125 The World of GWR Modelling News from the World of GWR Modelling 126 The Clergy & The Railway Part 2 – Revd Roger Farnworth 126 Llanbourne – an OO Gauge layout set on the North Wales Coast 128

Welcome to the third issue of Great Western Star.

Once again, we have a truly varied range of articles in 132 pages of copy. My thanks to all who have contributed - please keep them coming because after all, it is YOUR magazine.

With all that has been happening with the new Hitachi trains, we have taken the opportunity to look in detail at the whole story, a lot of the 15 years being tied upm as usual, in government interference. We also take the opportunity to look at the impact on new technology that is not just being talked about but which is either being used or is about to be, namely hydrogen and solar power.

Another interesting development is the link with the Brunel Institute which has an enormous amount of information about this great engineer and in forthcoming issues, we will be delving more and more into these archives.

We also have other articles about Brunel and his lfe and work.

The Government has introduced its “Rebuilding Your Railways” scheme, designed to undo some of the damage caused by the cuts in the 60s. In the third group of entries more than 80 bidding for funding - one stands out and that is the development in the ironbridge Gorge which could see the reinstatement of a lof of the old Severn Valley Railway, extending the existing well-loved Heritage Line through to the Museums in the Gorge. We take a detailed look at what is being proposed and the possible benefits to be gained.

In our heritage section, we look at the results of the Heritage Railway Awards 2021 - congratulations to all the winners and to the Runners-up. We also continue the story of 4709 and the two Counties as well as takeing a long look at what is being done to 2807 and the railway on which it is based - the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway.

Another unique feature is the story of “Then” and “Now” on the Banbury & Cheltenham Railway - first a look at it as an operating railway and then the story of two enthusiasts who walk the first part of the trackbed - an interesting story with a difference.

As always, we maintain our stories of people who have worked on the railway in the 20th century but also one from the 19th century, albeit not GWR but nevertheless an interesting view of life in the mid to late 19th century in the Midlands.

Model railways are not forgotten as we have two great railways featured but we are always looking for more remember we cover anything from Z-Gauge to 7¼inch gauge.

Don’t forget our Website - www.greatwesternstar.com.

We are adding new videos and our Railway terminus section provides a constantly updaetd coverage of news, not just GWR but also a wider range of stories, sometimes from outside the UK, depending upon its topicality.

We hope you enjoy your read and we look forward to receiving your comments. Please feel free to send in any stories or articles - we are always happy to receive them.

Rodney Pitt, Editor Spring 2021

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The Class 800 Story - It’s a Cracker!

This story is not one of just today’s problems.

Indeed, it is a story that has been fraught with problems and hiccups for more than 15 years.

Without wishing to bring politics into this story, which is already complicated enough, this is a story that began in the last days of the last Labour government when it launched with a great fanfare, the Intercity Express Programme (IEP) at a cost, then, of £7.5 billion.

The Initial Programme

This programme was an initiative of the Department of Transport, going back to 2005 and 2007, to replace the ageing InterCity 125 and 225 fleets on the East Coast Main Line and the Great Western Main Lines. On 16 November 2007, the Department for Transport (DfT) issued its IEP Invitation to Tender to three shortlisted entities: Alstom-Barclays Rail Group; Express Rail Alliance (Bombardier, Siemens, Angel Trains and Babcock & Brown); and Hitachi Europe. After Alstom withdrew from the bidding in February 2008, Barclays Private Equity re-entered the project on 26 June 2008, four days before the end of the bidding process, as a partner of Hitachi and John Laing, in Agility Trains Ltd. Lord Adonis selected Agility Trains as the preferred bidder for the IEP on 12 February 2009.

The first trains, Hitachi’s A-train family, classed as Class 800 electro-diesel units and Class 801 electric multiple units, were scheduled to come on track in 2013. The value of the contract at that time was estimated at £7.5 billion. Initial estimates were for an order of between 500 and 2,000 vehicles.

The decision was criticised for not awarding the contract to the Bombardier/Siemens offer which was expected to have resulted in work for Bombardier's Derby factory. The DfT was also accused of 'spin' in describing the Agility trains consortium as a 'British led consortium’ and Hitachi's manufacturing plans attracted concern for reasons such as balance of payments issues, the Japanese domestic railway market being largely closed to foreign entrants, and the extent to which jobs would be safeguarded or created in the UK. In addition to replacing trains on the ECML and

GWML, a role was found for the design to replace other 'intercity' trains such as on long distance services from London to places including Cambridge, Oxford, Hull, and Weston-Super-Mare

The 800 Class Units

In the initial specifications of November 2007, there were to be three versions: • An electrically set powered by 25kV Hz overhead line.

• A self-powered version • A bi-mode version.

In the specification, the maximum train length was to be 312m and the minimum (half-length) 130m. Trainsets were to be available in half-length, full-length (260 m), or intermediate-length versions, with the ability to lengthen and shorten trains in a time which would minimise that spent out of service.

Also specified was the ability for multiple working within any vehicle of the class (two units), with the time taken to couple or uncouple being 180 seconds or better and the ability convert a bi-mode or selfpowered train to an electrically powered version in the future. Bi-mode trains were required to be able to switch between power sources both while stationary and at speed. AWS, TPWS signalling was to be fitted dependent on route as well as ETCS Level 2 equipment.

The tender contained proposals for trains to enter service at the beginning of 2013, with complete introduction in the first phase on the East Coast Main Line (ECML) by late 2016 and on the Great Western Main Line (GWML) by 2017. The trains were to be used on both, with, additioanlly, possible use on the southern part of the West Coast Main Line (WCML), the Fen Line, and other long distance intercity services.

Phase 1 of the tender specified an operational fleet of 24 full- and 13 half-length electric, and 10 full- and 12 half-length trains for the ECML, 24 fulllength trains (self-powered), and 38 half-length bimode trains for the GWML. Additional trains were expected for Phase 2 of the order: around 15 full-, 14 half-, and 10 intermediate-length trains for the ECML, WCML, GWML and Cross Country routes, as

The GWR (left) and LNER Azuma (right) units

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well as the potential for orders of over 20 trains from Transport Scotland.

The specification offered significant improvements in energy efficiency over InterCity 125 trainsets that were fitted with MTU engines and over electric Intercity 225 trainsets; regenerative braking on both self-powered and electric versions was expected to form part of the solution to increase efficiency. Mean distances between failure were expected to be better than 60,000 miles (electric power) and 30,000 miles (self-powered mode).

The Hitachi/Agility Solution

The Hitachi offering was the Hitachi Super Express Train, which, it was claimed, included a reduction in weight of 15 tonnes (40%) and 86tonnes less than an InterCity 125, giving a corresponding reduction in fuel consumption of up to 15%, using a hybrid traction unit. These trains would be either five or ten coaches and assembly was to take place in the UK using bodyshells supplied from Japan. But with a new factory being built in the UK with further depots for maintenance.

The General Election Intervenes!

By 2010, reduced expectation of usage due to the economic downturn, as well as the expectation of electrification of much of the GWML had changed the composition of the order: the size of the order had been reduce to around 770 carriages; dieselonly trains were no longer required; some longer bi-mode trains would have a second transformer to avoid running under bi-mode power in electrified sections; and a wider variety of train lengths was required, including trains with five, seven, eight, nine and ten carriages.

Hitachi's original design had been modified by the end of 2010 to use under-floor diesel engines for self-power propulsion instead of engines in endcars; the under-floor diesel engines can be removed, which allows the train to be converted to run only on electric power.The engines selected were 700 kW (940 hp) MTU 1600 Series V12 (MTU 12V 1600 R80L) powered engine-generator sets, conforming to EU IIIB emissions requirements, fitted with SCR exhaust gas treatment system; bi-mode trains were fitted with three engines (five-car) or five engines (nine-car), with electric-only trains having one engine per train for emergency power.

The Effect of Electrification

The proportions of traction types ordered would depend on decisions regarding further electrification.

In late 2007, Network Rail suggested that the DfT should abandon the diesel version of the IEP as emissions regulations and the minimal demand for diesel-powered high-speed trains abroad made it cheaper to electrify lines and operate electric trains than to buy new diesel trains. In January 2009, the Secretary of State for Transport, Geoff Hoon, stated that before finalising procurement plans he would need to consider electrification proposals from

Network Rail in terms of cost, financing and benefit.

In June 2009, Network Rail published a draft Electrification Strategy recommending electrification of the Midland Main Line and Great Western Main Line through to Oxford and Swansea, followed by some cross-country routes and the Reading to Plymouth Line. On 23 July 2009, the DfT presented plans to electrify the Great Western Main Line from London to Bristol and from Swindon to Swansea. After the Comprehensive Spending Review in October 2010, it was announced the lines from London to Didcot, Oxford and Newbury would be electrified in the following six years. On 1 March 2011, the extension from Didcot to Swindon, Bristol and Cardiff was announced.

It was then that the first derailment took place as Lord Adonis blamed the credit crunch for his decision to put the deal on hold until after the 2010 election.

Former Audit Commission leader, Sir Andrew Foster was then charged with seeing whether the proposal would still give the railways and the country value for money. His view, in July 2010, was somewhat scathing as to the efficacy of the tendering process and his reply to the Coalition Government was that the deal should be renegotiated. Finally, the decision was taken in March 2011 to proceed with the procurement and to electrify the Great Western Main Line.

Network Rail's commitment to electrify the main line between London and Bristol meant that the original assumptions used when formulating the procurement plan had changed; furthermore, passenger transport figure increases had not met expectations. Lord Adonis also blamed lack of financial support from the City. Additionally a planned second phase, to introduce new trains to the specifications in the plan on the West Coast Main Line, was cancelled..

Opposition politicians, industry commentators and the Association of Train Operating Companies were critical of aspects of the scheme, particularly the micromanagement of the proposed trains' specifications, and lack of input from potential operators. Also, the Department for Transport's targets for energy consumption were reported to have been considered impracticable.

All Change!

On 25 November 2010, the Secretary of State for Transport, Philip Hammond, announced that a final decision on the Intercity Express Programme would be deferred to 2011 along with decisions on further electrification of the rail system. In his report Foster had been critical of the bi-mode concept as untried and untested; two options for the non-electrified sections were being considered: coupling of an allelectric train to a diesel locomotive, or Agility Trains' proposal of bi-mode trains – electric trains with additional underfloor engines. On 1st March 2011, the government announced it was to continue with the programme with Agility Trains as the preferred bidder together with plans to electrify the Great Spring 2021

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Western Main Line as far as Cardiff; the order, reduced to £4.5bn in value was for approximately 500 carriages.

In 2012 the Agility Trains consortia obtained financial backing from lenders including HSBC, Lloyds TSB, Mizuho and Bank of Tokyo Mitsubishi; a financing loan for trains for the Great Western Main Line (GWML) of £2.2billion was agreed by July 2012, including £1billion from the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), with the remainder to come from lenders including HSBC, LloydsTSB, Mizuho, The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank Ltd., Mitsubishi UFJ Trust and Banking Corporation and the European Investment Bank (EIB). The project was the first mainline rail project in the UK to be financed through a Public Private Partnership. JBIC loans provided £1bn of the funding, EIB £235M, and £1bn was through loans from the commercial banks - the loan period was 29.5 years. A further £280M was raised by share issues and share backed loans.

A “New” Revised Deal!

In July 2012, Justine Greening, who by then had replaced Philip Hammond as Transport Secretary, announced a revised deal whereby an order for £4.5 billion was to be placed with Hitachi for 596 carriages to be used on the East Coast Mail Line and the Great Western Main Lines. The contract was let in two parts. The first phase of the contract, valued at £2.4bn, consisting of 21 nine-car electric (Class 801) and 36 five-car bi-mode trains (Class 800), 369 carriages total, for use on Great Western routes.

The second phase of the contract consisted of 10 five-car and 13 nine-car bi-mode and 12 five-car electric units (227 carriages) for use on the ECML; financial closure on the second phase was initially expected in 2013. A £1.2bn option for a further 30 nine-car electric trains (270 carriages) to replace the Intercity 225 on the ECML was taken up on 18 July 2013. Financial closure on the second phase of the contract (total 65 ECML trains, 497 carriages) was reached in April 2014; the value of the contract was £2.7bn over a 27.5-year lease, including design, manufacture, and maintenance; financing was through a number of Japanese, British, and French financial institutions, and the EIB. Agility Trains is committed to build and maintain the trainsets and receive payment from the train operator based on train availability. The Government is guaranteeing usage for 27½ years.

Type Phase No Type Train route Electric First 21 9 car GWML Bi-mode First 36 5 car GWML Electric Second 12 5 car ECML Bi-mode Second 13 9 car ECML Bi-mode Second 10 5 car ECML Electric (options) 30 9 car ECML 6

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In October 2015, ITV News Meridian speculated that, because of the late delivery of the Great Western electrification project, an increased number of trains might have to be diesel-equipped; in May 2016 it was confirmed by the Department of Transport that 21 "Class 801" trains would be converted to bi-mode operation. Subsequently, these were reclassified as Class 800/3.

Manufacture

In 2011 Hitachi chose the site of a new UK factory at Newton Aycliffe, County Durham; the contract for the factory's construction was given in 2013; and the factory officially opened in 2015.

In late 2012, MTU was announced as the preferred supplier of diesel engines; bi-mode trains were to be fitted with between three and five 700 kW (940 hp) engine generators powered by the 12-cylinder MTU 12V 1600 R80L. Electrically powered trains were also to be fitted with a single powerpack of the same design to be used for auxiliary and emergency power, and for shunting in depots.

Other component suppliers included KnorrBremse (braking system), Brecknell Willis (pantograph) Televic Rail (passenger information systems), Dellner (gangway, coupler), Voith (SE-369 gear unit), NSK (bearings), and Lucchini (wheelset).

DCA Design was contracted to produce passenger interior and driving cab mockups for design validation; the design mockups were revealed in April 2014.

Signalling systems were to be supplied by Signalling Solutions Ltd. (ATP), and Siemens (GSM-R), Hitachi was to use its own ETCS signalling system on the trains.

Three pre-main production series trains were manufactured in Hitachi's Kasado plant; the first, a five-car class 800 unit was unveiled on 13 November 2014; ten further production series trains were to be manufactured in Japan before final assembly production switched to Newton Aycliffe.

Testing and Introduction

The first train left the Kasado factory on the 7 January 2015 for shipping via Kobe, and arrived at Southampton, England, on 11 March 2015. At a speech given to the welcoming committee, rail transport minister Claire Perry requested that a new name be found for the trains.

After-delivery testing was scheduled to occur at Old Dalby Test Track. Testing of a Class 800 train (number 001) at the track took place in early 2015.

In March 2016, the first unit for Virgin Trains East Coast was formally unveiled at King's Cross railway station, and named Virgin Azuma.

In October 2017, the first train went into service on the Great Western Mainline. In May 2019, the first train entered service on the East Coast Mainline between London King's Cross and Leeds.

Meanwhile, in 2017, Great Western Railways ran an inaugural train from Bristol Temple Meads for dignitaries and the press. This was not the success

that everyone had been led to believe! According to the press, glossing over the fact that water was pouring out of the air conditioning units on to his fellow passengers, the Transport Secretary proudly proclaimed “These are the smartest trains in the country, probably the best we have ever had. This is going to be a fantastic service, really regular trains and far more capacity.” In the event, the 6.00am train left at 6.25am and arrived 41 minutes late into London Paddington! GWR was not alone in its problems. On the East Coast Main Line, it was found that the electric-diesel engines on these trains were interfering with the trackside signalling equipment.

Going back to Roger Ford (Railway Magazine), he said that while he was researching the costs back in 2014, he obtained a figure for the total cost of the fleet of InterCity 125 and IC225 trains of £85million.

Corrected for inflation this was £96million or £18,320 per vehicle per calendar month. For the Azuma fleet, the all-inclusive cost is £196milliom per year, or £32,890 per vehicle per calendar month.

The Cracking Troubles of 2021

Now these same trains are grabbing the headlines once more. On Friday 7 May, cracks were identified in a metal jacking point by maintenance workers.

Further inspection on the following morning revealed that, to everyone’s horror, the problem was widespread, and more than 150 trains were immediately pulled out of service, leading to significant rail disruption as the two major operators announced they had cancelled their high-speed trains. Great Western Railway (GWR) and London North Eastern Railway (LNER) suspended some services out of London on Saturday morning 8 May, with passengers urged not to travel while urgent inspections were carried out.

More than 1,000 trains are believed to have needed checking across the two fleets - resulting in potentially thousands of journeys being disrupted.

Lines between London and Scotland, and between London and the West, are affected.

GWR said the hairline cracks were "in areas where the suspension system attaches to the vehicle body on two trains".

Roger Ford, industry and technology editor at Modern Railways magazine, said "metal fatigue has resulted in damage to the bracket on the side of coaches known as the yaw damper bolster. This part is where the shock absorbers are attached to the carriages. If significantly damaged, this could result in trains swaying from side to side as they travel down the tracks. There will be disruption for quite a time because repairs to aluminium in this way are not easy."

GWR and LNER said in a joint statement: “A number of Class 800 series Hitachi trains from several train companies have been taken out of service today for checks as a precautionary measure. This problem is being investigated by Hitachi and once trains have been checked, we hope to be able to release them back into service as soon

as possible. This could affect a significant number of our services and passengers should check before they travel.”

Anger and pressure were mounting as more and more disruption was being caused with virtually no services on the East Coast Main Line or on the GWR’s lines to South Wales and the West Country.

Ministers started to demand that the responsibility was Hitachi’s and that the Company should pick up the tab for the multi-million demands from passengers for compensation for travel plans being cancelled, estimated on pre-pandemic levels at between £1million and £2million per day.

Unfortunately, the cancellation of the franchising system by Grant Shapps, Transport Secretary, means that the bill would normally now fall on the shoulders of the taxpayer. However, a spokesman for the DfT said, “We expect those who have the contractual performance and train availability obligations, including Agility Trains, to fully compensate the taxpayer. Current contractual terms mean that TOC’s do not have to pay for trains when they are not in service, adding still further to Hitachi’s costs. Hitachi owns a 70% stake in the consortium that leases the train to the TOC’s.

The TOC’s are doing their best to fill the gaps.

David Horne, LNER Managing Director, said: “I am pleased we have been able to work as an industry to agree a service recovery plan with Hitachi and industry partners that will allow trains to return safely to our route. We are continuing to work together to begin the return of Azuma trains into service early next week. Customers should continue to check before they travel with LNER, and I apologise for the disruption caused.”

The service recovery plan will enable some services to be reinstated into timetables, helping to get more passengers moving on the rail network.

A 75% timetable is currently in operation across the LNER route with passengers advised to check before they travel.

To help provide additional services, LNER has reintroduced an InterCity 225 into passenger service on the route connecting London with West Yorkshire.

A second InterCity225 is expected to follow in the coming days. There have been cancellations since 182 trains were pulled on Saturday.

The rail minister warned travellers to expect disruption for "some time".

The Rail Delivery Group said Great Western Railway and London North Eastern Railway (LNER) will now ramp up services, but timetables will still be affected.

Trains with more severe cracks will remain with Hitachi for repair and, in the longer term, the manufacturer says all trains with cracks will be brought back to be repaired.

Andrew Barr, CEO of Hitachi Rail, apologised for the disruption and said: "Over the coming days we'll see more trains available for service as we get ready for the service on Monday morning."

Asked if he expected most trains to be back Spring 2021

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next week, he said: "It is still early days, we're still undertaking those inspections, but we're hopeful that we can ensure the maximum number of trains are available for service."

He said it was "too early to say" how much the disruption and repair work caused by pulling 182 trains out of service had cost.

In a statement, the Rail Delivery Group said Hitachi Rail, train operators and the government have agreed a "service recovery plan" to reintroduce more Class 800 and 385 trains after they were taken out of service on Saturday. But it said trains on some routes may be less frequent than usual

and train availability could vary.

The industry has put in place "suitable criteria for the trains to meet before they can re-enter service", the Rail Delivery Group said.

Obviously, it is in everyone’s interest for things to return to normal, just as, hopefully, all the COVID restrictions are set to be lifted. The main thing is that a seemingly major problem was spotted by the maintenance systems that are in place, both on the railway and at Hitachi, and together the problem is being resolved. Fortunately for all concerned the problem was detected before anyone was hurt or, even worse, killed.

RAILWAY NEWS FROM AROUND THE GREAT WESTERN REGION Better Connectivity Demanded for England and Mid-Wales Powys County Council has joined with fellow authorities and businesses in calling for a unified plan for cross-border road and rail investment which is deemed “critical”. The group has urged the Union Connectivity Review panel to look at the issues that have led to a delay in multiple projects moving ahead in Mid Wales and the Borders.

Projects affecting Mid Wales include: Rail: • The Cambrian Line from Shrewsbury to Aberystwyth via Newtown • The Heart of Wales Line from Shrewsbury via Craven Arms to Swansea Road: • The A5, A458 and the A483 corridor (which includes the recently announced Pant Llanymynech bypass) providing a key economic corridor across the border, essential to Oswestry, Shrewsbury and neighbouring towns in Wales such as Welshpool and Newtown • The A44 and A438 between Worcestershire and Mid Wales via Herefordshire Powys has joined the Marches LEP (Local Enterprise Partnership), Shropshire Council, Herefordshire Council and Midlands Connect in their follow-up submission to the Union Connectivity Review.

In their letter they state: “These corridors have fallen through cracks in previous investment rounds due to the problems of differing authorities and policies either side of the border. We must ensure that this doesn’t happen again in this area where rurality also hinders the

investment programme. To overcome this, we are working together to highlight the economic significance well connected infrastructure can bring and embrace the opportunity for investment in this region. This will only happen if partners across the border commit to working with government to achieve this. In light of the above, we seek your support in ensuring the proposed PanUK Strategic Transport Network includes the Mid-Wales/Midlands strategic corridors set out in this letter.”

A Union Connectivity Review

by Sir Peter Hendy, the Network Rail chairman, is expected to be published by July, and is believed to recommend higher capacity and improved journey times on train travel between England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Midlands Connect CEO Maria Machancoses said: “We wanted to write Sir Peter after the release of the interim report on the Union Connectivity Review. The report is testament to the depth of work that his team has undertaken and what was delivered in such a short timeframe was deeply impressive.

We wholeheartedly welcome the stress placed on the importance of east-west connectivity and access to the emerging freeports. We hope that we can make the case to include some of these critical schemes into the final report and we look forward to doing that in the days ahead.”

Mandy Thorn, chair of the Marches LEP, said high-quality cross-border transport connectivity was vital for the economy of the whole area. “The Marches LEP shares more than 100 miles of border with Wales, and it is essential

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that we have modern, efficient transport links in place which help the economies either side of it to grow and prosper,” she said. “These transport links are the economic arteries of our region and we must ensure that they receive the necessary investment to be able to fulfil that strategic role. There is an urgent need to level-up connectivity and ensure that all areas have access to infrastructure which supports and promotes growth.”

Black Bridge to be Raised

Network Rail engineers will begin work to raise a Powys bridge to reduce passenger delays caused by flooding. The work will begin on Black Bridge, near Machynlleth, on Saturday, May 15, and is part of a £3.6 million project involving heightening the bridge, which runs over the river Dulas, by one metre, enough to significantly reduce the impact from high river levels

RAILWAY NEWS FROM AROUND THE GREAT WESTERN REGION

during storms and heavy rain. In recent years, the bridge has been repeatedly flooded in bad weather, causing regular closures on the Machynlleth to Shrewsbury route.

The railway will be closed from May 15 to June 28 so that the main work to raise the bridge and reprofile the track can be carried out safely.

Kevin Giles, senior asset engineer for Network Rail Wales and Borders, said: “This is a big project for us at Network Rail and the first time a railway bridge will have been raised away from flood waters in Wales.

The issues of flooding on this line go back more than three decades and the result is that large sections of the Cambrian line in central Wales end up cut-off and isolated while repair work is carried out. We want to ensure our passengers have more reliable journeys and this project highlights our dedication to making the railway more resilient in Wales.”

Transport for Wales will be providing rail replacement services between Machynlleth and Shrewsbury during this time. There will also be an amended timetable in operation from Pwllheli and Aberystwyth to Machynlleth.

Alexia Course, Transport for Wales’ transport operations director, added: “The much-needed work will help us to provide a more reliable service during periods of bad weather and will benefit passengers using this route for many years to come. Our team will be working hard to support

our customers throughout the improvement work. We understand disruption to services is frustrating for our customers and we would like to thank them in advance for their patience while this work is taking place.”

Babcock Looking to Offload Its Rail Business Babcock International is preparing for the sale of its rail business, the opening salvo in a company-wide divestment programme. The defence contractor announced in April plans to rationalise its portfolio through a series of sales that are forecast to generate proceeds of around £400m over the next 12 months.

HS2 machinery being used to make a tunnel underneath the Chiltern Hills (Martin Godwin/The Guardian)

Florence Begins her 3-year Tunnel Dig Contractors working on the new HS2 high speed rail line are starting work on a new ten-mile long tunnel in Buckinghamshire. A 170m long machine (Florence) will be one of ten used over the next three years to dig the tunnel under the Chiltern Hills. The new rail link will eventually link London with the Midlands and the north of England, with phase one connecting the capital and Birmingham.

Mark Thurston the chief executive of HS2 Ltd says the project is “providing a major boost to the economy in these difficult times. More than 16,000 jobs and 500 apprenticeships are already being supported by the work. I hope the entire country will get behind this truly transformative project.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said the launch of the first TBM is “a landmark moment for the project. The work has truly begun on taking HS2 northwards. The tunnels these machines dig will ensure the benefits of our new high-capacity, high-speed railway run to the great cities of the North and Midlands, forging stronger connections in our country, boosting connectivity and skills opportunities, and transforming our transport links.

It has so far not made any further announcement but the Financial Times reported it was preparing the sale of its rail business, part of its aerial emergency services unit and its training division.

Babcock’s rail business is one of the largest track renewal companies in the UK, and is also part of a joint venture with Alstom and Costain Group responsible for electrifying large swathes of the network. The aerial emergency services unit, meanwhile, operates around 500 planes and helicopters in France, Italy, Spain Sweden, Norway and Canada. Babcock acquired the business in 2014, when it bought aviation firm Avincis. However, Babcock told investors last month that the Avincis deal “has not delivered shareholder value, with low returns on high amounts of invested capital”.

Babcock also announced a £1.7bn writedown in April, much of it tied to the Avincis deal, and Spring 2021

around 1,000 job cuts. It is already in talks to sell its oil and gas aviation division.Newly-installed chief executive David Lockwood, who is spearheading the overhaul, said at the time: “Through self-help actions, we aim to return Babcock to strength without the need for an equity issue. We are creating a more effective and efficient company.”

The FT noted that the sale of the rail, training and parts of the aerial emergency services arm could raise more than £300m in cash.

Don’t miss out on all the latest news. Go to WWW.greatwesterstar. com/RailwayTerminus.

Our news page is updated regularly mainline, preservation, heritage railways, steam, diesel, electric GREAT WESTERN STAR MAGAZINE

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RAILWAY NEWS FROM AROUND THE GREAT WESTERN REGION

Work on Next West Midlands Metro Extension to Get Underway

The expansion of the West Midlands Metro sees no signs of abating with the news that the main construction works on the Birmingham Eastside extensions is set to get underway later this spring. The first works will see a new junction constructed at Lower Bull Street and Corporation Street with the summer having to see the current line through the city centre temporarily closed to allow the two lines to be connected.

The £227 million Birmingham Eastside extension will run to Digbeth travelling via the HS2 station at Curzon Street and should see four new stops constructed. It will be 1.7km in length and more than half of the route will be built without overhead wires. Trams will leave the current West Midlands Metro route in Birmingham City Centre shortly after the stop at Bull Street travelling via stops at Albert Street, New Canal Street, Meriden Street and High Street Deritend. To allow track to be laid for the new line, Lower Bull Street will be closed to all traffic during construction (although pedestrian access will be maintained) and comes after the completion of utility diversion works in the area.

Director of the Midland Metro Alliance, Peter Cushing, said: “The expansion of the Metro to the east of the city will make it easier for

those living, working and travelling in Birmingham to get around.

This is an exciting scheme which will help transform and support the regeneration of Digbeth by improving connectivity and making the most out of HS2. I am delighted that we will be starting construction shortly and look forward to seeing progress made on the project over the coming months.”

While this initial stage of the main works will not see any disruption for current West Midlands Metro services, later in the summer there will be as when the tracks on the Eastside line are connected to the current city centre line it won’t be possible for normal services to run for a period. In the press release no date is given for when this will happen except that it will be in the summer and will see trams terminate at “an alternative location in the city centre”. Normal services would resume before the autumn. This will

be before the remaining phase of the Westside extension to Hagley Road, Edgbaston opens so at least we now know that won’t be until the latter stages of the year!

Sophie Allison, Head of Business Transformation at Midland Metro Limited, said: “Passengers should expect some localised disruption to our services in the city centre this summer. We will continue to work with partners to ensure that passengers are provided with details of the works and alterations to services. Our customer service team will publicise information later this spring which will enable those using trams to plan their journeys in advance.”

The works in Lower Bull Street are expected to be completed by spring 2022 and during this time buses which usually serve the road will be diverted to proposed alternative stops at Albert Street, Corporation Street, Dale End and Moor Street Queensway.

Old Underground Trains finally leave the Isle of Wight

The old Island Line trains, which are being replaced by refitted, newer carriages this year, are saying a final goodbye to the Isle of Wight.

Loaded onto the back of a lorry, using a (very strong) winch, the first few were transported off the Island.

A £26 million upgrade to the Isle of Wight's network, operated by South Western Railway, between Shanklin and Ryde, is underway.

Replacement buses have been running since Island Line closed to passengers and the old rolling stock was retired, on January 3.

Epping Ongar Railway, based in an Essex market town north of 10

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Final goodbye! Photo by Bryn Jones London, will rehome the outgoing 1938-built Class 483 train. Epping Ongar manager Dean Walton said: "Given our strong links with the Underground, we're very excited about the possibility of seeing a unit Spring 2021

like this run under its own power."

On the Isle of Wight, meanwhile, Covid-19 has delayed the line's reopening. However, testing of the new rolling stock has been taking place.

Lost and Found – Irish-Style!

Set of taps, crutch, yoga mat and multiple Penneys bags among Irish Rail's lost and found According to a report in the Irish Examiner, a set of taps, a bible, a book on constitutional law, a crutch, and a yoga mat were among the lost and found items reported

by Irish Rail. Thousands of items are accidentally left behind — or sometimes simply abandoned — on train services every year with headphones, chargers, wallets, and clothing items among the most commonly misplaced items.

Irish Rail said one side-effect of Covid-19 restrictions had been a sharp fall in the number of things ending up in lost and found. At one of the country’s busiest stations, Heuston in Dublin, a typical month could see up to 100 items found around the station building or on incoming trains. A sample electronic log from January 2020 details the loss of a wallet with €25 inside, a set of Bose headphones, and a Hewlett Packard laptop in a purple bag. Also found were a set of taps, car keys for a Hyundai, and a mysterious “black folder with documents”, a gentleman’s tweed cap was also handed in, as was a pink Moses basket for a baby, and a USB stick, according to records released under FOI. At Westport Station in Mayo, a “train cash book” is used to record lost and found items, which included a fur coat, a grey medical bag, and several pairs of spectacles.

Also left behind, were a pair of kids’ wellies, a passport, plus one blue jacket containing a copy of the Irish Field newspaper. One passenger left behind a crutch, perhaps having recovered during their train journey, while numerous Penney’s bags were also reported lost.

In Kent Station in Cork, a handwritten ledger is used to log lost and found items. Among the things found there were a 160-pack of Marlboro cigarettes, a red mountain

bike, and dozens of bank cards, wallets, and glasses. The station also logged a missing yoga mat, a folding chair, a Harris tweed hat, and a black suitcase.

Irish Rail spokesman Barry Kenny said: “Lost property and public transport do go hand in hand, and over time reflect trends in clothing, reading, technology and more. Of course, a by-product of Covid restrictions is that it has been a relatively quiet time for lost property.” He said Irish Rail held lost property for customers for 30 days, and after that worked with local charities around the country to find a new home for items that were still considered “of use or value”.

A New Bid for Anglesey

A £50,000 bid has been submitted to fund a feasibility study into the disused Amlwch to Gaerwen railway line. The bid, submitted by Virginia Crosbie, MP for Ynys Môn following advice from Menter Môn, the Welsh Government, Transport for Wales and Anglesey Council, could see the line put back into use.

Originally known as the Anglesey Central Railway, the closed line extends north almost 18 miles from the North Wales main line at Gaerwen through Llangefni to Amlwch. The railway's tracks remain in place. Potential options include restoring it as a railway or turning it into a cycle and walking path that could open up a route from Newborough to Amlwch in the south and north of the island. It could also join up with the Anglesey Coastal Path.

The bid will be reviewed by the UK Government Department for Transport's (DfT) Restoring Your Railways Fund which is open to local councils and community groups in England and Wales to reinstate axed services and restore closed stations. A previous bid was Spring 2021

not accepted and the DfT asked for more information. The Welsh Government has committed to match-funding the £50,000 if the bid is successful.

Mrs Crosbie said: “This line is a major island resource that is lying in ruins and we need to find the best way to bring it back to life to boost transport links to our communities and promote tourism,” said Virginia. “I have held meetings with many groups who are interested in the line’s future and a variety of ideas are on the table. The way forward now is to secure this funding so the feasibility study can be conducted to identify the best way to bring this great community asset back into use. It's important to stress the fact the bid is to the Restoring Your Railways Fund does not mean that a railway is the way forward. All options are on the table.”

The Amlwch to Gaerwen line was opened in 1867 and passenger services stopped in 1964, while freight traffic continued until 1993. The Welsh Government, in partnership with Network Rail, commissioned a feasibility study into the reopening of the line in 2011.

A decision on the latest bid is due in the summer.

The Flying Banana

THE most technically advanced train of its type in the world, Network Rail’s ‘NMT’ flew through Pembrokeshire this week at 125mph.

The ‘New Measurement Train’, affectionately known as the ‘flying banana’, is a unique, hightech machine equipped with the newest measurement systems, track scanners, and a highresolution camera to help measure the condition of the tracks.

Covering 20,000 miles of track the monitoring fleet slot between timetabled trains so there are no delays or disruption as a result of the work.

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Plans for £150m rail testing centre called in

Proposals for a £150 million rail testing centre in South Wales have been called in to be decided by Powys County Council’s (PCC) planning committee. An outline planning application by the Welsh Government to build a Global Centre of Rail Excellence (GCRE) at the Nant Helen opencast coal mine in Ystradgynlais, was lodged with both Powys and Neath Port Talbot Borough Council at the end of March.

If successful the project is expected to be fully operational by 2025, bringing a possible 300 jobs to the area but concerns about the proposal have been aired in the area.

Powys county councillor for Cwm Tawe Uchaf, Cllr David Thomas (Labour), said: “I’d firstly like to say that I welcome the proposed investment in this project and the future ‘re-energising’ of the local economy that it offers. However, I am aware of concerns held by the residents impacted by these proposals which I would request the planning committee examine further to satisfy themselves that any adverse impact on these communities can be mitigated.”

Cllr Thomas also wants to see a liaison body be created in the future.

This would allow representatives from GCRE and “nominated local representatives” to discuss and share information on the project with each other. Cllr Thomas added that he would also like “consideration” given to setting up a Community Infrastructure Fund. This would benefit the community and improve thing such as open spaces and public transport links in the area.

Cllr Thomas has indicated that he and Cllr Sarah Williams (Abercraf – Labour) want to speak on the proposal when the application appears in front of the planning committee. Tawe Uchaf Community Council, also have concerns. about how the proposal will impact the village of Caehopkin visually, as well as noise pollution. They are seeking assurances that both issues will be addressed through the planning process.

The GCRE is supposed to be built at Nant Helen once Celtic Energy finish its coal mining operation later this year. Powys is part of a joint venture with Neath Port Talbot and the Welsh Government, to develop the site which straddles the local authority boundary. Under the plans a 6.9 km high-speed testing track and 4.5km low-speed high-tonnage testing track will be built at the site along with a dual platform station. The facility will be connected to the main Brecon to Neath line, with signalling upgrades also planned as part of the project.

Plans also include a control centre, a research and development facility, maintenance sheds and staff overnight accommodation. A planning statement prepared by Ove Arup and Partners, who are the Welsh Government’s agents, says the construction is expected to support between 53 and 163 jobs, with 298 permanent direct and indirect roles to be created when the facility is fully operational. The current mining operation supports 170 jobs.

Arup said: “The benefits of the proposed development are clear, the Global Centre of Rail Excellence (GCRE) would be a state-of-art facility, the kind of which does not currently exist elsewhere in the UK. It would not only serve to meet specific needs of the UK rail industry but also would result in transformational socio-economic impacts both at a national and local level in terms of job creation and education and training opportunities 12

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over the long term. GCRE has been developed collaboratively in consultation with industry experts, it is considered that it would be at the forefront of innovation to create a more sustainable, low-carbon rail network not only in the UK but internationally.

The planning application was lodged after the Welsh Government announced that it would loan £50 million to Powys for the first phase of the project. The projects also received a £30 million pledge from the UK Government in the spring budget. (Readers are referred to the more detailed article in this issue – Ed)

Plans approved for rockfall shelter extension Teignbridge District Council has approved Network Rail’s plans to extend an existing rockfall shelter over the railway line between Dawlish and Holcombe in Devon.

Network Rail hopes to begin construction work on the 209m long extension of the rockfall shelter north of Parsons Tunnel in August which will help protect trains against falling rocks along this section of vital railway that connects communities across the south west with the rest of the country. Parsons Tunnel was previously extended 100 years ago, and Network Rail will extend that further by providing a rockfall shelter in modern materials, but with open sides rather than the brick built enclosed tunnel extension. Once started, construction of the £37.4m project is expected to take around a year to complete.

Preparatory work at the top of the cliffs overlooking this stretch of railway began in March whereby Network Rail engineers started cutting back some of the vegetation.

This work is being closely monitored to ensure the least disruption for wildlife habitats and biodiversity.

This rockfall shelter, which is the third phase of work as part of Network Rail’s South West Rail Resilience Programme (SWRRP) and follows the two sections of new sea wall in Dawlish, is critical to ensuring the resilience of the railway between Dawlish and Teignmouth for generations to come and protecting this critical route

from falling debris.

RAILWAY NEWS FROM AROUND THE GREAT WESTERN REGION Flagship national college for HS2 dissolved and relaunched

Chris Pearce, Network Rail’s Western route interim director, said: "We are pleased that Teignbridge District Council has approved this third section of the South West Rail Resilience Programme and thank members and officers for their thorough reviews of our plans. The coastal location of the railway in south Devon is truly stunning but it also

presents its biggest challenge with the sea on one side and steep cliffs on the other. The existing rockfall shelter has proven its effectiveness for a century and so this modern extended structure will protect the railway for generations to come alongside a section of cliff that is becoming increasingly hazardous from rock falls.”

The flagship national college for HS2 has been officially closed by ministers after facing insolvency and relaunched as a subsidiary of the University of Birmingham.

The National College for Advanced Transport and Infrastructure (NCATI), which has campuses in Birmingham and Doncaster, announced today that its FE corporation dissolved on 29 April. It has now been reformed as a new institution, part of the University of Birmingham.

The new NCATI will produce professionals to lead Britain’s future rail, transport and infrastructure workforce.

Very Light Rail Rapid Charger Installed at Dudley Test Track and New Battery Charger Furrer+Frey GB has installed an ‘ultra-rapid’ battery charge station at the Very Light Rail National Innovation Centre in Dudley, where the prototype vehicle for the planned Coventry VLR line is to be tested.

The world's first fast charging station for battery trains, developed

by Furrer+Frey and Stadtwerke Tübingen, has been successfully tested.

The technical solution "Voltap" offers many advantages for the use of battery trains. Fast charging is possible in an extremely short time.

The system is future-proof and can also be used in rural areas with weaker network infrastructure.

Charging takes place without a socket or plug. This means that no manual handling is necessary. This increases the safety and comfort of the staff. Operation, monitoring, maintenance, etc. can be offered from a single source if desired.

The investment costs extend over the term. Since the TÜV accompanied the development phase, a prepared approval is ready.

Spring 2021

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RAILWAY NEWS FROM AROUND THE GREAT WESTERN REGION

Bid race for £70m job to restore disused Portishead rail line Network Rail Infrastructure has started the tender race for a contractor to re-open passenger services between a new Portishead station and Bristol Temple Meads.

The Portishead rail branch line will see two new stations at Portishead and at Pill. The project is a key part of the first phase of the MetroWest programme of transport improvements across the region being led by the West of England Combined Authority and North Somerset Council.

The multidisciplinary project will involve 5.5km of new railway along a disused line between Pill and Portishead.

Works comprise detail design, surveys, environmental & ecology, civils, track, highways, buildings, telecoms, M&E and E&P. It is proposed to use a target cost contract (NR12) for a single design and construct contract.

Network Rail is presently assuming railway control systems works are to be undertaken by other specialist contractors, but may include, subject to funding and consents, to include and award these works within the main build contract.

The reopening of the Portishead to Bristol line is hoped to solve the congestion gridlock faced by thousands of motorists who battle to get in and out of the growing town each day.

Under the procurement timetable expressions of interest are GREAT WESTERN STAR MAGAZINE

due in by June with four shortlisted firms due to be invited to tender in July.

The Mystery of Box Tunnel Brunel’s sister may hold key to 180-year-old Box Tunnel sunrise mystery At 6.33am on the 9th April – assuming there were clear skies – the sun rose over Corsham in Wiltshire where the eastern portal of Brunel’s Box Tunnel on the Great Western Main Line is located and, according to mathematicians, the angle meant that it shone through to the village of Box at the western portal.

Many suggested that Brunel designed it to do this on his own birthday but that falls on 9 April and it has more recently been suggested that the date is a tribute to his sister Emma Joan, born in 1803, whose birthday was 6 April.

The link to Brunel’s sister has only recently been suggested by retired engineer and physicist Peter Maggs who has been puzzling over the date for a number of decades.

But is this phenomenon by design or happy coincidence?

180 years on from the tunnel’s opening in 1841 it is easy to assume it is the latter but the construction was extremely challenging without adding such a tribute to the project plan.

Critics of the project, which was first proposed in the Great Western Railway Act of 1835, called it an “impossible and dangerous engineering project” as a result of Spring 2021

its length – 2.94km – and steep gradient of 1 in 100 over its length.

Work on site started on site in 1836 and, over the course of two years, eight shafts were sunk to evaluate the ground conditions.

Tunnel construction on the 7.6m diameter bore started in 1838 with contract George Burge charges with driving 75% of the tunnel from the west and Messer Lewis and Brewer driving the remainder from the Corsham end with additional access from the ventilation shafts.

Progress was slow with groundwater issues as tunnelling passed through the Great Oolite strata and delays at the site prevented the line from London to Bristol opening on time. At peak 4,000 men worked on the tunnelling project but it is reported that alignment driven by the two contractors was only 50mm out when they met.

The tunnel was finally completed in April 1841 – but did the sun shine through the tunnel on 6 April 1841 as a birthday tribute or not?

No one knows for sure but maybe the tunnel portals give a clue – the eastern end is formed by plain stonework but the western end is more typical of Brunel’s style with a more classical design featuring ornate balustrades...designed to frame a birthday sunrise, perhaps?

Whatever the answer, 180 years after it first opened, Box Tunnel's engineering has certainly stood the test of time.

Hants offers support for rail reopening Hampshire County Council has given “conditional support” to reinstating passenger services over the ‘Waterside line’ railway branch from Totton to Fawley.

The top end of the branch sees occasional use by freight traffic to and from Marchwood Port. Beyond that the line is disused, rail traffic to/from Fawley oil refinery having ceased in 2016.

A strategic outline business case was recently prepared for a passenger service serving stations at Marchwood, Hythe...

Siemens Mobility and University of Birmingham to establish a centre of excellence for rail Siemens Mobility and the University of Birmingham in the UK have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish a centre of excellence for rail research and innovation in Goole, East Riding of Yorkshire. As founding partners in UKRRIN (the UK Rail Research and Innovation Network), this latest development is a natural progression for the two partner organisations.

The facility, with an investment of up to £50 million and creating up to 250 direct and supplier jobs, will be built as part of the second phase of an innovation hub known as the Rail Accelerator and Innovations Solutions Hub for Enterprise (RaisE).

It is aimed at accelerating the adoption of technology within the rail industry and will provide practical and virtual training, prototyping labs and focus on industry innovation – including future and advanced technologies, such as robotics and artificial intelligence.

RaisE will also spotlight decarbonisation and alternative traction technologies (such as battery and hydrogen) to drive forward the UK’s net-zero agenda, as well as increasing the reliability and availability of the railway using the latest digital solutions.

It incorporates the opportunity for increased skills development by creating a digital systems skills

academy, building on Siemens Mobility’s industry-leading expertise and Birmingham’s status as Centre of Excellence in Digital Systems within UKRRIN. William Wilson, CEO of Siemens Mobility Limited, said: “We are delighted to be working with the University of Birmingham on these exciting plans to take rail innovation in the UK – and beyond – to the next level. This is a development of international significance. It not only delivers on the levelling up agenda, but gives clear signals to the wider industry that the UK is at the forefront of railway innovation, research and development and is open for global collaboration.”

Professor Tim Jones, Provost and Vice-Principal at the University of Birmingham, said: “Signing this MoU further strengthens our partnership with Siemens Mobility and builds upon our world leading railway expertise based out of our new, state-of-the-art Centre of Excellence in Digital Systems and School of Engineering. We are looking forward to further developing our joint plans for this exciting centre in the coming weeks.“ Sambit Banerjee, Managing Director of Rolling Stock and Customer Services for Siemens Mobility Limited, concluded: “This is real and demonstrable progress of plans to turn Goole into the

railway hub of the future and make the most of the talent there is in the local area. For us, Goole is about much more than railway manufacturing. It’s about creating an internationally recognised hub of railway excellence, and I’m delighted that the University of Birmingham shares this vision.”

In total, RaisE will occupy a fiveacre site. Construction of the first phase, comprising offices for East Riding Council, Siemens Mobility and The Rail Alliance – part of the Birmingham Centre for Rail Research and Education at the University – with additional space for small and medium enterprise (SME) occupants and collaborative working areas, is due to open in 2022. This latest development – Phase Two – is planned to open a year later in 2023.

In addition to the opportunities created by RaisE, Siemens Mobility’s Goole rail manufacturing plant will create up to 700 direct jobs and an additional 1,700 indirect supply chain opportunities.

It is scheduled to open in 2023, with the first trains being manufactured onsite destined for London Underground’s Piccadilly line. The new centre compliments the manufacturing site, with plans to implement live test bed/ living lab concepts to trial innovative new technologies and increase their adoption as quickly as possible.

Campaign to reopen north-south Carmarthen to Bangor rail link launches fundraising drive Transport for Wales trains currently have to pass through Hereford.

A campaign to re-open a railway between Carmarthen and Bangor and in doing so reestablish a north-south rail link in Wales has launched a fundraising drive.

Traws Link Cymru was formed in 2013 with aim of reinstating the railway lines between Aberystwyth and Carmarthen, and Afon Wen and Bangor, both of which were closed to passengers under the 1960s Beeching Cuts. Since then travelling between Carmarthen and Bangor has required a six-hour journey out of Wales and through Hereford, Shrewsbury and Crewe.

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A Transport for Wales train waiting at Hereford Spring 2021

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RAILWAY NEWS FROM AROUND THE GREAT WESTERN REGION Traws Link Cymru are now hoping to raise £5,000 to spend on the campaign to re-open the route. A spokesperson for the campaign said it would “bind the country together to produce a more integrated Wales”.

“Mid- and West Wales are currently some of the most deprived areas of the United Kingdom and, indeed, of Western Europe,” he said. “Yet this region has considerable potential in terms of tourism and agriculture; it has an employment pool that could service a wide range of small and medium-scale industries; it has three university campuses and several linked colleges of further education on seven campuses; it has the National Library of Wales; the Royal Commission for Ancient and Historic Monuments; the headquarters of the S4C television channel; and it has a rich and diverse cultural history.

Realising the potential of this region requires, vision, planning and inward investment. But the poor communications network remains a major drawback. The current road system is inadequate for the region’s needs, and while

the existing railway links eastwards from Bangor and Aberystwyth, and east and west from Carmarthen, are both well-used, they do little to improve regional connectivity. Traws Link Cymru has argued that new railway lines between Aberystwyth and Carmarthen and Afon Wen and Bangor could provide the stimulus needed to kick-start economic and social regeneration throughout the region. Moreover, a railway line running from Bangor in the north to Carmarthen in the south would not only provide an important transport link between industrial south Wales and the rural north, but it would also bind the country together to produce a more integrated Wales.

As such, these new railway lines would have considerable strategic and political significance.”

Trackbed

The feasibility study published by the Welsh Government in 2018 confirmed that reopening the Carmarthen to Aberystwyth part of the route was technically feasible, but could cost as much as £750m.

The feasibility study did, however, identify some key challenges to reopening the route that would need

to be overcome: • Protecting the environment at Cors Caron bog near Tregaron • The potential flood risk impact of a new bridge over the Towy River, and the fact that significant parts of the route are within areas that can flood • The need to move the Gwili Railway steam train to another location • The need to demolish some houses along the route, as well as the noise impact on some communities Two years later, Traws Link Cymru carried out their own study and claimed that the cost of reopening the Aberystwyth to Carmarthen railway could be reduced to around £620 million, 20% less than the Wesh Government’s £775m price tag.

The report, entitled A Strategic Rail Corridor for west Wales comes two years after the Welsh Government published their own feasibility study.

It found that 97 per cent of the original trackbed was clear and that reopening was a realistic prospect.

Major section of Chiltern main railway line between Leamington and Banbury secured from landslips Earth beside the Chiltern main railway line between Leamington and Banbury has been secured from landslips to provide more reliable journeys for passengers.

Network Rail engineers stabilised a slope on the south side of Harbury near Leamington as part of a £9 million investment.

The major improvements started in December 2019 and workers left the site on March 5. From start to finish the major earth moving project work took 15 months to carry out.

Final sections of landslip repairs near Harbury on Chiltern main line.

The underground conditions in the area have caused problems for the railway ever since it was built in 1852*.

Most recently in 2015, 300,000 tonnes of earth moved on the north side of Harbury tunnel forcing the important passenger and freight railway route between the Midlands and London to close for six weeks.

Emma Gray, scheme project manager at Network Rail, said: “This significant investment to secure 16

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Harbury embankment aerial view. this part of the Chiltern main line will ensure reliable journeys for passengers between Birmingham and London for many decades to come.

Spring 2021

“The ground here, made up of layers of limestone and shale, can be unstable and could potentially cause issues for the railway running through it. This preventative work

(Above Left) Final sections of landslip repairs near Harbury on Chiltern main line (Above Right) Landslip repairs with grass verges growing beside Chiltern main line. will stop future slips and make it much more secure.

“We know Harbury very well after the huge landslip in 2015 and I want to thank the local community for their patience while we carried out this important work to protect the railway.”

Large nails and piles have been dug into the slopes beside the tracks to make them stronger.

A new retaining wall has also been built at the bottom of the railway cutting to prevent soil movement.

The project has been carried out during the daytime while passenger and freight trains continued to run below, meaning no disruption to services and no overnight work.

Eleni Jordan, commercial & customer strategy director for

Chiltern Railways, said: “The work that Network Rail have carried out at Harbury will ensure that we can continue to run reliable and punctual services for our customers for many years to come.”

For more information on how Network Rail carries out this type of work visit www.networkrail.co.uk/ earthworks-cutting-slopes-andembankments.

Golden Anniversary for reopening of Feniton Station This week (w/e 21 May) sees an important local anniversary on our railways. It is 50 years since Feniton Station re-opened after being closed in the 1960s Beeching cuts.

Originally opened as Feniton in July 1860, in 1861 the station began its confusing series of renamings, when it became ‘Ottery and Sidmouth Road.’ In February 1868 the name was changed again, to the slightly more explanatory ‘Feniton for Ottery St Mary.’ On July 6th 1874 the branch line to Sidmouth was opened, which lead to the station changing its name again, this time to Sidmouth Junction, the name it would bear for over 90 years.

Services from Sidmouth Junction to Sidmouth served Ottery St Mary and Tipton St John’s as it was then called. At Tipton, a further branch continued to Newton Poppleford, East Budleigh, Budleigh Salterton, Littleham and Exmouth.

The original station building was designed by William Tite, who was also responsible for the former building at Honiton and the remaining structure at Axminster.

Feniton station in the days of steam (Vernon Whitlock) It was demolished after the branch line to Sidmouth closed in 1967.

The goods yard was closed on 6th September 1965. It is now a small housing estate. The following year saw the withdrawal of local stopping trains on the main line, but Sidmouth Junction remained open until 6th March 1967 when passenger services were withdrawn from the branch lines. However, it was to prove one of the shortest of the Beeching era closures, as the Spring 2021

station was re-opened on 5th May 1971 following campaigning by local residents.

The line through Feniton was reduced to single track in June 1967. In 1974, the former level crossing gates were replaced by lifting barriers. The barriers were operated by the station staff until 2012, when control was transferred to the Basingstoke Rail Operations Centre.

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RAILWAY NEWS FROM AROUND THE GREAT WESTERN REGION through Feniton to single track was extremely significant. While recent attempts to reverse Beeching cuts across the country have rightly focused on re-opening stations and lines that were prematurely closed, it is the reduction of huge swathes of the rail network to single track that has had the biggest impact on restricting attempts to improve rail services, as passengers numbers have increased.

New Aids for Travellers with Sight Problems

Brighton gateline supervisor Adrian Davis and the new tactile map NEW TOUCH sensitive maps have been put in at major rail stations to help blind passengers.

Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), which operates Southern services in Sussex, has spent £700,000 on the maps.

The new “tactile” designs have been unveiled at 33 stations across the network in partnership with the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB).

It includes upgrades at Brighton, Crawley, Three Bridges, Worthing, Goring, Shoreham, and Haywards Heath stations.

It includes work to refurbish stations with bight white and yellow strips to help partially sighted people see the edge of stairs and know when they are at the top of bottom.

Loudspeaker announcements will improve and platforms will have new information displays and help points.

Manufactured by the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB), the raised lines and symbols mean the maps can be used by blind and partially sighted passengers. There are also braille translations of printed information.

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GWR Honours a WWII Hero A Second World War pilot who played a vital part in the ‘Great Escape’ from a German prisonerof-war camp will (Friday 7 May) have a train named in his honour

by Great Western Railway. Wing Commander Ken Rees, from Wales, was imprisoned in Stalag Luft III and helped to dig the tunnel from which a daring escape was made in March 1944.

Among those present at a trainnaming ceremony at Swansea station will be RAF Air Officer for Wales, Air Commodore Dai Williams, the RAF Queen’s Colour Squadron, and Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Wales, David TC Davies.

GWR set out to mark last year’s 75th anniversary of the end of World War Two by naming seven of its Intercity Express Trains after remarkable people involved in the conflict. Highly-decorated spy Odette Hallowes, D-Day veteran Harry Billinge MBE and ‘Cockleshell Hero’ Cpl George Sheard were added to its list of #greatwesterners but the Covid-19 pandemic prevented any further ceremonies from taking place. Now the train operator is fulfilling its pledge to honour four more war heroes and Wing Commander Rees’ name will feature on Intercity Express Train 800310, forming the 1122 service from Swansea to London Paddington following the ceremony.

A pilot with Bomber Command, Ken was shot down over Norway in October 1942 just two weeks after getting married. He was taken to Stalag Luft III, a prisoner camp designed for captured airmen and the scene of the ‘Great Escape’.

Ken was a digger on Tunnel ‘Harry’, the longest of all the tunnels and the one used in the escape. In the 1963 film of the famous feat, Steve McQueen’s character is said to be based on Ken due to his antagonistic attitude towards his captors, a result of his brother-inlaw, Sqn Ldr Harold Starr, being shot under his parachute during the Battle of Britain.

Ken, who died in 2014 aged 93, always maintained he had nothing to do with the story that McQueen’s character was loosely based on him.

“He is taller than I am, I’m heavier than he is, he’s American and I’m a Welshman – the only things we’ve got in common is that we both Spring 2021

Wing Commander Ken Rees

annoyed the Germans and ended up doing stretches in the cooler. I didn’t get out and if I did, I wouldn’t have been able to ride a motorbike anyway.”

RAF Air Officer for Wales, Air Commodore Dai Williams, said: “I welcome the opportunity to join GWR to commemorate Wing Commander Ken Rees of Wrexham, RAF Pilot of World War II and part of the ‘Great Escape’. It will be a privilege to acknowledge the service of this remarkable RAF Officer.”

Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Wales, David TC Davies MP, said: “It’s only fitting that Wing Commander Ken Rees’ memory is being honoured in this way by Great Western Railway. He was a proud Welshman whose exceptional bravery and painstaking efforts helped 76 men escape from captivity. His heroics have rightly gone down in the annals of history and his significant wartime contribution continues to be remembered.”

GWR Engineering Director, Simon Green, said: “We are honoured to be naming one of our Intercity Express Trains after Wing Commander Ken Rees, who played such a critical role as a member of the digging team in the ‘Great Escape’. We at Great Western Railway have a long history of naming trains after Great Westerners, the past and present heroes from across our network.

It is right that we honour some of those heroes of the war effort, remembering the sacrifice, bravery and tenacity that later generations owe so much to.”

In 2019 Northern Rail announced a £500 million investment in new trains, which the company said would "mark a step-change for rail travel in the north of England." The 100th new CAF train for Northern made its passenger debut on December 9, and the operator is already looking at increasing the size of its newbuild fleet.

Three-car diesel multiple unit 195133 operated six round trips between Manchester Piccadilly and Sheffield via the Hope Valley, with its first train the 0546 eastbound.

Northern Chief Operating Officer Tricia Williams said: “We now have new trains electric and diesel - operating in Cumbria, Lancashire, Greater Manchester, Cheshire, Merseyside, Derbyshire, West Yorkshire and North Yorkshire, meaning that in most areas, our customers can enjoy travel in modern units with air-conditioning, at-seat power and free WiFi.” A £500 million deal for 98 trains, later increased to 101, was placed with the Spanish train builder after Arriva took over the Northern franchise in April 2016. This was the largest European order for the manufacturer at the time. Eversholt Rail funded the trains.

While all the 43 Class 331 electric multiple units were built in CAF’s Zaragoza factory in north-east Spain, the 58 Class 195 DMUs were built in Irun (northern Spain) and Newport (Wales).

Williams revealed: “We have been looking at new

trains - more Class 331s.

“Ideally, what we are looking for is standardisation. I don’t want lots of different train types.

The lack of standardisation surprised me - there are different couplings, door controls, vehicle lengths.

This makes it hard for crewing and rostering, but also about how you manage the trains for passengers.”

There is no timescale for the new trains. A CAF source confirmed that a lot of work was ongoing with Northern, including the continued development of a battery EMU that is planned to be tested on the OxenholmeWindermere route.

However, Northern Rail has now had to make the decision to withdraw 24 of its new electric (Class 331) and diesel (Class 195) trains due to a problem discovered with their shock absorbers, designed to prevent swaying in the carriages.

West Yorkshire Combined Authority's Transport Committee will discover what modifications will be required Spring 2021

to deal with the fault, which is likely to take "several months."

A spokesperson for Northern said: “A fault has been identified on some of the new fleet of trains built

by CAF (Spanish company) and operated by Northern.

“The remaining 78 trains in Northern’s CAF fleet have been fully checked and are operating as normal.

"The units still in passenger service will be regularly checked as part of the ongoing engineering process.

“While the root cause of the problem has not yet been fully established, we continue to work closely with CAF to resolve the issue. As part of this work CAF and Northern have developed an interim modification which, once fully tested, will enable the entire fleet to return to customer service.

"Work is ongoing to design a permanent modification that can be applied to all CAF trains operated by Northern.”

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The Changing Place of Women on the Railways Although the first railways were built as far back as the 1820s, it was not until the outbreak of the First World War that women began to become employed on them and, from what has been written, it was not something that was, at least initially done from choice but, instead was a situation that was forced upon the railway companies as hundreds of thousands of men were taken into the armed forces and a new source of labour had to be found very quickly.

Immediately the war ended, these women were thrown back out into civvie street as their men took back the jobs. The same situation occurred in 1939 and in this case, their stories have been written in a fascinating new book - Female Railway Workers in World War II by Susan Major (published by Pen & Sword).

Susan is a railway historian, is retired and now lives in York. In her book, she says,

“With millions of men called up for service, it fell to women to keep many of Britain’s vital industries and services running, among them, the railways. There had of course been women already working in some areas of the railway, such as in clerical, cleaning, and catering jobs but, in wartime, many women were employed in the kind of work which was completely new to females, working as porters and guards, and in maintenance and workshop operations.”

Obviously, things have moved on a lot since those unenlightened days and the occurrence of International Women’s Day on the 8th March provided an opportunity to see how things have changed and are continuing to change for the better. In this article, Great Western Star talks to one lady in South Wales and looks at how other ladies are enjoying life on the railways across the country.

Driver Training in South Wales The opportunity arose to talk to Beverley (Bev) Hannible who works for Transport for Wales in Cardiff as the company’s first female train driver and who has now been promoted to Driver & Operations Trainer for TfW. Great Western Star: Firstly, congratulations on your appointment, it’s quite a responsibility! Does train driving run through your family?

Bev Hannible: I believe so. Certainly, my grandfather was a train driver in and around Manchester, although I don’t know a lot about his career.

GWS: How long have you been working on the railway?

BH: I joined as a Guard in 2005 before progressing to become a train driver in April 1025. At that time, I then felt confident enough to make this big step up to become a driver. In November 2020, I was promoted to my current position, having been working down here in Cardiff for three years.

GWS: Which routes were you driving?

BH: I was fortunate in that I have been driving up into the Valleys, so out to Merthyr, Aberdare, Treherbert and down to Barry Island. These are lovely routes and so it was a nice run up there.

GWS: If you were so happy driving, what made you switch to training?

BH: I loved my time as a driver, but I also love teaching. About 20 years ago, I taught street dancing and so this new job allows me to marry two skills – driving and teaching. I find that I 20

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thoroughly enjoy training as it gives me a great deal of satisfaction as each group passes out but, yes, I do still miss those rides up the valleys!

As Transport for Wales – Driver and Operations Trainer, it carries a great deal of responsibility but there is another aspect to this. I believe, and this is something that is also important to TfW, we must show that we are not just employing women behind the scenes but that we are keen to have them in front line positions, namely driving.

We are moving down this route and my position as trainer is a sign that being a woman is no barrier to progress. We already have women in the training team who are training platform staff, guards, and conductors and so this latest step reinforces that.

GWS: What do you find so interesting about this job?

BH: It is like any training or teaching job in that each group or class will be different. The mix of

people is different and so you must be adaptable and flexible. We have the trainees for 11 weeks and I think many are surprised when they first walk into the classroom to see that they have a female instructor. Some are quite OK with this while some need me to gain their respect. I have not had a problem so far.

GWS: Do you have a mix of trainees?

BH: Yes, we have a few women now coming through, but it will take time. For some it has been their lifetime’s dream to be a train driver and for others, it has simply taken a long time to get here. I don’t think that this is an industry where there will be more women drivers than men but at least we are making a start. I think that my being in this position makes it seem less daunting to them.

GWS: Have you ever had to prove that you are just as good at your job as a man?

BH: No but then again, I think that it is more a question of proving it to myself. I have always believed that, if you want something badly enough, then you just must work that bit harder to make it happen. Also, you need someone who believes enough in you to give you a chance and, here in TfW, I was given that opportunity. All you need are the right qualifications and the right attitude in wanting to improve yourself – after that its up to you.

GWS: Have you ever come up against negative attitudes?

BH: Sadly, some people do still have an attitude.

I can remember when I was driving, I would pull into a station and, shock, horror, it’s a woman driving! I have even had men refusing to get on the train because I was a woman. The funniest one was a couple where the man was about 6f 4in and the woman about 4ft nothing. He would not get on until she gave him a right talking to and he sheepishly joined the train but was not happy.

test drives to main our level of competency and we also have regular reviews with our managers.

Basically, however, we are full-time in the training school.

GWS: What is the best part of your job?

BH: For me it’s when the trainees leave, and they are happy and confident. For me that is an achievement seeing them walk out excited about the next step. We have been nurturing these people through their eleven weeks. They come in in week one, you don’t know them, you build relationships with them. A lot of things can happen in those eleven weeks, at home, personally, they can get sick. We have had a few hurdles to overcome with COVID but, at the end of the 11 weeks you send them off, rather like being a proud parent. You have helped someone to get on to the ladder for, in some cases, this is like a dream coming true, it’s all that they have ever wanted, some of these people have waited a long time to get on to the railways and so we have helped them achieve the first part of their dream.

For me it’s a proud moment when you see them walk out into the next part of their journey GWS: Do they have to sit an exam at the end of the 11 weeks?

BH: Yes, they have six regular assessments during the time that they are here because the course is split up into modules, some of which are quite heavy; we cover all safety instructions, emergency situations, signalling etc. We must cover all these modules with them, and they sit assessments to show that they have understood it all and are confident about it and what is expected of them as a professional driver.

GWS: Have you had any BAME trainees yet?

BH: Not yet. I know there are people from various backgrounds training in many roles, including guards and conductors but so far none as drivers.

You cannot make people apply, all you can do is to show them the opportunities and then it is up to them. You simply must have the right attitude and work hard. It should not be that you get a particular job because of your sex, background, ethnicity etc, it should only be because you can show that you are the right person for the job, with the right experience, training qualifications, etc.

GWS: Is it all just lectures, or do you have simulators etc?

BH: Yes, we have two simulators down here – one is a 150 simulator and the other a 175 simulator.

We can replicate emergency situations – for example, a tree on the line or cattle on the line to give them confidence of knowing how to deal with the emergency situation. We are also waiting for some new simulators that will deal with the new traction units that will be coming online for the Valleys and the main line. It’s an exciting time now, a lot of new kit arriving. TfW have invested in the new XXX depot, there is all the overhead electrification equipment, all the electrification going on in the Valleys, new stations opening.

The investment that TfW have put in is immense and will take a couple of years to be complete.

Its bringing a lot more positivity about people’s attitudes towards the railways.

GWS: Now you have switched to training, do you still get the opportunity to drive on occasions?

BH: Yes, we still must do regular competency

GWS: You have been nationalised now.

BH: Yes, we have. It’s going to be good. Obviously, we have been affected by COVID and now everyone is working to catch up. Its exciting times.

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GWS: Did you have any interesting moments when you were driving?

BH: I had a few hairy moments with people deciding to take a short cut home across the tracks because its quicker. I’ve never been involved in a fatality, but I have talked someone out of doing something – I had a chat with him on the platform rather than in the track and got him to walk away. You just must deal with the situation as it is thrown at you but thankfully, it has been uneventful! I have loved every minute of my career so far and this move into training means things have got even better. Long may it continue!

GWS: Bev, thank you for your time and I wish you the best in your new career.

A Trainee TfW Driver

Katherine Williams is one of the next group of train drivers currently undergoing training, having previously had a career in the military police and with South Wales and Gwent police forces.

She said: “It’s been a very welcoming environment; the training has been building gradually and is starting to ramp-up now.

It would be great to see more women on the course. For any women thinking of coming into the rail industry I would definitely say go for it, I’m glad I made this jump to this career.”

said Beth. “At the time I thought I wouldn’t have a problem finding a job because of the skills I had learned from my time served within the forces but boy was I wrong! My dream was to find a project manager role, within the rail industry, working Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm and I wanted a role which challenged me but more importantly, supported me. I love my job with TfW, I finally feel valued not only as an employee but most importantly I’m supported to be my main role, which is a mother.”

The LNER Viewpoint As part of its International Women’s Day feature, the MailOnLine featured four women who opted to change their jobs to become train drivers, including a former neuroscientist and an ex-lawyer.

TfW’s Interim Managing Director of Transport for Wales Rail Limited

Earlier this year, TfW appointed Marie Daly to the role of interim Managing Director of Transport for Wales Rail Limited and has recently announced a new partnership with leading gender equality charity, Chwarae Teg. They will provide the organisation with access to a whole host of support and resources as it works towards achieving equality across the organisation.

As part of its commitment to the Armed Forces Covenant, TfW has partnered with an organisation to engage with women leaving the military who may be suitable for a role in the transport sector.

One of the first people to benefit from the link is Beth Powell, who has joined TfW as an assistant project manager in the infrastructure team. She previously served as a mechanical aircraft engineer on the Tornado GR4 in the RAF for eight years.

PHOTO “I left the RAF in 2017 after the birth of my eldest son because the thought of having to go on an operational tour was no longer for me,”

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Three of LNER's female drivers, left to right: Trudi Kinchella, apprentice Vandana Mungur and former neuroscientist Mena Sutharsan (www. charlottegraham.photography

Mena Sutharsan, 36, did a BSc in biomedical science at UCL and then a masters in neuroscience at King's College London. She spent 'ample time in labs' and worked on Alzheimer's for her MSc project. However, after graduating, she decided that 'being a scientist wasn't for me'.

She said: “I thought about a career transition and decided to become a translator. I grew up in France and can speak four languages fluently so I thought that might be something I enjoy. I took a temporary job on the railways through an agency to work in the meantime. It was meant to be for three months and here I am at LNER 13 years later.”

Mena - who drives Class 800 Azuma trains and is also qualified to drive Intercity 125 HSTs and Class 91s – revealed there had been a change in how railwaymen interact with her

Becky Brown with her mad keen daughter, Maisie

older. Maisie was adamant she wanted to go as a train driver. Most of her peers were dressed as superheroes and princesses.”

The driver who has seen the biggest changes in the female-male dynamic on the railways was Newcastle-based Trudi Kinchella, who has been a driver for 28 years.

over the years. She said: “When I first started, some colleagues would ask a male or older colleague for advice or instructions over me even if I had the more senior position. It wasn't always intentional. Now I see more of a balance and that's been helped by the increasing number of women in senior positions at LNER.” She described her male colleagues as 'great' and the job as 'challenging and exciting', with 'no two days the same'.

Peterborough-based Vandana Mungur, 23, has diverted from commercial law to become an LNER apprentice. She's pictured here in the LNER King's Cross simulator suite.

She said: “I am the only woman on my training course. I started with nine other male trainee drivers. They don't treat me any differently and we have a great time training together. The amount of information you must take in during the first few months is crazy. We have assessments every week, so you always must be on the ball. There's no such thing as "I'll just get it done tomorrow". It is challenging, especially back at the beginning, trying to balance everything. However, we have revision video calls between us, and our trainers are there every step of the way.”

Finally, there's Leeds-based Azuma-driver Becky Brown. She's been a driver for more than 10 years and said that “most of my colleagues supported me and helped teach me how to become the best train driver I could be.

My male colleagues are really supportive, and they see me as a driver, all doing the same job and there for each other.'

LNER's female-driver ranks may be boosted in the future by Becky's daughter, Maisie, who's eight.

From the age of four, she has been adamant that she wants to be a train driver.

Becky said: “From the age of four when at school, she and her classmates had to dress up as what they wanted to be when they were

She said, “When any doubters saw that I was going to "stick it out", I was finally accepted. I quickly learned that to be seen as half as good you had to be twice as good. I have shown that I am just as capable, professional, and focused and very slowly over the years, probably about 10 years, when any doubters saw that I was going to "stick it out", I was finally accepted.

I would say to any woman aspiring to drive for LNER that if you have the aptitude and dedication, then it is an amazingly fulfilling and enjoyable career. Go for it.”

The South Western Railway View

Claire Mann (Credit: South Western Railway)

South Western Railway (SWR) has announced that their new Managing Director, Claire Mann, took up office on the 22nd March 2021.

Claire is no stranger to both the Transport and Railway industry, having worked at the following companies: Heathrow Express – Customer Service Assistant and later Train Driver; Docklands Light Railway; Arriva Trains; First Great Western (rebranded as Great Western Railway); London Overground; and Transport for London – Director of Bus Operations She has gathered a wealth of knowledge over the years at all these companies, knowledge which is key to becoming a successful Managing Director for a TOC. Spring 2021

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While in the recruitment process, Mike Houghton became Acting Managing Director, but will now return to his duties as Chief Operating Officer. Claire will be working closely with Mike and other senior officers, especially as the UK transitions out of lockdown gradually and passenger numbers begin to increase.

Network Rail – Eastern Anglia One of the Country’s Youngest Station Managers - Emma Watson used to travel into London Liverpool Street Station every day, and now she works for Network Rail, as one of the country’s youngest station managers, managing the station. As she nears the end of her first year in the role, an unprecedented year at that, and to coincide with International Women’s Day, she shares her experience of being a female manager in a historically maledominated rail industry.

Emma helps thousands of passengers to get to where they need to be every single day.

She joined the railway industry by chance, after being made redundant and has been station manager for almost one year. She said, “I thoroughly enjoy working in rail, and I’m so proud of it too. I was temping locally after being made redundant when a friend from school told me where she was working.

I asked if there were any jobs going and there began my journey as a data entry clerk in train planning – at the time, I had no idea people actually planned each train journey and it blew my mind. This industry still surprises me on a daily basis.”

Emma loves her job, but it definitely wasn’t an easy start as she was thrown head-first into managing a station during a pandemic which has seen new rules, one-way systems, and measures to keep passengers safe. Emma explains that the support and expertise of her team, many of whom are also women, have helped her through. As part of International Women’s Day, Emma is encouraging other women to join the industry. Emma advises, “Providing you know your stuff and are willing to learn there are many opportunities. I have worked in several parts of the business from freight to projects and even took a couple of years away from Network Rail where I worked for a train operator in property and projects. It has historically been a very male led industry, but I’ve seen a real step change in my 11 years in rail which is refreshing, although I think it’s fair to say that there is still some way to go, and I look forward to being part of that journey.”

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In 2017, Network Rail announced its ‘20 by 20’ target, to increase our take-up of female employees across the business to 20 per cent by 2020. The Strategic Business Plan for Control Period 6 (2019-2024) sets out its plan to increase the number of women in our business by 50 per cent by the end of the Control Period and to have gender balanced recruitment of apprentices and graduates.

Northern Trains – Teesside Rail Delivery Group Teesside train driver turned paramedic.

Teesside heroine - Jolene Miller A Teesside train driver was awarded a British Empire Medal for services to the NHS during the coronavirus pandemic last year. Jolene Miller has gone above and beyond to keep the railway running and the country moving throughout the pandemic. The Stockton woman's story demonstrates the key work women do in an industry typically associated with men.

From March to the end of June, Jolene was driving Northern trains for one week transporting key workers to their workplace, including driving the route to James Cook Hospital station. She returned to her earlier role of a paramedic with the NHS in the Darlington Memorial Hospital’s Accident and Emergency department as a hospital liaison officer. She triaged patients as they arrived by ambulance, enabling them to get the most appropriate care, and looked after the patients until rooms became available. This allowed the full-time paramedic crews to get back out on the road to respond to the next emergency.

She said: “I made sure I had days off at the end of each week so that I was ready for the next job and help to keep everything safe. It was quite stressful at times, but I enjoyed getting back to working in the NHS – though I think I’ll stick to train driving in the future.”

Jolene worked with the North East Ambulance Service for 12 years from 2006, starting as an ambulance technician, before training to be a paramedic. However, in 2018 she decided she would like a career change and, having seen how much her husband enjoyed his job as a train driver for Northern, decided she would apply too.

She said: “Northern has been amazing throughout this, they didn’t have to let me do it, but they did and have been so supportive of me from the very first phone call I made to HR. It’s a great company to work for and I am glad I made the change.”

Jolene was awarded one of the country’s highest civilian honours in October, last year.

The British Empire Medal is given in recognition of service to the community which can include charitable or voluntary activities.

Speaking about the award, she said: “It’s been so surreal, I can’t believe it, I’m really proud but still in shock. There are still lots of people I know working in the NHS and fighting coronavirus day in day out while I spent a few months working back in a hospital. I just wanted to use the skills I had.”

Avanti West Coast - Liverpool A young woman who thought "only men drive trains" is urging more women to consider pursuing the career.

Trainee train driver Chloe McKinlay said she hoped International Women's Day would inspire people to "challenge gender stereotypes".

A 2019 study commissioned by train drivers' union Aslef found just 6.5% of drivers in Britain were women.

Ms McKinlay, who is following in her father's footsteps as a train driver, said it was "a wonderful career".

"Even though my dad is a driver, growing up never once did I think driving was an option for me," the 25-year-old from Liverpool added.

"If I can do it, why not you?"

Ms McKinlay, who is a trainee driver with Avanti West Coast, said, “The job carries a lot of responsibility and job satisfaction. As a degree apprentice, I spent some time working with the driver team and I thought why not and on International Women's Day that's the message I'd like to pass on to other women."

Paul Makepeace, head of drivers at Avanti West Coast, said, “The industry faces a potential skills shortage with many drivers expected to retire in the coming few years. The industry needs to develop train drivers of the future, and we're hoping that Chloe's story will encourage more women to seriously consider it as a realistic and achievable career.

Network Rail Eastern: East Midlands A graduate who joined Network Rail during the COVID-19 pandemic and has been helping to improve the signalling on the Midland Main Line is encouraging more women to consider a career in the rail industry.

Ellie Smith, who is based in Derby, graduated from Warwick University with a degree in Electronic Engineering. Although joining Network Rail in the middle of the COVID-19

pandemic meant Ellie completed her degree, then started work from the same desk at home, she has already been involved in vital work to make sure train services can continue running safely and reliably for passengers who must travel.

Ellie has spent the last five months supporting the team carrying out work to replace and repair power cables along the Midland Main Line between Sheffield and London St Pancras International. Some of the equipment is around 50 years old, and these improvements mean the signalling system the traffic lights of the railway – can work more reliably, reducing disruption for passengers as well as the amount of maintenance which is needed.

Ellie said: “I knew my graduate placement would be different – not because I’m a woman, but because I was starting it right in the middle of a global pandemic. It made it more difficult for me to meet my team and move around different areas, but I’ve loved being involved in these signalling power improvements.

When I meet new people outside the railway industry, they’re quite surprised at what I do.

I would really recommend a railway career to anyone considering it. I’ve been given many opportunities and lots of responsibility. It’s great to know I’m improving journeys for passengers travelling on the Midland Main Line.”

Across the railway industry, there are many, many more stories like these and Great Western Star is proud to have highlighted just some of them. We make no apologies for the size of this feature for we believe that the efforts, trials, and successes of a wide range of women from disparate backgrounds, have been grossly under reported in the pages of the railway press.

We welcome this opportunity around the time of International Women’s Day in March to try to redress this situation. In addition, we ask any women working on the railways of Britain, to write in and tell their story. Women have shown that they have just as much to offer as men in this industry, once they are given the chance and the rail companies have responded, as shown in this article by offering them the opportunity – Ed. Spring 2021

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Scotland’s Only Lady Freight Train Driver* Apart from the human interest in this story as a female freight train driver, there is another side to this story about Heather Waugh. Although she was already a pioneer through her job, a tragedy from her past inspired her to take on a new mission - getting men to discuss mental health problems. The incident that Heather describes was a life-changing moment and brings home the importance of knowing when to seek help.

Heather and Her Day Job After school Heather joined the Royal Mail and, by the age of 20, had risen to become the manager of 100 male postal workers. She was on the fast track to greater things, but after a decade with the Royal Mail she felt burnt out. Then she noticed a job advert - ScotRail were looking for train drivers.

She knew it would be hugely competitive, but she thought about the camaraderie her father, who had died the previous year, had enjoyed on the railways.

She sent in her application. The process was “like Pop Idol”, Heather says - thousands of applicants, written tests, waiting in a room for her name to be called out and told she’d made it to the next stage. Eventually she was told she’d landed the job. It took two years of intensive training to become a fully qualified train driver - first of all digesting the rulebook and safety procedures, and only after that learning to drive the train - “or more specifically learning to drive the routes, because you do need to drive them blind,” says Heather.

Heather, 44, drove passenger trains for 15 years for Scotrail before switching to Freightliner, her present employer, in 2019. And, after so much practice in the rain and darkness, she could anticipate every gradient and curve of the line ahead. She knew how fast to approach each corner; when to apply the brakes and how long it would take before the wagons at the back would actually start to slow down. This was a job, she’d realised, that matched her temperament. She loved the camaraderie she shared in the mess hall with other drivers and train crew, the sense of the railway as one big family. But the solitude of the driver’s cab suited her, too.

Time to go!

When it was time to set off, Heather briskly pulled a handle towards her: “Star Trek-style”, she said, deadpan, as though she were Mr Sulu putting the USS Enterprise into warp speed. But this wasn’t a spaceship; it was a British Railvintage Class 90 locomotive. Its motors growled, • Based upon a story by Jon Kelly, BBC News, and reproduced by permission of BBC News at bbc. co.uk/news 26

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Heather Waugh and her beloved Class 90!

then the train shuddered forward. Behind her, container wagons stretched down the line for three-quarters of a mile. It wasn’t Heather’s job to know what sort of cargo she was carrying, just how much it all weighed - tonight, a little under 1,500 tonnes - and whether it included anything hazardous. Her task was to drive the lot of it south through the valleys of lowland Scotland and beyond.

In the cab, with her right hand on the power controller and her left hand on a train brake handle, she was deep in concentration and looked, despite the clatter and din around her, entirely serene. The evening light was fading as Heather approached Carlisle. She eased the locomotive alongside the platform until it came to a halt. The cargo would carry on towards the ports of the south of England. But Heather’s shift was over. It was time to hand over to another driver.

Afterwards, she’d make her way home to Airdrie in Lanarkshire. A few years ago, her mum, who is now 80, moved in with her. Kathleen was recently diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease, but her sense of humour is very much intact. “We still have great laughs - she’s still got a crazy Glaswegian sense of humour, absolutely loves that I’m on the railway and that I come home with all these stories,” Heather says. “And she’s got a photograph of me driving a freight train up on

the mantelpiece, which she insists everyone who walks in the room takes a look at.”

Before the journey home, Heather watched the freight train she’d driven leave the platform. It rumbled away from the station and into the night.

Heather’s Life and her family

When she went over to freight, her mother had mostly worried that Heather would be lonely, driving all by herself through the night. Here in the cab, though, Heather felt empowered and trusted. She liked the idea that here, it was just her and the train. Much as she loved rail, it was an industry where her gender set her apart. When she worked on passenger services, she’d been part of a very small minority; now, she was the only female freight driver north of the border. There’d

been a time when she hadn’t dwelt much on this.

Back then, Heather thought equality was about being treated the same as male colleagues. But recently she’d learned it was about much more than that.

From her window, Heather could see road traffic on M74. “You’re going alongside the motorway at times and looking at the lorry drivers, feeling quite smug,” she said. She marvelled at the fact that her freight train could carry 76 times as much cargo as a single HGV. “When you see a freight train passing by it just looks phenomenal. So, to know that you’re the one that’s actually responsible for that…” She paused. “It’s a great feeling.”

Inside the cab, the number of tasks to remember was endless. It wouldn’t stop, either, when she slowed the train into a station and stepped out.

If she met any of her male colleagues, or saw anyone standing around on the platform, she had a checklist to go through with them too.

The railways had always been in Heather’s blood. Her father, Neil, had worked on them for 45 years, as a guard and then as a senior conductor at Edinburgh Waverley station. But it was her mother, Kathleen, who made her fall in love with trains.

“My dad had no sense of humour,” Heather says, affectionately. “He would come home each day, very staid: ‘Oh my God, this happened today.’”

But Kathleen would draw out the funny side of all the stories he’d tell them about his work, and she and Heather would laugh uproariously. “My mum’s Glaswegian, so she has a great sense of humour.”

The family lived in a flat in Niddrie, a housing scheme on the south side of the Scottish capital.

Thanks to the free passes to which family members of British Rail staff were entitled, Heather’s horizons were always much broader the Highlands, the Fife coast, across the border into England. “My mum would always take me to different places in Scotland, and I think that’s where my love of the railway comes from,” she says.

Back to work

“The level of concentration is huge,” she says.

“You can have 150 stations in a single shift - and if you think, ‘What did I bring for my tea tonight?’ you can miss the braking point for your next station.”

Heather started work at a depot outside Glasgow. She loved the job at once. There was the challenge and the satisfaction of the task itself.

But there was also the bond that was formed with others doing the same, highly pressurised occupation. “There are so many things that you can do wrong, and I think that’s why there’s such a bond between train drivers,” Heather says.

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Heather heading south with her train of containers!

saw one with years of experience do anything that was unsafe. “They don’t see that you’ve only been doing the job for two minutes and they don’t see you as female - they just see you as a train driver.”

Nonetheless, at her depot there were 106 other drivers, and only one of them other than Heather was female.

“I probably should have been more aware of my gender, but I suppose because of my background - because I had to play football with the boys at school, because I was at Royal Mail - this, unfortunately, was my normal, so I didn’t question it,” she says.

That Life-Changing Moment!

Heather sat in the doctor’s surgery. Everything was coloured in in neutral tones. There was a solitary window. She’d been a driver now for eight years, but she wasn’t on duty now. For the past month she’d been signed off from work. Heather told the doctor about the boy who’d used her train to end his life.

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training and would discuss it among themselves.

According to Network Rail, 4.4% of suicides in Great Britain take place on the railways; there were 283 lives lost this way in 2019-20. But nothing could have prepared Heather for the reality of it actually happening to her.

She talked about how numb she’d felt ever since it had happened. How guilt had gnawed at her. All the questions she kept asking herself could she have reacted slightly quicker? Might she have done anything to save him? Heather told the doctor how horrific it seemed to her that anyone could do that - especially someone so young.

“Actually,” the doctor said, “You’d be surprised at the problems we see with men and boys.”

He was talking about mental health. The doctor’s answer saddened her but having spent her entire career working in heavily maledominated environments, Heather understood what he meant.

“Something I’d picked up on is that men don’t talk about simple things,” Heather says. “It’s not that men have more problems than women, or worse problems. We all have problems. But

women deal with the smaller ones through talking.»

Heather was signed off work for three months.

Her employers supported her - she was sent for counselling and hypnotherapy. One of the things that helped her most was the support she received from colleagues. “Big, hard, burly men, who don’t show their emotions, rang me up to say: ‘I’ve been through this too, I’m here for you,’” she says.

When she returned to her duties, she knew she wasn’t quite the same person that she had been before. She was more irritable, less patient than she used to be. She couldn’t watch television crime dramas or anything violent that might remind her of what she’d seen.

“A relationship that I’d been in for probably 19 or 20 years ultimately came to an end,” she says.

“And I can now look back and recognise that part of that was as a result of me changing.”

A New Challenge and Mental Health

A few years later she saw another job advert, this time with Freightliner. Moving into freight was a greater technical and professional challenge; what’s more, it offered a rota without weekend shifts. But the gender dynamics were even more stark. At ScotRail female drivers were a small minority, but there were also women guards and ticket examiners. “Now I am entirely surrounded by men,» she says.

Historically, freight had been widely regarded - inaccurately, Heather quickly discovered - as dirty, heavy, physically draining work, and the workplace was exclusively male as a result. “In this day and age, you don’t expect to be the only woman,” she says. “Even with my background, it was intimidating.”

To her surprise, her new colleagues were overjoyed to have her on the team. They’d look forward to her being on shift - not because they wanted to chat her up, but because they could open up to her about their problems in a way they wouldn’t with other men, Heather found. “I’ve had conversations with colleagues where I know I’m the first person they’ve had that conversation with,” Heather says.

All this made her rethink her long-held idea that being treated equally in a male-dominated environment required her to keep her head down and not ask for any special treatment. “I realised that it’s important that you don’t shy away from being a woman,” she says. “Diversity is about bringing different energies into the room.

It also brought home to me once again the lack of opportunities men were given to talk about their mental health. Personally, I never stopped wondering about the boy that her passenger train had struck. I always think back to: Was that young boy showing signs? Could somebody have seen those signs?” Sometimes she would visit the town he had grown up in. She’d see young men who would have been around his age and now had

families of their own. It brought home to her again the terrible meaning of a young life lost.

Managing Suicidal Contacts

Then Heather learned of a course run by the Samaritans charity in partnership with Network Rail. It was called “Managing Suicidal Contacts” and was offered to all rail industry staff and British Transport Police officers - some 22,000 people had taken it since it was launched. Its purpose was to teach them to identify people on the railways - whether passengers, passers-by, or fellow employees - who might be vulnerable to suicide, and then how to approach them.

To Heather, it was a massive eye-opener. “It’s teaching staff to recognise what is out of the ordinary,” she says. “As human beings it’s our job to go and take five minutes to speak to somebody and say, ‘Are you OK?’” she says. “Since then, I’ve approached people numerous times - you do become aware of when something isn’t quite normal, there are danger signs you can see.” These include unusual body language, staring straight ahead or at the track, and standing somewhere on the platform where you wouldn’t normally go if you were planning to board a train.

It didn’t take much to notice when she was getting through. “Sometimes you’ll be sitting having a chat with someone - a really basic chat - and you’ll see the weight of the world lifted from them.” She’d think back to the boy who died, and wonder if talking could have helped him too.

Where to get help

If you are struggling to cope, you can call Samaritans free on 116 123 (UK and Ireland), email jo@samaritans. org, or visit the Samaritans website to find details of the nearest branch.

BBC Action Line has details of organisations offering information and support if you, or someone you know, has been affected by mental health issues.

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Government Funding Offers Hope for Rebuilding Cullompton Station

(Above left) Site of the former Cullompton Station and ( Above Right) A Class 5 Diesel Elctric passing the former station Site

Plans for the reopening of Cullompton and Wellington train stations have continued to gather steam and have moved one step closer.

At the end of February, the Strategic Outline Business Cases were submitted by the Devon and Somerset Metro Board to the Department for Transport to reopen stations at Cullompton and Wellington. Both stations closed in 1964 with the loss of a stopping train service, however both towns have grown in population since then and are the largest settlements between Exeter and Taunton.

The Government called for transport projects back in January 2020 through the ‘Restoring Your Railways - Idea’s Fund’. The two local Members for Parliament in conjunction with Mid Devon District and Somerset West and Taunton Councils were successful in securing this government funding for development of a business case to reopen stations at Cullompton and Wellington.

The business cases, now submitted, considers various options to improve the broader service in the area. These include the potential for an hourly service through an extension of the current Cardiff to Taunton service and for a new Exeter to Taunton service.

Neil Parish, MP for Tiverton and Honiton, said: “We are currently waiting for the SOBC to be reviewed by the Department for Transport.

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coming months. If funding is secured this year, construction could take place as early as 2024.

This would be very exciting as Cullompton has been without its railway station for too long.”

Councillors are being recommended to continue to explore funding opportunities for the next stages of the £16m Cullompton railway station project. The station, which was initially opened in 1844 and was rebuilt in 1931, was one of many that were closed as part of the Beeching Axe. Tiverton Junction, Cullompton, Hele and Bradninch and Silverton were closed to passengers on October 5, 1964, and the Cullompton station site has been turned into the motorway service station. But there is a hope that a new Cullompton station can be built, as part of the “Devon Metro” plans by Devon County Council, a new station near the location of the old station is a ‘possible’ long term proposal. Up to £4m could be needed to be found to fund the £16m station.

For all your latest news and videos, go to www. greatwesternstar.com. News regularly updated and you can subscribe to ensure that you do not miss an issue 30

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TfW Investment Repaid by Increased Reliability

TfW Class 769 769008 on a test run from Rhymney to Cardiff

What do passengers and consumers demand from any Train Operating Company (TOC)? They need trains to be clean and tidy, comfortable and running on time but, above all they need the trains to be reliable so that, if a train is supposed to depart at 08.30 in order to get them to work, they must have confidence that this will happen – not just on the odd occasion, but every day. Over the years, many TOCs have fallen short in this respect, largely because of old, out of date locomotives and trains.

Too often the cry has gone up that certain parts of the British rail network have suffered because the old stock has been pushed to less demanding areas but, sadly, time and time again, it has been shown that this is false economy. Looking at TfW’s current fleet, The Class 170 fleet were introduced in December 2019 and the first Class 769 in November 2020 and already both have seen huge improvements in reliability. The 175 fleet remains consistent with its reliability.

One TOC which has taken this matter seriously is Transport for Wales. A great deal of time and money has been invested in getting to the root of the problems and then endeavouring to put matters right. Not only has TfW been investing in new stock but it has also investigated ways of improving the results even more and an example of just how successful this approach is can be seen from the latest figures for reliability of the trains in the network where, for example, TfW trains are now travelling more than 2,000 miles further before they develop a fault. The increase in reliability since October 2018 means those trains can effectively travel twice round the entire Wales and Borders

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network before needing any sort of repair (miles per technical incident).

Transport for Wales' Head of Customer Experience and Innovation Barry Lloyd said: “Punctuality always comes top when we look at the factors affecting customer satisfaction, so it’s fantastic to see this recent improvement in performance. A fantastic achievement from all involved and one that our customers would have welcomed.”

The improvements have helped TfW to become the third-most improved TOC in Britain during that period, according to the ORR. The improvements have also been key in fleet hitting availability targets every day for more than a year. The figures have also been helped by Covid-19, which has seen fewer trains running, those customers still travelling between October and December 2020 enjoyed a 24.4% improvement in on-time performance against the previous figures in 2019.

How were these Results Achieved?

In attempting to makes these massive steps forward, there is no magic button to press. It has been necessary to look at every aspect of the way TfW’s trains operate, where necessary to work with other organisations, to look at whether there are new technical developments that can be applied, and are new working practices required? The answers to these questions make interesting reading. Barry Lloyd explains.

Joint Seasons Management Group In 2019, Transport for Wales Rail, along Spring 2021

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with Network Rail, established a new joint seasonal management group. Redesigned from the ground up, we implemented a new ‘risk-led’ seasonal framework which is underpinned by a robust governance structure ensuring all our mitigation plans are thoroughly validated by all departments before being deployed. This approach has been commended and is now recognised nationally as good practice.

Live Availability Targets Every day we need to work with our train planning and performance teams to understand what our train availability requirement is – how many trains our fleet team need to deliver ready for service to meet the needs of the timetable. By understanding the needs of the business on a live basis we can be more fluid in what we deliver each day – for example when a route is out of action due to flooding or engineering works, we may need to reduce the number of trains we have to get ready, giving us more time to deliver maintenance on other trains.

Wheel Slide Protection A piece of technology that works similarly to anti-lock brakes on a car. These were fitted on all of our Class 150 fleet (36 trains) in 2019/20. As a result, none encountered wheel flats in the autumn of 2019 or in 2020. Wheel flats occur when a metal wheel slides along the track rather than rolling, due to slippery seasonal conditions – much like aquaplaning.

The weight of the train is all on one spot of the metal wheel, causing a flat spot which must be repaired before the train can carry on in service.

If left untreated they can cause serious damage to both the wheels and track by acting like a sledgehammer coming down on an anvil rather than a smooth rolling motion.

Wheel slide protection significantly reduces the chances of the train sliding in poor conditions.

While it is in place in more modern trains, our Class 150 fleet were built in the 1980s before this technology was widely available. We were the first in the UK to retrofit the technology to Class 150s.

Performance Technicians The performance technicians are a selected team of five additional people providing 24/7 cover focussed primarily on defects, defects being the cause of all problems. Every shift, the PT’s evaluate the previous days’ failures and live failures in traffic to establish what work is required, possible root causes and solutions to rectify. The performance technicians personally oversee any repeat defects that arise, building work packages specific for such faults and monitoring the train’s performance.

They are the first line technical support for the technicians and have contributed to the MTIN* increase the business has seen over the last two years.

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Reporting From a reporting perspective, we have transitioned to PowerBi software, allowing us greater insights into factors such as delay trends and locations.

Wabco Compressors This is an extremely interesting development and is one that has arisen from more detailed studies of in-siu failures.

The class 15x fleet are fitted with Cummins NT855 and L10 engines. Each engine is fitted with an engine driven air compressor to provide compressed air for the vehicle pneumatic system.

Due to the configuration and design of the compressor, the vehicle pneumatic system suffers from oil contamination caused by oil carryover from within the engine driven compressor. These compressors fitted to the 15x fleet have also led to a 91% increase in air system reliability.

The carryover of engine oil from the compressor into the unit pneumatic system has contributed to the build-up of carbon being deposited in the air delivery pipe and a build-up of emulsification within the air reservoirs and filters. These issues have led to subsequent reliability problems of pneumatically operated ancillary systems such as the air dryer and door system components. The concept of the modification was for the positive inlet pressure to assist the compressor internal sealing arrangement with retaining the lubrication oil effectively, thus reducing oil carryover and subsequent contamination of the air system.

The Wabco 636 twin air compressor: • drastically reduced air system build up times as it utilises positive air feed directly from the intake manifold; • drastically reduces oil carry over compared to the Holset during trials. The Holset 676 delivers 30 CFM compared to the Wabco 636 delivering 37 CFM; • offers reduced maintenance, as there are no moving parts in the cylinder head as reed valves are used; and • reduced maintenance requirements leading to reduced whole life costs.

Results

Footnote * A measure of the engineering reliability of trains expressed as the average mileage between incidents and reported for individual fleets. A 3 Minute Delay (TIN) is counted when a fault on a train causes a total primary delay of 3 or more minutes at any point on one journey for a single root cause, where the root cause is a technical or maintenance defect on the train. This relies on a precise common definition of miles and 3 Minute Delays (TINs).

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Graph to illustrate 150 Air system MTIN MAA illustrating reliability growth curve since the Wabco modification commenced in earnest last year.

What does all this mean in terms of improved performance and reliability? In basic terms, TfW trains are now travelling more than 2,000 miles further than they did previously before they develop a fault. In simplistic terms, this means that they can effectively travel twice round the entire Wales and Borders network before needing any sort of repair (miles per technical incident).

Of those seeing the largest benefits, the Class 150s, 153s and 158s have recorded between 36% and 60% improvements.

In October 2018, Class 150s typically travelled 6,507 miles before developing a fault. They now average 8,857 miles. But most improved have been the Class 158s, which are predominantly used on the Cambrian Line. Traveling 5,783 miles between faults in 2018, they can now go 9,253 miles.

Essentially that means they can make the 168mile journey between Pwllheli and Birmingham International an additional 20 times.

Head of Fleet Jonathan Thomas said: “The new measures we’ve put in place coupled with targeted investment and a lot of hard work has significantly paid off. With our 15x fleet all averaging more than 2,000 miles longer in service before a technical incident is incredible. To deliver these performance figures on trains built more than 35 years ago shows just what can be achieved with targeted investment and key changes. Keeping our trains out on the network for longer has massive benefits for customers and gives us more time to work on other train improvements.”

Planning and Performance Director Leticia Frank said: “These improvements are fantastic and show just what can be achieved through targeted investment and action. Our customers deserve to have the confidence in us that we are delivering an incredibly reliable service they can trust, and they have really seen that over the last year. Our partnership with Network Rail and close alignment is fundamental to achieve this.

“The work the fleet team has done is remarkable,

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and our delivery teams that provide the service daily deserve recognition for improving On Time, at every stop. Our planning teams work closely with operations to ensure adjustments to service are made to serve customers where they most need it.

These challenging times required more timetable changes than ever before, and we have taken every opportunity to make timing adjustments. All these are translated into in these results and we will continue towards our goal of being the best performing operator in Britain.”

While the Class 170 fleet was introduced in December 2019 and therefore you might expect results to be more pronounced on old stock, improvements have also been found on the Class 769, the first of which was only installed in November 2020. Already both have seen huge improvements in reliability. The 175 fleet remains consistent with its reliability.

It Went With a Bang!

This was the result when the boier of a North Eastern goods train exploded while standing a Alne railway station near York in March 1877. The driver and fireman had miraculous escapes.

As can be seen, the upper part of the boiler shell was blown to fragments and the boiler tubes ended up like spaghetti! (British Engine Insurance Ltd) Spring 2021

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Guest Column

Our rail industry is a sleeping giant when it comes to boosting international trade.

Chris Loder, MP

Conservative MP for West Dorset As Brexit negotiations have concluded, the Government is working hard to both protect and expand British industry by creating a future of new opportunity through trade negotiations.

When developing a new independent trade policy, it is crucial that we prioritise sectors in which we are global leaders and create the best framework possible to help them remain that way in a post-Brexit world.

Recently, I wrote about the importance of rail in the context of our fight back against Covid-19.

Today, I am again banging the drum for the rail industry that I know and love; particularly because of its unknown status as a major exporter – but we need to change that.

The rail industry always takes up a lot of column inches in the British media. Debates rage about strikes, fares, and leaves on the line. These are all issues that the British public experience directly and so it is no wonder that we all hear so much about them.

However, our rail sector is a major industry in its own right compared to the automotive or aerospace sectors; albeit on the verge of a major reform. Crucially, it is also an international success story, exporting £800 million a year in goods and services. The sector employs around 600,000 people (more than the entire workforce of Birmingham) and fuels jobs in the UK’s industrial heartlands; places like Crewe, Derby, Stockport, and Doncaster. And it could do so much more for UK plc.

Key to protecting and enhancing the UK’s role as a major rail exporter is to make our market attractive and open for business. Rail should be included in any free trade deal post-Brexit; and I have already met with Graham Stuart, International Trade Minister. These deals should be signed with the purpose of making it as easy as possible for the UK to continue to export.

A recent survey by the Rail Supply Group showed that the UK rail sector’s priority markets are very much aligned with those of the Government – rail suppliers want to access markets like America, Australia and India, all of which are top priorities for agreeing Free Trade Agreements. The industry is also keen on ensuring reciprocal market access; and we should reject protectionism wherever it rears its head. If we are restricted from accessing another market because of protectionist procurement legalisation, as we have been within the EU, the Government needs to ensure these barriers are 34

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broken down for the benefit of all; and that is my mission here at the moment for the railway.

The potential of the rail industry in exporting abroad knows no bounds, and it says something about the growth of the industry that the Rail Sector Deal, agreed between industry and Government, has targeted a doubling of UK rail exports by 2025. This is very much achievable, with lots to play for as the global rail market is due to expand significantly over the coming years; with the recently released UNIFE World Rail Market Study predicting annual market growth of between one and 2.3 per cent until 2025, when an annual volume of approximately ER 240bn pa could be expected.

However, now more than ever, we need to show off what we can sell to our new trading partners.

Support from Government, recognition of the exporting potential of the sector and schemes like the Department for International Trade’s Tradeshow Access Programme (TAP) are vital in helping fund small businesses in the rail industry to go to trade shows around the world and bring home contracts. As we leave the EU, it is vital that these sorts of schemes are maintained and supported more because Brexit means the UK becomes less prominent internationally. Now is when our presence on the world stage is needed most.

In September 2019 at the Conservative Party Conference, the rail industry leaders present did not appreciate the opportunities that Brexit offered. Senior executives were not at that time wanting to embrace the future. But we have now left the EU. We have countless trade deals in place, and I have been making the case throughout Government to make sure rail features in these deals; and the industry would do well to also make the case.

The Railway Industry Association (RIA), the voice of the UK rail supply community, has made a number of key asks about what the industry needs from future trade deals to continue to soar.

To summarise these in simple terms: rail needs to be included in trade deals; have tariff-free access to other markets wherever possible; and retain a great, highly skilled workforce with people from around the world able to come here if they fit the bill. If we can achieve this and combine it with a renewed drive to “sell, sell, sell” through our negotiations around the world; there is every opportunity for our rail industry to lead the world in our new, global Britain.

Ironbridge Gorge to Bridgnorth – Could the reinstatement of the original Severn Valley Railway become a reality?

With more than 85 plans being put forward for funding under Stage 3 of the Government’s Restoring Your Railway Fund, Great Western Star looks at one of these schemes that could reinstate more of a famous old railway, bring visitors to a World Heritage Site, and take thousands of cars off some of the very crowded roads in the immediate vicinity. We also take an opportunity to talk to one of the key personnel involved in the project.

One of the most well-known, well-loved, and respected tourist attractions in the UK must be the Ironbridge Gorge with its many integrated, yet independent sites. It was created a World Heritage Site in 1986 – one of the first in the UK to achieve this prestigious status and, today the 10 Ironbridge Gorge Museums receive more than 545,000 visitors per year, with around 70,000 of these being visits from schools. In addition, many more pay a visit to Darby’s iconic bridge and the town, taking the total visitor number to more than a million. What may seem strange to many people is that, despite these visitor numbers, you can no longer get to it by rail.

However, this may all change if plans being floated under the Restoring Your Railway Scheme come to fruition by being chosen as one to be supported by Government funding. With the heritage sites becoming ever more popular and the only way to get down into the Gorge being by road, some alternative is needed. There is already a small, preserved railway – The Telford & Horsehay Steam Railway – which has always had dreams of getting down into the Gorge – dreams that have been held up by the removal of the railway bridge during the building of some of Telford’s (the new town, not the engineer) various road schemes. However, there are hopes that this could change in the future. The railway line that came down from the GWR main line for Wolverhampton to Shrewsbury is still in place, having been used until a few years ago to take coal to the Ironbridge/Buildwas Power Station. In addition, various bits of the Buildwas to Bridgnorth still exist, albeit that some are in private hands.

The Railway Background*

In 1847, the original scheme for the Severn Valley Railway – approximately 40 miles in length – was conceived to join Hartlebury to ShrewsFootnote *”Steam Nostalgia” by Sir Gerald Nabarro

bury. The Severn Valley Railway Company was incorporated in 1853 and the line opened to both passenger and freight traffic in 1862, with the railway being operated by the West Midland Railway. However, this did not last long for the West Midland Railway was statutorily dissolved just a year later with the Great Western Railway accepting all obligations and rights before formally absorbing the Severn Valley Railway Company by exchange of stock in 1872. Just six years later, the Kidderminster loop was opened, thus creating a network from Shrewsbury, Bridgnorth, Bewdley to Hartlebury and to Kidderminster (the last two were on the GW Worcester-Stourbridge Junction-Wolverhampton main line. During both the 1923 and 1947 grouping and nationalisation, the situation stayed the same.

On the 9th of September 1963, the final passenger train ran while freight officially ended on the 30th of November of the same year. The line remained open, however, to deal with coal traffic for colliery and power station mineral trains – the former for the NCB colliery at Highley and the latter for the two power stations at Buildwas and Stourport-on-Severn. In 1965, the Severn Valley Railway Company was formed by steam locomotive enthusiasts in Kidderminster with the aim of saving the line and in 1966, a decision was made to raise £25,000 to purchase 4½ miles of line from Bridgnorth to Erdington and Hampton Loade. They made a deposit of £2,500 in February 1967. In that same year, perhaps in anticipation of a positive future, Collett 0-6-0 No 3205 and four ex-GWR coaches arrived at Bridgnorth for preservation.

The following year, a Shrewsbury Planning Enquiry found in favour of the operation of the 4½ miles from Bridgnorth to Hampton Loade and, in 1969, Ministerial Consent was given for the operation of the line, subject to two Light Railway Orders that were finally given in 1969 and 1970.

In anticipation of these being granted, the Society formed in 1965 was dissolved in December 1969 and a Company Limited by Guarantee formed in 1967, called The Severn Valley Railway Company Limited took over the membership and assets of the Company.

The last BR passenger services were withdrawn from Bewdley to Kidderminster and Bewdley to Stourport-on-Severn and Hartlebury in 1963 and then, on 23rd May 1970, the Severn Valley Railway was re-born at Bridgnorth with steam-operated scheduled services by volunteer unpaid preservationists. This proved extremely Spring 2021

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GWR Panniers 9624 and 4665 prepare to depart Bridgnorth with the last BR train on 8 September 1963 (Sellick Collection)

successful with 65,000 passenger journeys operated in the seven months at a trading profit of £3,093 for the 15 months to 31st December.

The following year, at the Annual General Meeting a motion was passed by an overwhelming majority to purchase the remaining 10 miles southward to Kidderminster (for a later link with British Rail) for approximately £75,000 to create what was then the longest steam-operated railway line in Britain and to create a public company to finance the operation. The new public liability company to be called the Severn Valley Railway (Holdings) Ltd and then, after the dissolution of the guarantee company, to be renamed the Severn Valley Railway Company Limited – duly incorporated on 15 March 1972.

The Original Line

The promoters of the original line saw the route as the shortest from the Oxford, Worcester, and Wolverhampton main line at Hartlebury to Shrewsbury as the fastest route through the West Midlands – it was certainly more direct than the London, Oxford, Banbury, Birmingham, Wolverhampton and then on to Shrewsbury. However, these wonderful dreams never materialised as it took 15 years to go from conception to reality (1847 to 1862), three Acts of Parliament to keep it afloat and innumerable crises of finance, management, and operation, as well as many landslips along the line.

Eventually all was done apart from the Victoria Bridge across the River Severn which was begun on the 24th of November 1859 and completed in 1862.

When the contractors Peto, Brassey and Betts began construction, a completion date of October 1860 was announced. However, during construction, several unstable areas of ground were discovered, while landslips also took place on completed areas of the line, the most significant north of Highley resulted in a change to the line’s route. Contemporary newspaper reports also suggest wet weather and tunnel collapses in 1860 contributed to the delay. The 36

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Railways in the Severn Gorge area in the 19th century

foundation stone for Victoria Bridge at Arley was laid on 24 November 1859 by Henry Orlando Bridgeman.

During 1860, while construction of the line was still in progress, the Severn Valley Railway changed hands twice in two days. On 14 June 1860, an act of Parliament confirmed a 999-year lease of the Company to the OW&W who agreed to run the line. However, just two days later, another Act authorised a three-way amalgamation of the OW&W with the Newport, Abergavenny & Hereford Railway, and the Worcester & Hereford Railway to form the West Midlands Railway. This company was formed on 1 July 1860.

In February 1861, positioning of the four cast iron ribs of Victoria Bridge began. While work on the bridge was still in progress, the first steam working on the line took place between Stourport and Bewdley on 5 May 1861, watched by large crowds which had gathered for the occasion. Victoria Bridge was completed 5 days later. Station buildings were completed and signalling equipment installed in autumn of 1861.

The official first train, with 22 carriages left Worcester (Shrub Hill) at 11.30am on Friday 31st January 1862 with about 100 people on board and a further 400 joined by the time that the train reached Bridgnorth. After refreshments, the train proceeded to Shrewsbury, arriving at two o’clock. On that evening, a great celebration was held at Bridgnorth for all who had bought return tickets for the opening Day. A second celebration was held at Bewdley on the 4th of February.

However, despite all the hopes of everyone involved, The Severn Valley Railway missed the peak of 19th century demand for railways and was also too late to capture the through traffic of the Midlands. It thus declined over 100 years into a tourist line, even a third-rate branch railway, attracting little freight and few passengers, apart that is from the coal traffic referred to ear-

(left) Ironbridge A Power Station (1962)

lier for Highley and the two power stations. Like many other railways, it did see a change in fortunes during WWII, with additional military traffic to the admiralty base at Ditton Priors. However, with the return of peace, the line became increasingly dependent upon tourism and with the growth in popularity of the private motor car, closure became inevitable, with the last BR trains running in 1963.

However, as we all know, the Severn Valley Railway and its supporters had other ideas, and this has led to the creation over the last 50 years of a vibrant and flourishing (COVID permitting!) railway.

Table 1 Principal Stations on the SVR and their distances from Shrewsbury • Shrewsbury • Berrington (4¼ miles), now a private house • Cressage (8¼ miles), now a private house • Buildwas (12¼ miles), demolished • Ironbridge (13¾ miles), demolished, now a car park • Coalport (15¾ miles), now a private house • Linley (18¼ miles), now a private house • Bridgnorth (22½ miles) • Eardington (24¾ miles) • Hampton Loade (27 miles) • Highley (29¼ miles) • Arley (31½ miles) • Bewdley (35¼ miles) • Stourport (37¾ miles), demolished, now part of a housing estate • Hartlebury (40¾ miles) Kidderminster, reached via The Loop, was 38¾ miles from Shrewsbury.

Restoring Your Railway and its Implications for the Severn Gorge

As mentioned at the start of this article, a group has now been brought together to push the case for an extremely ambitious programme which, if it were to come about, could completely transform the Ironbridge Gorge area, with huge developments in housing, business, and transport – the biggest transformation since the 17th and 18th centuries. It is true to say that previously, proposals for developing any rail infrastructure in the Ironbridge Gorge have focused solely upon moving as many people as possible, as quickly and as painlessly as possible up and down the narrow twisty roads that remain from times gone by. On busy days in summer, the problems of simply moving vehicles, let alone parking, are now becoming impossible and an alternative solution is urgently needed.

Circumstances have changed, however, leading to a once in a lifetime opportunity to really transform mobility in the Gorge. What has changed? This would appear to be one occasion when the removal of a major piece of infrastruc-

(Below) Ironbridge Power Station (2019)

ture could work to everyone’s benefit. The item in question is the Buildwas (often called the Ironbridge) Power Station.

Ironbridge was selected to be the site of a large, modern “super-station” by the West Midlands Joint Electricity Authority, in February 1927. The land had been identified earlier by Walsall Borough as being suitable for power generation, in 1924. The close proximity of the River Severn and several railway lines provided excellent access to both cooling water and a source for the delivery of coal. The flat land of the site, formed by fluvial processes at the end of the last ice-age, was ideal for the construction of a large turbine hall.

Construction of the first Ironbridge Power Station (later to become known as Ironbridge A) began in 1929, and the first phase was completed in 1932. The station officially opened on 13 October 1932. The full generating capacity of Ironbridge A, however, was not realised until major expansions and the commissioning of extra boilers and generating sets had been completed in 1939. This gave the A Station a total generating output of 200 megawatts (MW).

Parliamentary approval for Ironbridge B Power Station was sought and granted in 1962.

Construction began in 1963, with the aim to begin generating electricity in the station in 1967. Due to construction delays, some limited industrial action and the implementation of improvements that had been pioneered during the construction of similar stations using the new 500 MW generating units, Ironbridge B did not begin feeding power into the National Grid until Spring 2021

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11 June 1969. Full capacity was not reached until the second 500 MW unit began generating in February 1970.] There were 2 × 17.5 MW auxiliary gas turbines on the site, these had been commissioned in August 1967. Ironbridge A was decommissioned in 1981. Ironbridge B Power Station was commissioned in 1981 and stopped generating electricity on 20 November 2015 when it reached its 20,000 hours limit of generation under a European Union Directive. Decommissioning continued into 2017 with the main phase of the 27-month demolition process began at 11.00 on the 6th of December, 2019, commencing with the four cooling towers Until June 2010, approximately 3000 – 6000 tonnes of coal were delivered to the power station every day, via a branch line railway through Madeley, Ironbridge and Coalbrookdale, crossing the River Severn via the Grade 2* listed Albert Edward Bridge. The railway branch joins the Wolverhampton to Shrewsbury line at Madeley Junction.

Albert Edward Bridge (James Fisher Testing Services)

Coal was delivered variously by DBS, Freightliner and Fastline. After the trains were emptied, they were usually stabled at Warrington Arpley Yard. From 2014 until closure, an additional three trains per day were worked by GB Railfreight from Liverpool dock with biomass chips, which were the main source of feedstock for the power station by then.

Scheduled passenger services on the branch line were stopped in the 1960s, and so the line was kept open primarily for the transportation

of coal to the power station. A steam locomotivehauled special passenger train, organised by railtour company ‘Vintage Trains’, visited the branch line on 3rd November 2007. The tour was entitled Pannier to Ironbridge, and was hauled by former Great Western Railway 0-6-0 Pannier tank No. 9466, which ran a return trip between Tyseley, near Birmingham, and Ironbridge.

The cooling towers became an iconic part of the landscape in the Gorge and were painted pink! Sadly, it was agreed that they should be demolished with the rest of the power station buildings – apart from the electricity sub-stations - and this took place during 2019 with very mixed feelings amongst the viewers and residents.

Power Station Site Developments

It was the acquisition of the site in June 2018 by the Harworth Group that was to open up a much wider opportunity than could ever have been foreseen by those looking solely at the transport scene. The 350-acre site comprises the former power station, former social club (redundant sports pitches, timber pavilion and golf course), borrow pits, Pulverised Fuel Ash (PFA) landfill waste tips and a rail siding, which was historically used to transport coal to the site.

Harworth’s masterplan, submitted for outline planning at the end of 2019, shows a mixeduse scheme for 1,000 new homes in addition to a range of commercial, leisure and community uses including a park and ride facility, a school and public open space. Before development of these areas, a period of activity will start to remove the existing minerals from the site. These include 1.9 million tonnes of saleable sand and gravel from the 106 acres of greenfield area of the site. Talks are also ongoing with Network Rail to bring the existing rail sidings on the site back into operation in addition to strengthening the rail bridge that crosses the river. The site is bounded

by Buildwas Road and the River Seven to the north and east. To the west the site is bounded by Much Wenlock Road and agricultural land. The site’s southern boundary runs contiguously with Bangham Woods, an ancient woodland and SSSI. Harworth see this as a long-term development, likely to take between 10 and 15 years to fully develop.

An aerial view of the site where the four bases of the former cooling towers can be clearly seen. The 205m high chimney is the UK’s fifth highest chimney but is also subject to demolition.

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Restoring Your Railway – Official Application – February 2021 As outlined earlier, this area of great significance already offers much to both the local community in and around the Ironbridge Gorge, but it also brings large numbers of people from all around the world to this World Heritage Site. The removal of the power station and the clearing of the associated land offers a unique opportunity to take a much wider view of the site and what could be done, not only to develop the area but it could also offer major advantages, including greatly improved transport infrastructure to an area that is physically confined by the narrowness of the Gorge and the very narrow roads down the sides of the Gorge. The proposals also offer an opportunity for further housing and business developments as well as even more recreational facilities.

In preparing this application, which has been headed up by the Ironbridge Railway Trust (Registered Charity 1129039), a great deal of support has been garnered from local MPs and councillors and many other organisations. In view of the importance of this proposed development, Great Western Star has been granted the opportunity to talk to many of those involved to understand exactly what is being put forward.

GWS: Why was this project chosen, as it might seem to many to be the impossible dream?

DF: The potential of this site was recognised over ten years ago by a small group of volunteers with experience in tourism, railways, and architecture. This group formed The Trust and, at their own expense, they have gone on to develop proposals of their own for the redevelopment of the power station site, which they believe will bring benefit to the community and the economy of the local district, while recognising the sensitivity of the area.

GWS: So, what has been the effect of the decision on the power station?

DF: Much research has been undertaken over the last 12 years, but progress has been inhibited by a lack of clarity on the fate of the power station site. However, since its future has now become clearer, we consider there are enormous opportunities, including our proposals to use the old Severn Valley Branch line to improve access for tourists and visitors, thus providing significant employment and enhanced economic opportunities for Ironbridge. In addition, by reducing the need for everyone to arrive by road, it will make significant improvements to the environment.

Great Western Star talks to David Flavell, Vice-Chairman of the Ironbridge Railway Trust

GWS: How does the IRT see the development of the overall area, after all, it is the Harworth Group who have bought the site?

Great Western Star: Mr Flavell, can you tell us something about the Trust, please?

David Flavell: The IRT is a Registered Charity that was formed in November 2005. It is a Company limited by Guarantee, incorporated in 2007 and which gained charitable status in 2009. It was formed with the sole intention of promoting sustainable transport into the World Heritage site by advocating the reinstatement of the old GWR (Severn Valley) Hartlebury to Shrewsbury via Bridgnorth line through the Ironbridge Gorge.

This could only happen as and when the Ironbridge Gorge Power Station became available and was cleared.

DF: IRT welcomes the Harworth Group plc’s application as a key opportunity for the comprehensive regeneration of the former Power Station site bringing benefits to Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin, and the West Midlands.

IRT also welcomes Harworth’s stated aims and objectives, their vision, and their design principles, particularly ‘Celebrating Heritage’, ‘Promoting Tourism’, ‘Working with Business and Industry” and ‘Transport’.

The Trust believes the site’s availability presents an ideal opportunity to create a mixeduse development of the highest calibre which should include housing, hotels (with conference facilities and an extension of the existing golf course with driving range), a leisure retail village, and a range of R+D high-tech commercial premises.

Tourism, leisure, and the quality of the local heritage are at the very heart of this River Severn corridor, so its future prosperity is of local, regional, national, and international importance.

Modern day visitors also need complimentary facilities if their continued interest is to be

A postcard of Ironbridge Station from circa 1904.

Note the works to the station extension roof, no roof slates, and only tiling battens visible.

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harnessed to safeguard the financial future of the region at large.

Our own suggested design concept circa 2015 was to improve the area in a sustainable way that enables future economic growth for local inhabitants and those in the surrounding towns.

GWS: That sounds incredibly good, but the Gorge cries out for improvements in the transport facilities as the Gorge cannot cope with the Summer traffic at present and there is nowhere to park any more cars.

What do you propose?

DF: The current public transport and tourist accommodation needs enhancement to match high visitor expectations as well as environmental and conservation agendas. Making the attractions (and any future development) accessible without adverse effects to the environment is key to a successful development which conserves and develops the sensitive environment of the Ironbridge Gorge. Reinstating the old Severn Valley Branch line as a community railway, allowing the operation of heritage trains and modern heavy rail compatible PPM units, is of fundamental importance to this concept. This would also provide the opportunity to explore the economic feasibility of extending back to Bridgnorth.

GWS: Do you see this as purely a passenger line?

DF: Retaining and upgrading the power station freight line for passenger use, (given a connection to the national network which already exists), could also create a major new transport artery which should encourage a modal shift away from road to accommodate both existing and future demand.

The Ironbridge Railway Trust considers that a mixed redevelopment proposal for the power station site would greatly aid the financial viability of re-establishing rail services by developing the site to be a “destination of national importance” as well as affording the opportunity to create a park and ride facility for rail access to the Gorge.

The effects on congestion in the area would be a significant improvement.

GWS: How do you see the existing Telford Steam Railway fitting into your plans?

DF: Future redevelopment could also accommodate the termination of the Telford Steam Railway’s future service proposals, (or any through traffic to Buildwas Abbey), by the creation of shared station facilities to include those necessary for a main line connection as well as the reintroduction of rail transportation through the Gorge.

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lead to the establishment of railway engineering workshops etc., thus creating jobs and apprenticeships in an historical environment.

GWS: So how do you see the overall scheme?

DF: We feel that the topography of the Gorge would much more easily accommodate the type of mixed development that we have outlined above.

In addition, a mixed-use development could take advantage of the existing landscape features and be more visually acceptable.

IRT’s own indicative conceptual masterplan, prepared by Peter J. Lyons RIBA Dip LA., Chartered Architect and Landscape Consultant representing Garrett McKee Architects Ltd., shows the benefits which can be provided by the creation of a mixed development at Buildwas Power Station. Future local planning requirements for the site need, therefore, to not only reflect the essence of this proposal but also, of equal importance, the alternative sustainable transport initiative it could generate. Circa 2015

A mixed site could yield over 1500 houses depending upon density, between 500,000ft2 and 750,000ft2 of R&D and about 210,000ft2 of leisure retail, together with hotel and conference facilities. A first analysis using the industry standard TRCIS software and the current mode shares for transport in Telford for a development of this size suggests that between 4000 and 6000 new single road trips could occur per day.

Without rail, this will place a major strain on the road network. Conversion of the existing freight line could reduce the impact in line with the National Policy Planning Framework para 32 on sustainable transport, making a development much more attractive.

GWS: You have mentioned employment. How do you see this project affecting employment – not just in the Gorge but also throughout Shropshire: DF: Shropshire is one of the most sparsely populated local authorities in the country, with less than 1 person per hectare (compared to 4

per hectare for the rest of England). But, against this environment, it is more time consuming to travel to and from work. It is a small business economy and there are a high number of self-employed people in the county. There is also more “outward” commuting than “inward” commuting.

The 2015 population estimate was 311,400.

Car dependency is high, with only 15.8% of households not in car ownership (compared with 24.7% in the West Midlands). Some 70.5% of the working population commute by car, and in 2011, only 3.3% of workers used public transport.

We believe that the economic benefits of a mixed-use development could equate to an estimated significant increase in the number of available jobs in the Gorge, for instance: • Research and development – circa 4000 to 5000 • Hotels/hospitality – 500 to 600 • Leisure retail – 300 to 600 • Railway (services/engineering) – 150

Restoring Your Railway in more detail GWS: David can we now look in more detail at your application. To start with, who is the promoter, do you have the support of the local MPs and what is the track layout that you are promoting?

DF: As Vice-Chairman of the Ironbridge Railway Trust, I am the lead promoter and I am delighted to say that we have the full support of the key four local MPS – Lucy Allan (Telford), Philip Dunne (Ludlow), Mark Garnier (Wyre Forest) and Daniel Kawczyski (Shrewsbury & Atcham). The stretch of line under consideration is from Ironbridge Power Station through Ironbridge to Bridgnorth, a distance of 10 miles. Within this length, we are proposing six stations – Ironbridge Parkway (park and ride), Ironbridge & Broseley (for the Iron Bridge), Jackfield (for the Tile Museum) Blists Hill (for the Victorian Town), Coalport (for the China Museum) and Linley (for Apley Hall).

GWS; Apart from the fact that the Government is running this Restore Your Railway Scheme, why do you believe that now is the time to push for this scheme?

DF: Ironbridge Railway Trust’s (IRT) proposal offers a one-off opportunity for transformative 41

visitor economy growth in the UNESCO Ironbridge World Heritage Site and the Severn Valley heritage corridor across Shropshire and Worcestershire, helped by a re-opened railway providing sustainable, green connectivity otherwise unavailable on the highway network within its Gorge and rural geography.

Its unique quality draws upon Harworth Group’s ability to generate a destination Masterplan for the former Ironbridge Power Station site, currently at outline planning application stage.

This helps rail re-instatement from the Power Station to the heart of Ironbridge, next to the Iron Bridge itself, the World Heritage Site museums of Jackfield, Blists Hill Victorian Town and Coalport, and thence to Bridgnorth and the existing Severn Valley Railway to Kidderminster (National Rail) in Worcestershire.

In using the station proposed by Harworth, the project can support and be supported

by Harworth and Telford & Wrekin Council’s Restoring Your Railway (RYR) bid for passenger services between the Power Station and the Wolverhampton-Shrewsbury National Rail route on the freight line to Madeley Junction (Telford), together with the ambitions of the Telford Steam Railway.

GWS: If this application is successful and is built, what level of service would you look to offer?

DF: For this restored railway to work and to take the visitors off the road as they look to visit the Ironbridge museum sites, we believe that it would require: 1. One train per hour (tph) Ironbridge Parkway-Ironbridge-CoalportBridgnorthKidderminster 2. Three tph Ironbridge Parkway-IronbridgeCoalport This would provide a 4 tph World Heritage Site shuttle service but obviously we would look to tailor this to meet the needs of a full year/seasonal and residential, employment and visitor demand.

GWS: What is the state of the route/trackbed?

DF: The 10-mile stretch remains largely intact, and we would look to reinstate this in three stages: • Stage 1 – Ironbridge Parkway - Ironbridge – 2 miles single track; new station within the Power Station site (as per Harworth); temporary platform at Ironbridge & Broseley.

• Stage 2 – Ironbridge - Coalport – 2 miles single track with permanent 2 platform station at Ironbridge & Broseley and passing loop; single-platform stations at Jackfield (Tile Museum), Blists Hill (Victorian Town); re-use of the existing 2-platform Coalport Station (China Museum).

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•

Stage 3 - Coalport - Bridgnorth – 6 miles single track with passing loop(s); re-use of the existing single platform Linley Station (Apley Hall); re-connection to the Severn Valley Railway at Bridgnorth.

As I said earlier, we have the full support of those MPs whose constituencies’ economies, communities and environments would benefit from the proposal, and Shropshire Council, Worcestershire County Council, Wyre Forest District Council, and the Ironbridge Gorge Museums Trust.

Furthermore, the Power Station – Coalport route is safeguarded for use as a transport corridor under Policy C2 of the Telford & Wrekin Local Plan 2011-2031.

GWS: Obviously, there would be some considerable cost requirements for a scheme of this nature. How do you see that?

DF: At this stage, IRT’s Strategic Outline Business Case Budget and Funding is based upon a total cost of £58,000 made up as follows: Total Cost £58,000 Ironbridge Railway Trust £4,500 Shropshire Council £5,000 Worcestershire County Council £5,000 DfT £43,500

100% 7.8% 8.6% 8.6% 75%

GWS: What do you see as the major benefits to the area if this scheme goes ahead?

DF: Building on the one-off opportunity of the re-development of Ironbridge Power Station, the Trust envisages re-opening a community railway from the Power Station to the Iron Bridge, across the World Heritage Site to Bridgnorth, and from 42

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there connecting to the successful Severn Valley Railway.

Along with other organisations’ ambitions for expanding the Telford Steam Railway and passenger services on the Ironbridge-Coalbrookdale-Madeley line, the scheme could sustainably unlock growth in the visitor economy that could not otherwise be accommodated on the roads of the Gorge or the rural Severn Valley.

The re-opened route would offer new public transport capacity, a test bed for modern, green rail technology, as well as heritage trains forming part of historic attractions of the Gorge and the Severn Valley. At this point I would like to add two comments by people involved in this Bid, as I believe they strengthen our case: Peter Lyons, Chairman of the Ironbridge Railway Trust said: “The Restoring Your Railway fund is a real opportunity for the Trust and its stakeholders to assess the potential for rail public transport to grow the Ironbridge and Severn Valley Corridor’s tourism and visitor economy, while protecting precious historic and natural environments which highway-based growth could damage.”

Councillor Eric Carter, a member of Telford and Wrekin Council and Chairman of The Marches Strategic Railway Group said: “An Ideas Fund study will provide us with key evidence of the value and feasibility of the Trust’s exciting proposal to support the attractions of Ironbridge, the Severn Valley and our market towns and beautiful countryside which make Shropshire and neighbouring Worcestershire the country’s principal inland tourist counties.”

GWS: Gentlemen, thank you and good luck!

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GREAT W

Edward Thomas Celebrates its Centenary Edward Thomas was built by Kerr, Stuart & Co Ltd at their California Works in Stoke-onTrent for the Corris Railway, as engine No 4047 of the Tattoo Class in 1921. It is an 0-4-2ST saddle tank built to the 2ft 3in gauge. with 2ft 0in driving wheels and 1ft 4in training wheels and a boiler pressure of 160lbf/in2.

Corris Railway

The Corris Railway was a 2 ft 3 in (686 mm) gauge horse-drawn tramway built in 1859 under the name of the Corris, Machynlleth & River Dovey Tramroad. A title which, fortunately was shortened by an Act of 1864, followed by a further Act which authorised the purchase of locomotives. The railway was of the same gauge as the tramway, which consisted of a mainline from Machynlleth north to Corris and on to Aberllefenni, a distance of about six and a half miles to which quarry branches from Maespoeth (just suth of Corris) to Upper Corris and up the valley beyond Aberlefeni added another four and a half miles. A passenger service was introduced on the 4th July 1883 between Machynlleth and Corris and on 25th August 1887 extended from there to Aberllefeni. The railway company owned three locomotives, built in 1878; by the end of World War I all three were in poor condition, and the railway ordered a fourth, a modified version of Kerr Stuart›s 0-4-2 ST «Tattoo» class, in 1921.[1] It initially struggled with the workload on the Corris and was provided with a new boiler with a greater number of tubes in 1928.

The Corris Railway was taken over, as part of the Crossville Motor Services Ltd, by the Great Western Railway in 1930, after which duties were shared between No.4 and the surviving original loco, No. 3.However, passenger services were withdrawn as from the 1st January 1931.

By late 1947 No. 4 was out of service needing a major overhaul, and as a result never worked under British Railways following nationalisation in 1948, as the Corris closed on 20 August that year.

Cambell Thomas and Oliver Veltom

Mr Campbell Thomas was the GWR and BR Stationmaster at Machynlleth. One of his responsibilities was running the former Corris Railway which ran from the lower yard at Machynlleth to Corris and Aberlefenni serving the slate quarries.

Mr Campbell Thomas was very fond of the Corris Railway which had been under threat of closure. Trains on the line ran three days per week and sometimes did not run according to the then working timetable but to suit Campbell Thomas`s fishing requirements. Thanks to his efforts and

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Nos 3 & 4 behind the Corris Station at Machynlleth

that of Sir Haydn Jones and Edward Thomas of the Talyllyn Railway, they kept the Corris Railway going and saved it from closure enabling it to survive under the British Railways era. Writer George Behrend author of the classic book ‘Gone With Regret’ read in the ‘County Times’ newspaper at the beginning of August 1948 that the Corris Railway had closed. He had wanted to see the line in action, so he decided to go to see the remains of the line before it disappeared for ever.

Accordingly, he journeyed to Machynlleth.

When he got there, he was so pleased to find the line had not yet closed and Mr Campbell Thomas invited him for a trip along the line behind locomotive No.3. Although not known at the time, it was to be the penultimate working of the Corris as, unfortunately, flooding from the River Dovey was undermining the railway embankment.

The driver was Mr Humphrey Humphreys and the guard Mr Pryce Owen both of whom had given many years of service to the railway. George had a wonderful trip returning on the footplate of No.3 His abiding memory of the day was that he drank beer in the Slater`s Arms with the driver and guard of the Corris! Sadly, the line closed on 20th August 1948 as the flooding did its worst.

Mr Cambell Thomas was a visionary. He knew the two Corris Railway locomotives Nos 3 and 4 were of the same unusual gauge as the nearby Talyllyn Railway so he stored them in the lower goods yard putting tarpaulins over them and placing standard gauge wagons in front of them so they would be hidden from prying eyes. It was his hope they would eventually go to the Talyllyn Railway, which at the time was on its last legs and needing another locomotive. At a time of a national scrap drive, he accidentally ignored instructions from Swindon to send the locomotives for scrap.

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Locos 3 and 4 at The Wharf on the Talyllyn Railway 17 March 1951.

The BR crew who delivered the locos pose with their special delivery (TR-Archive)

Somehow, he held on to them and getting his loyal staff to ensure they would be in a condition to work again. The TRPS was not formed until 1950 so, when it was up and running and they had bought the two locomotives, Campbell Thomas`s vision was fulfilled. As George Behrend wrote, “His efforts to save the Corris locomotives went unsung as he would have expected, as secrecy was of the first importance.” In March 1951 Mr Campbell Thomas was able to supervise the loading of Nos 3 and 4 for their journey to Towyn (old spelling) and preservation.” The engines were originally offered for sale by British Railways at the price of £85 each, but the negotiated price was for £25 each and the eventual bill of sale to the TRPS showed a final price of thirty pounds, twelve shillings and ninepence for the sale of both engines. They were transported to Tywyn via the mainline, then off-loaded onto the Talyllyn tracks

by crane from the original BR slate transfer siding which runs alongside the TR slate offload siding at Wharf station.

No2 taking Nos 4 and 3 up to Pendre is a still from a 16mm film by Pat Whitehouse (Martin Fuller)

No 2 Dolgoch re-enacting taking the newly arrived Corrs Nos 3 and 4 to Pendre (Barbara Fuller)

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Oliver and the Narrow Gauge

The devotion of Campbell Thomas and Oliver Veltom to the narrow-gauge railways of North Wales did not end there, however. Inspired by Campbell Thomas, Oliver Veltom, BR District Superintendent at Oswestry saved the Vale of Rheidol Railway from closure in the 1950s and renovated it to such an extent that his men called it ‘Veltom`s own Railway.’ His greatest achievement was helping to save the Welshpool & Llanfair Railway. When it closed in November 1956 the newly formed Preservation Society did not have enough money to buy it, never mind obtaining their only locomotives Nos 822 and 823, so Oliver emulat-

ed his colleague Campbell Thomas and had them stored in Oswestry Works from 1956 to 1962.

This gave the preservationists the time to raise the money to buy them and the line and it could re-open in 1963. Oliver helped those trying to purchase the last ‘Dukedog’ No.9017 from scrapping by keeping it in Oswestry Works from 1960 to 1962. Oliver cared for his men. When the Ruabon to Barmouth line closed in 1965 he wrote to all the employers in the area asking them to give work to redundant railwaymen.

Oliver Veltom, although of Cornish stock, was born in London. He died in July 1980 and at his request his ashes were placed on the Vale of Rheidol Line near Rheidol Falls Halt on 8th August 1980. A plaque was placed there in his memory.

His funeral at Oswestry was attended by 350 people such was the esteem in which he was held by so many. The Cambrian Railways Society at Oswestry named one of their locomotives after him.

Oliver had been their President as he was for the Vale of Rheidol Railway Supporters` Association.

On its Travels

Along with No. 3, No 4 kept its Corris number, giving both locos the unusual distinction of carrying the same number through the ownership of four different railway companies (the Corris, Great Western, British Railways and Talyllyn Railway). Because both railways were built to the unusual gauge of 2ft 3in. it was relatively easy to adapt the Corris locomotives to work on the Talyllyn Railway. Upon arriving, No.4 was in need of a major overhaul but was unserviceable as the Talyllyn Railway were struggling for money. John Alcock, the chairman of the Hunslet Engine Company, was a member of the Preservation Society and had No. 4 overhauled free of charge at his works. Like Sir Haydn when it arrived at the Talyllyn Railway it had no buffers, so was subsequently fitted with them.

Edward Thomas, fitted with its Giesl Ejector in 1962

In 1958, Dr Giesl-Gieslingen approached British Railways to offer a free trial of his Giesl ejector. When this offer was turned down, the inventor made the same offer to the preserved Talyllyn Railway in Wales, and Edward Thomas was fitted with one. Although a coal saving of 40% was officially announced at the time, this has since been

New build Corris No 7 (left) and Edward Thomas (right) during a vist of the former to the Talyllyn Railway

disputed by the railway’s chief engineer. The ejector was removed in 1969, and no difference in coal consumption was found. The ejector is now on display in the Narrow Gauge Railway Museum at Tywyn.

Reconstruction of the Corris Railway commenced in the 1970s and in October 1996 No.4 returned there for a brief visit to run demonstration trains. On 17 May 2005 a newbuild Tattoo class locomotive, similar in design to No.4, arrived on the Corris Railway and currently hauls passenger trains there.

21st Century Heralds Centenary for Edward Thomas

Until 2000 the loco was running in the guise of “Peter Sam” (of Thomas the Tank Engine fame), in red livery. It was then repainted into British Railways black, the colour scheme it might have acquired had the Corris line survived a little longer. An extensive overhaul, which has included the fitting of a new boiler, was completed in late May 2004 and the loco returned to public service on Sunday 30th May as “Edward Thomas”, in unlined green livery. The loco is now running in the standard TR livery of deep bronze lined with black borders and yellow lining.

On Wednesday March 17th 2021, the day of the 70th anniversary of the arrival of these two locos, the Talyllyn Railway celebrated the occasion with a re-enactment of the arrival of No 3 and No 4 at Tywyn Wharf and their being taken up to Pendre works behind Loco No 2, Dolgoch.

Although Covid 19 lockdown restrictions prevented this being open to the public, we felt it was an important part of our 70th anniversary year and should be marked with an appropriate remembrance. The re-enactment was arranged as a live Facebook stream, and you can watch it on the Talyllyn Railway’s YouTube channel.

Currently, the Talyllyn will remain closed until the Coronavirus (Covid 19) restrictions are lifted. To celebrate the 100th birthday of Loco No. 4 in September, it will be returning to Corris as a guest loco as part of a joint venture with the Corris Railway, returning to Tywyn for its own birthday over the weekend of 11th /12th September.

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Remembering the Old Hands Part the 1st.

Adrian Vaughan* Railway Historian and Brunel Biographer My great-grandfather, Francis Cook, was a GWR engine driver. I never met him but I was told a lot about him by my Granny and the rest I learned from GWR Staff Registers. Francis was born in 1860 and started on the GWR as an engine cleaner at Chippenham on 15th March 1875. The mixed gauge had been installed the year before he joined and the Calne branch had been converted to standard gauge. His entry into service was recorded on the next page blank in the massive ledger Staff Register. That page number was 1976. Until page 1977 was written on, Francis was the most junior member of the Locomotive Department.

wait outside of the station and try to wrestle his wage packet off him. He became a ‘Second Class fireman at Bristol in February 1884 earning 4/3d a day. He would have worked the faster goods trains and local passenger trains. He went on a threeday binge in August 1884 and was written down as ‘Absent without leave’. When he did turn up at Bath Road depot he was not sufficiently recovered to be allowed to work; he was suspended for that day and fined £1. None of these misdemeanours affected his promotions. Men were not, as one old hand told me 60 years ago, ‘sacked yer soon as look at yer’.

From Cleaner to Fireman

Becoming a First Class Fireman

From September 1875, he was a ‘Pilot’ fireman, a ‘Passed Cleaner’ in more modern parlance: an ‘As required’ fireman. He would have been on the station shunter and the Dauntsey banker sometimes. His pay was three shillings a day. On 28th of February 1882 he became a fully-fledged ‘Third Class’ fireman at Chippenham earning three shillings and ninepence a day. He was lucky the vacancy was there and not miles away. A railwayman did not apply for promotion, he got it when he was senior enough to move up into the next grade. The older men, with families, sometimes did not want the promotion and appealed – unsuccessfully - against because of the considerable inconvenience and disruption a move would cause him and his family.

Such cases can be seen in the GWR Staff Registers at the National Archives.

Knowing of much later events I am sure Francis liked working with steam engines, but he had a problem: his liking for beer. My granny had told me of the hardship that caused his family. One month after becoming a goods train fireman he was suspended from duty for nine days for ‘not coming on duty to take his train.’ Nine days with no pay.

Granny told me her mother, Katherine, used to *Adrian Vaughan was born in Reading in January 1941 and grew up closely in touch with the GWR and its nationalised successor. He was a volunteer porter at Challow station from 1953 to 1956, during which time he learned how to drive a steam engine and work a signal box. In 1960, after 4½ years in the army, he joined the staff of Challow and became a signalman at Uffington a few months later. He was a signalman for fourteen years and an amateur footplateman for six. He produced his first book on his beloved railway in 1971 and has produced over thirty books to date.

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In November 1888, he became a First-Class fireman at Taunton earning 4/9d a day. The mixed gauge had arrived at Taunton 12 years earlier on its way to Exeter. The Barnstaple, Yeovil and Minehead branches were standard gauge. The Broad Gauge was in use till May 1892 but by 1888, most trains were hauled by standard gauge engines. Only trains going west of Exeter were sure to be Broad Gauge.

A year after arriving at Taunton his pay increased to five shillings a day. Three months later 17th March 1890, he went before the locomotive inspector at Swindon for his oral exam on the safety rules and on his knowledge of the mechanisms of the engine and the rules for safe working. He failed.

Becoming a Driver

On 13th April 1891 he was summoned to Swindon for the driver’s. He passed and was appointed a ‘3rd Class driver. That covered shunting and local goods work. He was ordered to Southall as an ‘Engine turner’ - moving locos within the depot. His wages were 5/6d a day. There is no record of him being paid for the costs of moving his household to Southall. Maybe moving engines around the engine shed yard made him bad tempered for on 14th September 1891 he was asked to release his fireman to go and relieve a fireman who had been on duty for over 12 hours. He refused and was fined two shillings. By June he had graduated to driving goods trains. On 28th he was approaching Southall and told his fireman they would stop at the water column at the London end of the Up Relief line platform to take water. The tender did not need water. He caused a passenger train to be delayed outside the station and was fined two shillings. The tender had no need for water, but I think he had

Built for the GWR by Peyer Peacock in 1864.

No 337 seen here was photographed in 1879.

a need for beer. Those who know the London end of Southall station on the Upside might remember the Red Lion’ pub. The fence is a few feet from the engine, the road is at the same level as the railway and the pub is about 30 yards from the fence. It would be an easy vault over the railings opposite for a craving man who knew his fireman would not ‘split’ on him.

His further decline is shown as the incidents crept down his page. He was unusual in that.

He was never more than a 3rd class driver but that could only be that he was not senior enough to move up a grade. He was a 3rd class driver at Reading from 8th October 1894, in 1899 he had been posted to Trowbridge. In November that year he was marked down as ‘AWOL’ and when did return he was ‘insolent to his Foreman’. That was the last straw. The register states: Notice of dismissal with four weeks’ notice was served on 8th December’.

But he left the service of the Great Western with a good character reference.

What did Great Grandpa do? He went back to Reading and got a job in Simmonds brewery looking after the boiler and stationary steam engine. He obviously liked steam! Years later, he became landlord of the ‘King’s Arms’ in Wallingford Street, Wantage and died there in 1932. His last words to my Granddad were ‘Fetch us a pint, Will’.

A Look at The Company Staff Records!

(See also the Appendix on p50)

The ancient Permanent Way Ganger at Uffington, ‘Butty’ Martin had told me most emphatically, ‘the old Company would sack yer soon as look at yer, boy’. That’s a bit of an exaggeration.

Here are some examples from the Company’s Staff Records. On 17th February 1874 Driver Evan Harry was taking a goods from Llantrisant to Black Mill. That was three days past his 33rd birthday.

He arrived on the branch line and reversed his train into the Down Siding. He told the signalman he was going to a party in a farm house across the field and went away. Four hours, later he returned and drove on. This did not go unnoticed and the result, shown in the record book was that he was sacked and a

No.473, ‘Sir Daniel’ class. Built at Swindon in 1869. Seen here, perhaps at Didcot, prior to 1880 alterations.

red line was drawn under his entry in the book. But he was not sacked because on 21st September 1877 he ‘dropped a plug’ causing serious damage to the firebox and tubes and for that he was sacked. But he liked being an engine driver so he moved to the other end of South Wales and was taken on as a driver on the Monmouthshire Railway and Canal Company. On 1st August 1880 the MR&CC was amalgamated into the Great Western and Evan along with it. On 4th January 1909 he was ‘called upon to retire because of old age. He was 68. He died nine months later.

On 24th November 1881 Driver 3rd class George Gazey, off duty, got drunk and was brought before the Magistrate charged with ‘attempting to commit a criminal assault on a woman in Pontypool. The record does not tell us what action the Magistrate took but the GWR suspended him from duty for 8 days and demoted him to shed engine turner and shunting Engineman. George Armstrong was Chief Locomotive Superintendent of the GWR’s Northern Division based on the great locomotive factory and engine sheds at Wolverhampton. When Armstrong heard of Gazey’s demotion he made ‘an earnest request’ that Driver Gazey be re-instated as 3rd class Engineman. So he was reinstated and Gazey’s list of errors continued to fill the lines of his record.

On 1st December 1884, Wolverhampton driver William Lovejoy failed to arrive on duty to work his train. On 12th of December he failed to arrive to take out his train and was sacked. On 27th September 1890, Driver Wheeler drove from Wells to Draycott, a single line, without the benefit of the Single Line Staff. He was fined £1. On 16th March 1982 Driver Charles Haynes succumbed to the Stratford-onAvon Stationmaster’s blandishments and drove a privately ordered Special to Honeybourne without the single line Train Staff. He was fined five shillings and suspended for one day.

My Love of the GWR is Born!

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conversations I remember. I don’t remember what was said, 70 years ago, but what they said fascinated me, it was the folk lore of the Great Western. I joined the Western Region of British Railways to be a part of that community. I found railwaymen on Grayrigg Bank, West Coast main line, on the Settle & Carlisle, in Ireland and Italy who were welcoming to a chap who was showing an interest.

The oldest railwayman I ever met, was Mr. Burgess. He was born in 1850 in South London, joined the London Chatham & Dover Railway as an engine cleaner in 1864. He became an engine driver and retired in 1914. When I met him, in 1948, I was seven years old, and he was 98. The front room of his council house at 863 Oxford Road, Tilehurst, Reading, had large-framed photographs of LC&DR locomotives. He was glad to have even a 7-year-old to talk to about his steam engines. On sunny days, his wife would take two straight-back chairs on to the front porch. The busy railway was on the far side of the Oxford Road, Tilehurst station off to our left.

We’d sit out there and enjoy each other’s company watching the tank engine shunting the Cold Meat Store sidings and the main line trains rattling east and west.

He set me a question. ‘The inner rail of a curve travels a shorter distance than the outer rail. How can two wheels on a rigid axle get around a curve when one is travelling further than the other. I will give you sixpence if you can tell me how that’s done.’

I put that to the drivers who allowed me on to their footplates of the Reading (GW) station pilot. I never picked on the driver who knew the answer. Mr. Burgess died in 1950. He was a locomotive man to the last and he showed me what it meant to be a railwayman.

We Move to Childrey, near Challow

Listening to and talking to the men who accepted me into their railway world was a practical history lesson. I learnt something of railway work while learning a little of what the old hand railwaymen had survived. In May 1953, our family moved to the village of Childrey. I was 12½. The nearest railway station was Challow, 2½ miles north, on the main No.45. London Chatham & Dover Railway, 2-4-0 by Kirtley. (Courtesy the Chris. Wilson Collection. )

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The “Challow Gang” at Challow in 1963.

From left to right: Bob Tilling; Jesse Betterton, Harold New, Bill Lamble and Ganger Bob Thatcher

line between Didcot and Swindon. I became a regular visitor, on non-school days and very soon was helping the porters load wagons, shunt wagons and using the shunting pole. I rode on the shunting engine, was coached in driving, drove the shunting engine, and became skilful enough to be allowed to actually do a ‘fly’ shunt. Working with the Porter, I went with him for ‘elevenses’ in the signal box. I was very soon working the bells and levers under the signalman’s instructions and began a study, under him, of the signalling regulations.

I met the permanent-way (p-way) gang. Five steady men aged in their thirties and fifties and their Ganger, who must have been 60, in jacket, waistcoat, hobnailed boots, belt, braces and baggy trousers. He kept the rails perfectly aligned for ‘top’ level and gauge. Kneeling on a sleeper end, bending over to rest the side of his head on the rail top he could see a slight ‘hump’ in the rail, a dip at a fishplated joint, or a slight outward’s turn on the rail. His men, with crowbars 3ft long, would walk in single file under his direction; ‘Goo-on, goo-on….. whoa! Bars in! They would drive their long crowbars into the ballast, touching against the rail. Bob would call ‘Hup! Hup! Hup!’ and they levered back against the rail. Sometimes one ‘Hup’ was enough to adjust the track.

They jacked up a sunken joint and packed granite chippings under the sleepers. This was ‘goin’ shovel packin’. That probably sounds a crude practise to younger readers, but the Blue Pullman diesel trains ran over Bob Thatcher’s track and dozens of other hobnailed Gangers’ track between Paddington and Bristol and South Wales at 90 mph several times a day, 5 day a week from 1961. They were stalwarts, hardy men, out in the cold and wind or the hot sun every day.

Their hardest duty was ‘Fogging’ the Distant signals. After a full day at work on the track, they would be at home. Dinner over, they’d look outside and see a heavy fog had come down. There was no point in going to bed, they knew they would be called

out for fogging. Challow signalman would go across to the Staff housing, part of the station, and ask Bill Lamble – much younger than Bob Thatcher - to call out the fogmen for the Up and Down Distant signals and one to stand beside the Up line opposite the box to ‘spot’ tail lamps on the trains for the signalman.

All night, 8 hours, they would stand at their posts.

Keeping a fog signal, a detonator, on the crown of the rail as long as the Distant signal was showing ‘Caution, Be prepared to stop at the first Danger signal’. P-way men were the only wages staff on the railway who were not issued with any clothing. Yet they were the most in need of hard wearing, outdoor clothing.

I Take the Queen’s Shilling!

I had had an unofficial apprenticeship to station work, signalling and even footplate work. In February 1956, I took the Queen’s shilling and left for the Infantry Boys’ Battalion at Plymouth.

I joined up to get away from home and to have regular journeys from Challow to Reading and from Reading to Plymouth on the 1.30 Paddington and 8.30 Plymouth back to Reading. The big draw was this: to experience at first hand ‘Kings’ and ‘Castles’ hard at work after reading O.S Nock’s description of the work done on their footplates.

I join the Western Region at Uffington!

I joined the Western Region as a Lad Porter at Challow on 13th September 1960. The railway doctor at Swindon had advised me not to enter the locomotive side but advised me to aim at signalling ‘from there you’ll meet the locomen and then you can have lots of footplate rides,’ he said.

I became a signalman at Uffington in September 1961. The Swindon – Faringdon goods ran daily.

When I was on 2 – 10pm shift, I’d get to Uffington at 7a.m and ride on the tank engine to Faringdon round about 7.40. As I got to know the drivers, I was able to drive to Faringdon, shunt the yard and drive back. The drivers I remember were what, to me aged 20, seemed elderly and the firemen young.

I remember one old driver telling me of a trip he made as a fireman from Swindon to Paddington, WD Class 2-8-0 No 90676 passing Uffington Signal Box

back before the war. “We had a ‘City’ and some empty stock for Old Oak. They let us out of Swindon behind the last fast in front of the milkies that evening, and my mate knew we’d have a clear road behind that if we kept up. The ‘Cheltenham Flyer’ was all the rage at the time.”

My mate looked over to me as we pulled away and said “Shall we have a go?”

I said, “If you like.”

So, he set sail! It was a moonlit night, our engine was fine for steam and we were flying. It was great to see those side rods flashing round outside the frames, needle on the mark as we went through the Vale. My mate and I looked across to each other. We just grinned and said nothing. It was beautiful.

I Move to Challow

I took on as signalman at Challow, in March 1962.

The signal box was at the west end of the station on the Downside. The Up Relief Line turned out of the Up Main 370yards west of the signal box, while the Down Relief line merged with the Down Main a few yards west of the box. There was nearly always a steam-hauled goods train waiting at the Down Relief signal at the east end of the platform. The drivers or firemen often came to the box. I got to know them and they me.

Footplate trips were easy to arrange. A visit to Swindon shed, by day or by night depending on what shift I was on, meeting a driver who recognised me, and trips to Severn Tunnel Junction, via Gloucester or via the Tunnel were possible – wherever - depending on what he was booked to do.

Watching the fireman, I learned the way to fire an engine working hard or lightly ‘on the road’. I made a tape recording from the footplate of a 28xx going through the Severn tunnel. On one occasion, bound for Severn Tunnel yard, we were brought into Stoke Gifford yard and told we were ‘terminated’.

The Yard Man came to our driver. “Control doesn’t want you through the tunnel just yet. Hook off and take your engine ‘light’ back to Swindon.”

We had a Hall that morning. The driver, who had a nice Wiltshire accent, said to me. “What you needs is a recordin’ off the footplate of a faast. You go and Adrian on duty in Challow Box

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4073 Class 4-6-0 No 7033 Hartlebury Castle with the 10.45 Paddington to Weston-super-Mare, passing a WD loco on the Down Relief at Challow.

1961.

tell the Bobby we wants to turn on the triangle, heads-up for Swindon, and then I’ll show you.”

The Chipping Sodbury tunnel, between Chipping Sodbury station and Badminton at the summit of the climb from Stoke Gifford is 4,444 yards long.

The engine came out of the top end of the tunnel, a mile from Badminton station like a cork out of a champagne bottle. Our driver turned to me and shouted above the racket on the footplate ‘Thaat’s the fastest you’ll come thur wi’ a steam engine!’

The fastest train of the day on that line was the ‘Bristolian’. I guess we passed the surprised Badminton signalman at 60mph!

Remarkable train working was done officially and unofficially in the last years of steam. I have been falsely accused of writing fiction. That is hurtful but I am about to run that risk again. On 3rd June 1964, 7020 Gloucester Castle, Driver Billy Green of Swindon shed with Fireman Dunn was at Challow with the London Division Civil Engineers Inspection Saloon. Challow was then the boundary of the London Division. The engine was chimney facing London.

That afternoon, I was visiting Reading West Main signal box. There were 222 levers and three signalmen. Reading West Junction signal box rang ‘Is Line Clear?’ for an ‘A’ headcode train. ‘Line Clear’ was given and a few second later ‘On Line.’ Half a minute after that the west end signalman shouted ‘Hey – look at this!’ I ran to the bay window and a few seconds later, 7020 with the Inspection coach rushed past at 60 mph. The distance from West Junction to West Main was a mile. As the train flew past, standing up and the windows were various members of the General Manager’s Office, waving arms, some with hats clutched! The train had been held up by the 10.08 York – Bournemouth from Cholsey to Scours Lane and got a clear road once the York had cleared the main line, going around the West Curve for Basingstoke.

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and received for the Special. Bill Mattingley had sent ‘Train Approaching’ to Wantage Road at 3.40 which is the time the train started from outside Challow box and ‘Train on Line’ when the train passed the IBS signals one and three quarter miles further east. But both bell codes were written down as the same time and ‘Train out of Section from Wantage Road 33/8 miles from Challow at 3.43.

I showed Bill Mattingley the times when he came on at 2 o’clock. He was surprised and puzzled of course but said, ‘Well, I didn’t notice them yesterday.

I wrote them normally.’ Taking the leeway that can occur in writing down the times, the train had averaged at least 60 mph from a stand in just 33/8th miles. I phoned London Division for the arrival time at Paddington but they wouldn’t tell me. I phoned Swindon shed Foreman, my friend, Alan Jones. He said he’d ask Billy Green about it. A few days later, Alan phoned. ‘Billy said they’d asked him for a fast run back to Paddington. That’s all I know.’

When Alan Jones was a fireman, he was the fireman of choice, with Driver Alec (Need you go so fast?) Law, on the ‘home trainer’ That was the roller bed or ‘Locomotive Testing Plant’ used to make precise, scientific assessments of locomotive efficiency. Alan was a keen steam man and scathing of the diesels of that early period: as Loco Foreman he daily had to cope with the failure of diesels on express trains and getting them repaired. ‘Hymek’ diesels were twisting up their cardan shafts on coming up Sapperton Bank from Stroud. Spilt tea on their dashboards was leaking down on to an electric contact and insulating the copper contact with sugary deposit. The cardan shafts I saw in a row, leaning against the office wall like trophies.

The sugary problem, Alan told me about.

Alan told me how, when he was a fireman, the p-way department rang up Swindon shed one morning to order a track testing special for the afternoon. 5064 Bishop’s Castle was due to arrive on a goods train later in the morning. It was taken off and brought to the shed, fire cleaned, oiled round, coal and water and was ready for the afternoon’s run to South Wales. The 5-coach train was attached outside the Carriage works and they set off. Alan said, “We were doing 75” approaching Wootton Basset and I was wondering when my mate was going shut off and slow down – there was a 40mph speed restriction over the curve on to the South Wales line. Alec, shut off threw the vacuum brake handle right over for a total application.

Brought it back again and opened the ejector. We hit the facer at the junction at 40 and he had the regulator open and we’re away. Going through Sodbury tunnel you could have read a newspaper by the light of my fire. We got into Newport and one of the Civils comes up to the engine. ‘Thank you very much for that, Driver. Great run for the track recorder. The speedometer in the coach was on the 100 after Sodbury station.’

Soon after ‘taking on’ at Challow, I had a Down goods waiting on the Down Relief line for a ‘path’

Ebbw Vale station. In the background are the station cottages where Don Kingdom grew up

Aberbeeg Shed with 4200 Class 2-8-0T No 4269

westwards. The driver came to the signal box. He was slim built, in clean overalls, shiny boots and ‘grease top’ cap. He seemed to be young for a driver.

I was impressed. After the usual greetings, he asked, ‘Would you do me a favour? I’m swotting up on the signalling Regulations. I’m taking the exam – if I pass it will look good on my record. Would you take me through all this’ he waved at the levers and instruments.

‘Only if you show me around your engine’, I replied.

‘Oh – do you like steam engines?

‘Oh yes!’ I said emphatically.

So that was me and Driver Don Kingdom of Oxford shed. He was then about 37 years old. A young driver indeed. A softly spoken man with a lilting, poetic South Wales accent. Don and I became very good friends. I went with Don quite a lot by day and by night when my shifts at Challow were before or after his shift. The 6.40 a.m. Oxford – Bletchley parcels with a ‘Black Five’ was a favourite.

I turned up at 6.39 from a mad dash from Uffington to join him and his mate. Climbed aboard. ‘You’re firing – there’s the shovel’ said Don cheerily. Jock stood back in his corner against the look-out glass.

I looked into the fire. It was not made up. There was a hill to climb through Wolvercote tunnel on the LMS. As we pulled out. I sprinkled some coal back corners, under the door down each side of the fire box. On then to LMR at North Junction and along the level of Port Meadow. I put some more on carefully, not wanting to ‘black out’ the fire. We got through the tunnel, just about. Don shortened the cut off and eased the regulator, more coal around the grate, speed and pressure recovered.

Don was born about 1925 in one of the two station cottages at Ebbw Vale (GWR) station. His father, Percy, was a signalman at Ebbw station.

Don left school aged 15 in 1940 and went as an engine cleaner in the loco shed at Aberbeeg, five miles down the valley from Ebbw. He was promoted to fireman and moved to Abergavenny. Abergavenny shed had 12 roads, and 7 engines in 1940. Among these was an L&NWR Webb 0-6-2T. Wooden buffer beams. and brake blocks. The antiquated loco was

the Llanvihangel banker! The incline was 4 miles long rising towards Shrewsbury at 1 in 82/95. Don was regularly fireman on this engine. He said it was ‘a poor tool’ and not good running downhill either because of the wooden brake blocks. There were cans of water on the running plate operated from the cab to pour water on the blocks to stop them catching fire from friction. Don’s driver came up against the brake van of a goods train one day ‘a bit hard’ and broke a buffer off the beam. Back to shed.

Another time they came back down the bank, light, and developed a hot axle box. They went straight to shed. The fitter jacked the engine up and put some oil-soaked waste under the axle. They did another banking trip and came back to shed without any white metal left in the axle bearing. “That’s a good job then’, said the fitters, saved us the trouble of getting it out.

When the shed closed in January 1958 Don was redundant. He was a senior fireman and was posted to a vacancy at Oxford. He had not been working long at Oxford when he was booked to fire a Royal Train: the Queen Mother wanted to go to Cheltenham races. In a letter Don wrote to me years later, he gave some details of that although not his driver’s name. ‘We were issued with brand new An L&NWR Webb 0-6-2T Coal Tank

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overalls and jackets. The train was booked away from Paddington at 10.40. The engine was 5056 Earl of Powis. We were instructed not to exceed 10 mph until we were clear of Westbourne Park, to pass through Slough station at 40, 75 through Twyford and a stop at Reading with the footplate opposite a white post set up on the platform. With all that delay, we only had 67 minutes to pass Oxford. A week later I got a letter from Paddington thanking me for my work, a gratuity’ of ten bob and we hand to hand in our new overalls and jackets!

At the time I met Don, his fireman was a Scot, redundant in Glasgow and so came to Oxford. The pair of them were in Challow box one evening with me. In my great ignorance, I was explaining to ‘Jock’ that between Swindon and Bath, there are two one in one hundred gradients. Jock, who was reclining almost full length in my armchair with his legs resting on the long stool, looked very puzzled, and said politely, “We dinnae fash ourselves until they get into double figures.”

I was able to accompany him to Basingstoke, Reading, Swindon, Bletchley, the Abingdon and Witney branches and just once, to Paddington. The only passenger train he drove when I was with him was the first Up commuter train, 7.10 a.m. Oxford to Paddington with 14 coaches behind a ‘Hall’.

That was a truly awesome job for his fireman. The weight of the carriages was 470 tons tare (empty).

The train was booked to stop at every station to Reading except Appleford Halt. At each station, the platforms had passengers and from Didcot the platforms were crowded. The stations were between 2½ miles and 5 miles apart, and the train had to average 30 mph from start to stop. Getting away from each station was done at 75% cut-off and main valve of the regulator. Don had just reduced the cut-off to 30% when it was time to shut off for the next stop. His fireman was skilled enough to keep the pressure gauge needle on the red line and water at least up to half a glass.

I stood back against the column of the handbrake on the tender and soaked up the experience, full of admiration for the fireman We were non-stop to Paddington from Reading, allowed 47 minutes for the 36 miles. The timetable gave 18 minutes to heave the train packed to the doors, out of Reading for the 12½ miles to Maidenhead. We passed there at about 60 mph, Slough at maybe 65, no more. The last nine miles from Southall to Paddington was allowed 13 minutes. So, depending on how well we’d been doing, firing could stop between Ealing Broadway and Acton, five miles out, easing off passing Old Oak Common to stop on time in Paddington at 9.10 with the fire down and the boiler taking more water to keep the engine quiet in Paddington. They were great guys, these footplatemen!

The 9.15 p.m. Oxford Fish was favourite.

I was 22-23, young and fit and could do a night with him and then on to early turn 6a.m – 2p.m at Challow. I did three nights in a week when he was 52

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on that turn. The loco was always a Bournemouthbased ‘West Country’ class ‘Pacific’ hauling 12 or 15 insulated fish vans. We would take it as far as Basingstoke and bring back a ‘full digger’ freight out of Southampton docks hauled by an LMS ‘8 freight’. I always fired on those trips. The ‘Pacific’ was as good as a ‘light’ engine’ with 15 fish vans so there was very little firing to do. Don liked me to put fresh coal all along the front of the box, being very careful to fill the back corners and then all along, under the firehole like a bolster about 2ft wide. That gently shook down towards the front and more or less did us until I put some more on for the relieving crew at Basingstoke. The only other thing to do was to keep the water level high in the boiler gauge glass.

But coming back with the 2-8-0 with its long, narrow, traditional firebox it was necessary to feed coal in a bit more often, especially as we had to hand the engine over to Saltley LMS men at the north end of Oxford station and they had the 10 miles climb to Tackley ahead. I could do this successfully because Don was such a skilful driver. We kept time with the minimum of steam. We would stop at Hinksey North box anytime between 3 a.m. and 4, fill the tender, have ¾ glass of water showing in the gauge and pull through the station to North Junction.

One morning Don was anxious to get away and the usual banter was cut short. As we walked down the path to the shed, the Brummy driver called after us. ‘That’s roight. Booger off. That’s all yow Western men think of – Grub, Water and Relief’.

(To be continued in the July Issue.)

Japanese High Speed Trains

Remembering the Old Hands - Appendix - Locomens’ Incidents.

17.2.74. Works No. 1754. Evan Harry.

Gellyrhaidd Jc. Stopping for 4 hours to go to a dancing party at a farmhouse close to the line.

Discharged.

In the record, a red line is drawn under this entry but then the record of his errors continues without comment.

21.9.77. Allowing his engine to run short of water causing damage to the tubes and firebox.

He then, liking to be a locoman, obtained employment as a driver with the Monmouthshire Railway & Canal Co. The MR&CCo amalgamated with the GWR in 1880 and thus Evan Harry became once more a GWR employee

20.4.90. Piston gland broken through nuts being allowed to work off. 1/-.

This suggests that he had his own engine for many months and therefore should have known that the nuts were slack. How long was steam blowing out of a loose gland?

4.1.09. Called upon to retire - old age. 68 years old. Deceased 16.9.09 24.11.81. Works No. 1057. George Gazey.

Being brought before magistrates charged with attempting to commit a criminal assault on a woman at Pontypool when drunk Gazey was suspended for 8 days and reduced from 3rd class engineman to engine turner/shunting enginemen. He was re-instated to 3rd class engineman at the earnest request of Mr. George Armstrong.

(After re-instatement Gazey continued to collect fines for rank carelessness) 26.6.1882. Works No.1321. Nicholas Hubber.

He took his promotion to 3rd class engineman on 5th November 1888 and on 27th November 1899 reached 1st class, at Oxford, as the vacancies occurred and he became the most senior man in the grade below to take the promotion. He subsequently had the following mishaps recorded against him.

7.12.99. Paddington. Moved engine with tender scoop fully extended, causing damage to scoop. (This is very interesting to me because if the scoop can hit the sleepers then it can hit the bottom of the trough. Why was the scoop lowered at Paddington?)

19.9.00. Princes Risborough. Passed a signal at Danger. 1 day suspension

9.10.00. Oxford. Moved engine with scoop extended. Cautioned.

10.10.01 Accepted a wrong hand signals and ran his engine into a wagon. 2 days suspension.

On 12th October 1901, Mr. Waister at Swindon Locomotive Department, (a top man,

26.6.1882. Works No.1321. Nicholas Hubber. (ctd)

there was still a Mr.Waister at Swindon in the 1950s) wrote to the Oxford shedmaster Mr. Garlick, ‘to ask for an expression of opinion as to Hubber’s suitability for 1st class work.

Mr.Garlick defended his man.

‘Hubber is a very good man. He gives very little trouble and does not have many reports.

In working the 5.30 p.m passenger exWorcester with 3208 on 27 October 1901, 3208 failed through the regulator valve breaking through the middle when Hubber wanted to shut off steam approaching Charlbury station.

He used the reversing lever and opened the cylinder cocks to stop. He worked the engine to Oxford in this manner without any delay.

I consider this to be a credit to him.’

23.10.1093. Works No. 1338. James Neate.

1st class enginemen.Swindon

Whilst standing with the 4 p.m passenger train Swindon to Bath in the Middle Siding at Bath he saw the (horse) shunter pull a coach on to the main line and at the same time noticed the headlights of a Portsmouth express near the Home signal. Neate shouted to the horse shunter to clear the horse away, opened his brake whistle and waved a red light. The engineman on the Portsmouth saw the red light and brought his train to a stand a few yards from the coach. I guinea and commendation 1.12.84. Works No. 1725. William Lovejoy.

Wolverhampton. Not going on duty to take out his appointed train and for repeating the offence on 26.12.84. Summarily dismissed.

He had been on the railway since at least 9.9.1877.

8.12.89. Works No. 1623. William Martin.

Fined 2/- for neglecting to put a tail lamp on his engine running from Grange Lane to Woodside and using abusive language to signalman who spoke to him about it.

27.9.90. Works No.1144. William Wheeler.

Running without Train Staff or Ticket from Wells to Draycott. £1.

16.1.93. Leaving engine I charge of fireman at Pill Bank Jc. and going to public house.

2/16.3.92. Works No.1633. Charles Haynes.

Allowed the Station Master at Stratford-onAvon to persuade him to run a Special to Honeybourne in the absence of the Train Staff.

5/-.1 day suspension.

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The First Principles of Railway Signalling Including an Account of the Legislation in the United Kingdom affecting the working of Railways and the Provision of Signalling and Safety Appliances By C B Byles*

Signal Engineer, Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway Special Lecturer in Railway Economics in the University of Manchester

Published in 1910

Railway Clearing House Standard Block Signalling Code.

.

Call attention

Beats on Bell How to be given.

1 1

Is line clear for express passenger train or breakdown van train going to clear the line, or light engine going to assist disabled train?

4 4 consecutively Is line clear for ordinary passenger train or breakdown van train not going to clear the line?

4 3, pause, 1.

Is line clear for branch passenger train?

4 1, pause, 3.

Is line clear for fish, meat, fruit, horse, cattle, or perishable train composed of coaching stock?

5 5 consecutively Is line clear for empty coaching stock train?

5 2, pause, 2, pause, 1.

Is line clear for fish, meat, or fruit train composed of goods stock, express cattle or express goods train, Class “ A “? 5 3, pause, 2.

Is line clear for express cattle or express goods train, Class “B”? 5 1, pause, 4.

Is line clear for light engine or light engines coupled together, or engine and brake?

5 2, pause, 3.

Is line clear for through goods, mineral, or ballast train?

5 4, pause, 1.

Is line clear for ordinary goods or mineral train stopping at intermediate stations?

3 3 consecutively.

Is line clear for branch goods train?

3 1, pause, 2.

Is line clear for ballast train requiring to stop in section?

5 1, pause, 2, pause, 2.

Is line clear for platelayers’ lorry requiring to pass through tunnel?

5 2, pause, 1, pause, 2.

Train entering section.

2 2 consecutively Bank engine in rear of train 4 2, pause, 2.

Train out of section, or obstruction removed...

3 2, pause, 1.

Obstruction danger 6 6 onsecutively.

Blocking back 6 Inside home signal: 2, pause, 4.

Outside home signal: 3, pause, 3.

Stop and examine train 7 7 consecutively.

Cancelling “Is line clear?” or “Train entering section” signal 8 3, pause, 5.

Train passed without tail lamp.

TO BOX IN ADVANCE. 9 consecutively TO BOX IN REAR. 4, pause, 5 Train divided.

10 5, pause, 5.

Shunt train for following train to pass 11 1, pause, 5, pause, 5.

Vehicles running away on wrong line 12 2, pause, 5, pause, 5.

Section clear, but station or junction blocked 13 3, pause, 5, pause, 5.

Vehicles running away on right line 14 4, pause, 5, pause, 5.

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Railway Clearing House Standard Block Signalling Code.

.

Opening of signal box Testing of bells consecutively.

Closing of signal box Time signal Lampman or fog-signalman required

Beats on Bell How to be given.

15 5, pause, 5, pause, 5.

16 16 17 18 19

7, pause, 5, pause, 5.

8, pause, 5, pause, 5.

9, pause, 5. pause, 5.

Accident to I K Brunel.

Mr. Brunel, the celebrated engineer, had several narrow escapes with his life; but the most extraordinary accident which befell him was that which occurred while one day playing with his children, and astonishing them by passing a half-sovereign through his mouth out at his ear. Unfortunately, he swallowed the coin, which dropped into his windpipe.

The accident occurred on the 3rd of April 1843, and it was followed by frequent fits of coughing, and occasional uneasiness in the right side of the chest; but so slight was the disturbance of breathing, that it was for some time doubted whether the coin had really fallen into the windpipe.

After the lapse of fifteen days, Sir Benjamin Brodie met Mr. Key in consultation, and they concurred in the opinion that most probably the half-sovereign was lodged at the bottom of the right bronchus. The day after, Mr. Brunel placed himself in a prone position on his face upon some chairs, and, bending his head and neck downwards, he distinctly felt the coin drop towards the glottis. a violent cough ensued, and on resuming the erect posture he felt as if the object again moved downwards into the chest.

Here was an engineering difficulty, the like of which Mr. Brunel had never before encountered. The mischief was purely mechanical; a foreign body had got into his breathing apparatus, and must be removed, if at all, by some mechanical expedient. Mr. Brunel was, however, equal to the occasion. he had an apparatus constructed, consisting of a platform which moved upon a hinge in the centre. Upon this he had himself strapped, and his body was then inverted in order that the coin might drop downward by its own weight, and so be expelled. At the first experiment, the coin again slipped towards the glottis, but it caused such an alarming fit of convulsive

coughing and appearance of choking, that danger was apprehended, and the experiment was discontinued.

Two days after, on the 25th, the operation of tracheotomy was performed by Sir Benjamin Brodie, assisted by Mr. Key, with the intention of extracting the coin by the forceps, if possible.

Two attempts to do so were made without success. The introduction of the forceps into the windpipe on the second occasion was attended with so excessive a degree of irritation, that it was felt the experiment could not be continued without imminent danger to life.

The incision in the windpipe was, however, kept open, by means of a quill or tube, until the 13th of May, by which time Mr. Brunel's strength had sufficiently recovered to enable the original experiment to be repeated. he was again strapped to his apparatus; his body was inverted; his back was struck gently; and he distinctly felt the coin quit its place on the right side of his chest. The opening in the windpipe allowed him to breathe while the throat was stopped by the coin, and it thus had the effect of preventing the spasmodic action of the glottis. After a few coughs, the coin dropped into his mouth. Mr. Brunel used afterwards to say that the moment when he heard the gold piece strike against his upper front teeth, was, perhaps, the most exquisite in his whole life. the half-sovereign had been in his windpipe for not less than six weeks.

(Quarterly Review).

The above article was found in a book called “Good Things for Railway Readers”, One Thousand Anecdotes of Convivialists, Wits and Humourists; Oddities and Eccentricities; Strange Occurrence; Lawyers & Doctors; Painters & Players; Politicians and Soldiers; and Men of Letters. Original and Selected by the Editor of the Illustrated Railway Anecdote-Book. Published by Lockwood & Co of London in 1863 Spring 2021

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Pages From the PAST

The articles that follow have been gleaned from a range of mostly 19th century magazines but are believed to be of interest as they relate to railway matters that appeared of interest at the time. The stories from The Locomotive & Firemen’s Monthly Journal (the forerunner of ASLEF) are reproduced with grateful acknowledgements to that organisation – Ed

The Locomotive & Firemen’s Monthly Journal Vol 1 No 2 March 1888 p36

Paper Railway Wheels

The paper railway wheels, frequently employed in Germany during the last six years, have called forth the following remarks from the officials of the Imperial Railway Department: For a long time, paper wheels have been used upon American railways. These wheels consist of a number of layers of thick paper which are pasted one upon another under powerful hydraulic pressure until the required thickness is attained.

The greater elasticity of the paper and its smaller expansibility under changes of temperature as compared with metal, led to the conclusion that the safety of railway travelling would be enhanced by the application of paper railway wheels, and that more particularly the wear and tear of the tyres would be reduced, and the motion of the carriage rendered less noisy.

These theories induced certain railway authorities in Germany, subsequently to the year 1881, to carry out experiments with paper wheels. With few exceptions, the wheels in question were exclusively employed under passenger carriages and sleeping cars, and in express trains, being in certain cases controlled by brakes. First of all, the excellent results obtained in America appeared to be confirmed, and no tyre breakages or accidents took place, the cause of which could be attributed to the use of these wheels. In the month of December 1886, however, the Imperial Railway Department received information of a passenger carriage having left the lines, in consequence of the complete breaking up of its four wheels, which were made of

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paper, the tyres and axles being hurled under the carriage. From the appearances of the fractured wheels, it was thought that some alteration must have taken place in the structure of the material.

The paper wheels used upon German railways were therefore subjected to a very narrow investigation, and numerous injuries to the material were discovered, the periphery of the paper discs being in most cases burst. The injuries had invariably taken place in wheels which were subject to the control of brakes.

Vol 1 No 2 March 1888 p43

A Fireman’s Story

Yes, ours is a risky sort of life, as you say; you have to go at such a fearful rate now. So many signals to observe, and so much to think of, and all sorts of weather to encounter, that it tries what the strongest man is made of. But still it does not trouble me now as it used to at one time, for although I am as fond of my engine as a sailor of his ship, yet I never use to mount her at one time without thinking it would be for the last time, for I had a presentiment that I should get killed someday, for you must understand that this engine, which I have fired on for nearly eight years, has been rather an unlucky one, if you will allow me the use of that term, for she has been in one collision, killed one man, and knocked three others down, besides several other minor accidents that I will not trouble you with now.

But it was the collision that gave me such a shaking and caused me to begin to think what would have become of my wife and family if I had been killed, and whilst these thoughts were passing through my mind, I came in contact with a brother fireman who was a member of the A.S.L.E. & F., who

Spring 2021

speedily noticed my downcast appearance, and asked me the cause of it, and after telling him of the concern I had for my wife and family, should anything befall me, he said, well, why not join our Society, and in doing so you will not only be making preparation for your wife and family in the event of your death, but you will be preparing for sickness, old age, incapacitation, and securing protection for your labour, &c. It did not take me long to make up my mind, I can assure you ; and now, no matter what may come, I know my wife and family will not have to go to the workhouse should anything befall me, and I feel more secure than I did formerly, knowing that I have made these preparations.

And since I have been a member I have tried all I knew to induce others to join our ranks, in many instances I have been successful, but in others I have been met with the answer, “ I cannot afford it,” but there’s an old saying “Where there’s a will there’s a way,” and surely any engineman or fireman receiving regular wages as we do could afford to join us. Many a man besides myself regards the Society as one of their best friends, knowing that it will prevent the home being broken up on the death of the bread winner. It is all very well when the grim monster Death steals away the husband and father, for relatives to cluster round and tell the bereaved ones that he is better off, forgetting the struggle which those who are left behind will have to endure, in fighting their way through life.

But some people say, “ Oh, trust in providence, and you will be all right.” I say trust in providence also, but I say in addition to trusting in providence, join our Society, for God helps those who help themselves.

I am, yours, &c., F. R.

HP335 Comes of Age

British Steel has been enjoying a double celebration this year - two big milestones for their High-Performance rail, HP335. Not only has this premium rail turned a decade old, but the company has now sold more than 100,000 tonnes of it – enough to build a direct track from where it’s made in Scunthorpe straight to Oslo in Norway!

The first HP335 rail, or HPrail® as it was then known, was installed in Bessy Gill, UK, back in August 2010. British Steel had been working closely with Network Rail to develop a rail that would combat the issues of rolling contact fatigue and wear. When this new microstructurally engineered rail with uniform through-hardness proved favourable in laboratory tests, it was installed on a number of trial sites across the UK. Key Account Manager John Austin said: “Its performance in-track demonstrated longer rail life and lower life cycle costs due to reduced grinding frequency – in some cases of up to 60% – when compared to standard grade rails, and this led to Network Rail’s full product approval of HP335 in 2012. Since then, it’s been installed in light rail, mainline and heavy haul applications throughout the UK and Ireland. HP335’s high performance continues to delight our customers with extended

rail life and fewer track maintenance requirements and is now the premium rail of choice in the UK mainline network. Happy birthday HP335 – here’s to the next 10 years!”

What is different about this Rail?

This non-heat-treated rail is designed for curved track and other high duty areas, where it has proved to improve wear resistance, cut life cycle costs, reduce grinding frequency and extend rail life. Suited to a wide range of applications, HP335 (also known as HPrail®) was approved for use by Network Rail in 2012 and is now the premium rail of choice in the UK mainline network. Several light rail operators have also adopted HP335 as their premium rail solution for reducing wear, corrugation and grinding requirements to maximise rail life whilst reducing life cycle costs.

Reduced Life Cycle Costs

HP335 delivers low wear rates (comparable with R350HT rails) without the need for heat treatment.

It also delivers greatly improved rolling contact fatigue (RCF) performance above other 'as-rolled' rails. This reduces the need for rail grinding to control RCF by typically 66%, thereby increasing

Lindsey and Brindusa from our Rail Technologies team surveying track at Drax power station Spring 2021

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rail life, increasing track availability and reducing maintenance costs.

A 4-year test of HP335 rail in a heavy haul application at Drax power station has delivered a £92,000 cost saving on just one curve. The as rolled hypereutectoid rail - HP335 / HPrail® - has been installed and monitored over a period of 4 years following the recommendations of the Rail Technologies team.

Drax is the largest power station in the UK providing ~6% of the country’s electricity. Two thirds of the power station have been converted to use sustainable wood pellets instead of coal, with plans to switch the remaining two coal generating units to high efficiency gas. The solid fuels for power generation are brought to site by rail using freight wagons with the maximum permissible axle load on UK national railways of 25 tonnes. Historic performance of standard R260 grade rails had been poor under arduous conditions with a life of ~2 years being typical in the freight arrivals curve.

The rails suffered both from excessive plastic flow and also rolling contact fatigue and spalling of the rail surface.

HP335 Low rail showing significant improvements in performance at 38MGT of traffic.

rails were installed in October 2014. Working in partnership with Drax engineers to assess the performance improvements, the improvements made have led to all subsequent renewals being completed using HP335 rails on this site.

High rail rolling contact fatigue damage was also greatly reduced.

R260 rail ~35MGT Plastic flow of the rail steel under high loads has led to lipping and spalling of the R260 rail surface

The spalling damage to the rail surface progresses and eventually makes ultrasonic testing of the rail un-testable necessitating its replacement. British Steel was asked for advice on how to improve the performance of this track and the first HP335

HP335 rail at 35MGT

R260 Low rail showing spalling and rolling contact fatigue damage after ~35MGT of traffic 58

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One of the main performance benefits demonstrated was the elimination of gross plastic flow to the rail profile combined with greatly reduced levels of wear.

When combined with a suitable maintenance regime, the expected lifespan of the HP335 rail is

now seven times longer than the previous R260 grade rail.

This equates to a customer validated minimum cost saving of £92,000 for just 1 curve on the site. Importantly, it removes the disruption of rail renewal to normal site operations 6 times over, and provides greater track availability to keep the freight flowing and the lights on in our homes and industry.

A New Railway Museum in Kent A warehouse used to store historic trains is to be transformed into a locomotive museum celebrating British railway heritage.

Locomotive Storage Ltd, which owns the Hornby site in Margate where the building is located, has been given permission by Thanet District Council to push ahead with plans for the new attraction, which will be called the One:One Collection.

Once open, visitors will be able to see some of the most iconic and historically important UK railway locomotives, rolling stock and memorabilia as well as a "sizeable collection" of engineered models.

Vehicles such as London buses and vintage trucks could also feature. The plans are the

brainchild of noted railway enthusiast Jeremy Hosking, who has 25 full sized locomotives in his collection, and former chief executive of Hornby Frank Martin, who was boss between 2001 and 2013.

Hornby Hobbies, which manufactures model railways and toy products, operates a visitor centre in the building next door to the warehouse on Ramsgate Road and is a tenant of Locomotive Storage Ltd. Mr Martin says there are significant structural changes that need to be done and this year will be spent focusing on health and safety, and disabled access, but hopes to hold open days next year, with full completion in three years.

"We're convinced the museum will bring people into the area - the only other attraction like this is the National Railway Museum in York," he said. "To gauge interest, we held an open weekend in 2019 and had 2,500 people on that weekend and they were all paying guests, so we believe the interest is there." In a statement prepared by Haptic Architects and submitted to Thanet council, Mr Hosking, who runs Locomotive Storage Ltd, and Mr Martin set out their plans to transform the warehouse.

H2 is the warehouse which will be transformed and H1 the Hornby Visitor Centre.

(Haptic Architects/Locomotive Storage Ltd) Spring 2021

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The New Silk Road Tales of the original Silk Road have always fascinated me, and I have been following the developments in the New Silk Road over the past 10 years. I have always dreamed of travelling the Trans-Siberian Railway and the line down to Beijing and when this new route opened up, my thoughts moved in that direction. I had the pleasure and privilege of visiting Mainland China in 1979, just four years after the end of the Cultural Revolution and have longed to go back! I realise that now, the main centres are very different to when I was there – no private vehicles, no motorways, no international hotels and basically no foreign food but I believe that once off the beaten track, things have not changed so much – who knows? - Ed The 19th of March 2021 marked a significant landmark in Eurasian rail transportation. Ten years ago, on the 19th of March 2011, the first train of the China-Europe express departed and started a new era for rail freight. Since then, things have changed, and the service has experienced growth, with many more developments already being on the way.

Ten years ago, the first China-Europe freight train left Chongqing in Southeast China, with its final destination being Duisburg in Germany. On its way to Europe, it crossed Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus and finally Poland. In the beginning, it wasn’t branded as the China-Europe Express but as the Yu-Xin-Ou train or Chongqing-Xinjiang-Europe International Railway, which later developed to the most emblematic Eurasian connection.

Initial course

Many companies had experimented with direct services from China to Europe before 2011. For instance, back in 2008, Foxconn dispatched its first train connecting Shenzhen with Europe and later in 2009, DB Schenker started operating a weekly itinerary between Shanghai and Duisburg.

Hewlett Packard should get the credits for the first thoughts of connecting Chongqing with Europe using Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus and Poland as transit countries. These initial plans occurred because the hardware company moved its production sites to the Chinese inland and was looking for new opportunities to transport its products westwards.

The proposal was well received by Chongqing’s regional government, which saw an opportunity to acquire a central role in trade and supply chains.

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The Chinese National Rail Network. The New Silk Road leaves through the top left corner

and Belarus in 2011 facilitated the practical implementation of such plans. Consequently, during the same year, the first trial trips started, and a regular weekly service began the year after, mainly transporting HP’s products. Understandably, the first China-Europe Express train was a block train with a single shipper.

Further development

Later, in 2015, the China Railway Express started taking a more central place in Eurasian transport.

During that year, the Chinese government launched the ‘Vision and action to promote the construction of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the Maritime Silk Road in the 21st Century’ programme. The specific plan provided the service with a more active role and its own land-based logistics channel on the New Silk Road initiative.

The following year, the China-Europe Express acquired its customised development programme under the name ‘CRE construction and development plan (2016-2020)’. This plan identified the service’s development goals in a five-year timeframe. The service was gradually transforming into a vital component of China’s Belt and Road Initiative.

Starting from 17 yearly trains in 2011, the service skyrocketed to 6,363 trains in 2018. Moreover, during 2017, the train connected 59 Chinese cities to 49 European cities from 15 different countries.

By March 2019, these numbers had become even more impressive since the train made around 14,000 trips during this year connecting 60 Chinese cities to 50 European ones.

China-Europe Express and the pandemic

Despite the initial fears of a total collapse due to the

The first direct train from China arriving in England on the 18th January 2017

Unloading the first containers from China in the UK

worldwide virus spread, the China-Europe express managed to keep its numbers high during 2020.

With more than 12,000 trains, according to the Chinese Railways, the service kept Eurasian supply chains running seamlessly, while at the same time other modes of transport were facing problems.

The route paved ten years ago has now acquired more participants, taking the logistical and operational game to the next level. We see more European hubs like Liege and Amsterdam entering the club of EU destinations. Additionally, the transit countries along the route are continuously flourishing, with new options popping up.

Countries like Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey, Iran, and Uzbekistan are entering the competition dynamically. Furthermore, in terms of border crossings on the European side, Ukraine was a leading player during 2020 since it successfully joined the EU alternative entry points group.

Nevertheless, the service also faced some hurdles, with the container shortage being among the most important. Even after the pandemic’s first wave, the export/import balance between Europe and China was disrupted. Specifically, in November, China was sending approximately ten full trains to Europe per week. On the other side, eastbound trains did not exceed the number of two each week. As a result, China ended up suffering from a severe shortage of containers, while at the same time, European ports were piling them up.

The issue of imbalances and container shortages constitutes one of the most critical things that need to be addressed by the rail sector in 2021.

National People’s Congress, brought up the topic in two separate congress sessions this year, pressing for a policy reform that everyone in the industry has been waiting for.

On top of that, Jet Young, Chief Representative in China at LLC Max Container, mentioned that the China-EU Investment Agreement is undoubtedly an essential piece of good news for the next stage of China-EU economic and trade cooperation. Both China and the EU will be able to enter each other’s broader market. The increase in China-EU bilateral trade will undoubtedly bring new sources of goods to China-EU Express. But how to effectively develop the European market and European partners’ participation will become more and more critical.

The China-Europe express trains must both go global and bring in more trade.

“In the next stage, relevant companies from both sides should conduct more in-depth cooperation on the overseas market development and product design of the China-Europe express trains. In fact, the number of European logistics companies using China-Europe Express trains is constantly increasing. With these foreign partners’ participation, the China-Europe Railway Express can become a community of interests and a community of destiny between China and Europe”, he underlined.

What more is there to come?

One of the most awaited advances on the ChinaEurope Express service is the lifting of the ban on dangerous goods transportation. Many operators of the line, like DB Cargo Eurasia, have expressed their hopes for such a development. However, China itself is now considering revising its transport rules. Much lobbying is also taking place in this direction. For example, Li Shufu, chairman of the Geely Holding Group and a deputy to the Chinese

Further markets to Open Up

China Global Television Network (CGTN) has published an article headlined “Modern railway routes to soon revive Great Silk Road”. Written by former Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan, Professor of the Belt and Road School of Beijing Normal University, and member of Nizami Ganjavi International Center Djoomart Otorbaev, the article reads: “In my two previous pieces on this topic, I described the vast prospects for international trade that are opening along the east-west and north-south rail routes of the new Great Silk Road. The activation of these transport routes is related to the Chinese economy's rapid development and active development of international trade.”

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“The transport corridors for the Central Asian countries have long and effectively worked in the northern direction. We have a common transport system with our neighbors in the north, which is a Soviet legacy. However, until recently, Central Asia did not have the opportunity to use its transit potential. And it is natural that immediately after gaining their independence, the countries of the region began to explore the possibilities of getting out of the "stagnant" situation in which history and geography have placed the area.”

A breakthrough from Central Asia's transport isolation was the launch of the highly efficient "eastern" Eurasian railway bridge ten years ago, connecting China and Europe through the territory of Kazakhstan and Russia. Last year alone, freight traffic through border crossings between China and Kazakhstan exceeded 20 million tons. On average, 30 trains pass through border stations every day.

Several "southern" railway routes are currently being actively developed. They will connect Central Asia to Indian Ocean ports via China, Afghanistan, Iran, and Pakistan.

Heading South

I am now focusing on new rail routes from Central Asia that run southwestward through Iran and the Caspian Sea to the South Caucasus and further to the Black and Mediterranean Seas, Turkey, and Europe. Two new routes from Central Asia to the western seaports have recently started operating, connecting Azerbaijan and Georgia with access to the Black Sea and Iran and Turkey, the Mediterranean, and Black Seas, and beyond to Europe.

Back in the late 1990s, the Turkmen and Iranian sections of the railways connected, which allowed Central Asian countries to enter the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas. Additionally, in 2014 a modern Kazakhstan-Turkmenistan-Iran rail link has been completed and commissioned.

Known as the North-South Transnational corridor, the 677km long railway line connects Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan with Iran and the Persian Gulf.

The project is estimated to cost $620 million, which Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Iran are jointly funding. Adequate access to the Iranian railway infrastructure made it possible to connect it with the Turkish railway network, with further access to the Mediterranean and Black Seas.

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Simultaneously, the Central Asian countries are working on the development of the South Caucasian transport corridor. A completely new railway, BakuTbilisi-Kars (BTK), was officially opened in October 2017. Its total length of the road is 826 km, and the line will carry one million passengers and more than 15 million tons of cargo annually.

Since the launch of this railway, its volume of freight transportation has constantly been growing.

This line has already transported 21,260 twentyfoot equivalent unit (TEU) containers. In 2020, this figure reached 10,779 TEU. The project is part of a broader plan to connect Central Asia's railways with the South Caucasus and Europe via Turkey.

After a ferry crossing the Caspian Sea, railways from Central Asia connect to the BTK. It also becomes possible to deliver goods between China and Europe along this route. As this route is shorter than the "northern" ones, the experts estimate that the delivery time between China to Europe could be reduced to 12-15 days.

Considering the prospects for such transportation, Turkey is showing great interest in exploring such a route. A necessary Marmaray railway tunnel under the Bosphorus Strait in Istanbul has already been built and is operating. It provides a direct link between the Asian part of the country and the pan-European rail network.

The first freight train, which went from China's Xi'an to Europe's Prague via the BTK line and Istanbul's Marmaray Tunnel, arrived in Prague on November 6, 2019. Traveling at an average speed of 40 kph, the China Railway Express reached Central Europe from Western China in 18 days.

During January-October 2020, the number of containers shipped from China via this corridor amounted to 2,343 TEU, 35 percent more than in 2019. However, almost all the cargo was moving in one direction - from China to Europe. But on December 4, 2020, the first freight train in reverse mode left Istanbul for China via this railroad. The route's total distance is 8,693 km, and the train has travelled it in just 12 days.

The main problem with this route is the cost of transportation. Today it costs about $1,200 to transport one container across the Caspian Sea. For this money, one can transport a container from Vladivostok to Moscow. However, logistics companies are confident that with an increase in the volume of goods transported, the cost of ferry transportation across the Caspian Sea will also decrease.

Thus, modern railway routes will soon run through Central Asia, connecting east and west, north and south. The region will become the Eurasian continent's logistics heart, located in the centre of a rapidly developing area. The Eurasian railway revolution, which will actively contribute to this landlocked region's rapid development, is taking place before our eyes. The economic revival of the new Great Silk Road is just around the corner.”

New Technology - Hydrogen Railways Show Growing Interest in Hydrogen Interest is growing across Europe and even further afield in the use of hydrogen to fuel railway technology. In the UK, the Birmingham Centre for Railway Research and Education (BCRRE) has been leading the way in the development of hydrogen-fuelled railway trains. This has included detailed concept design work and modelling, the development of scale demonstrators including the Hydrogen Hero 1/5 scale locomotive, and more recently in partnership with Porterbrook, the HydroFLEX train which has now been approved for mainline applications and is running on Network Rail infrastructure.

spokesperson for Alstom said, “As the only company with an independently powered emission-free train fully approved for passenger service (our Class 230 BEMU) we knew we could build on that technology and our current approvals to deliver such a train.”

How Do Hydrogen Trains Work?

Hydrogen “fuelled” vehicles typically use fuel cells which combine hydrogen from onboard storage tanks with oxygen from the atmosphere to create electricity with by-products of water vapour and heat. It is a chemical process that does not involve combustion and there are no carbon or other harmful emissions.

Both the Coradia iLint and the Breeze are hydrogen hybrids that take primary power from the fuel cell that is supplemented by a battery when required. A hybrid drive optimises energy efficiency of the train, allowing for regenerative energy capture in the battery and mixing energy sources to power the train. These trains are designed to operate where no other energy source is available, they are not bi-mode, they are a like-for-like replacement for a DMU intended to offer equivalent or superior performance over ranges of at least 600 miles.

HydroFLEX, the UK’s first hydrogen-powered train, began mainline testing in Warwickshire in September 2020

BCRRE is also working with key partners to develop rail specific refuelling solutions which will enable future hydrogen trains to be refuelled rapidly in a depot environment. Hydrogen-fuelled vehicles are complimentary to rail electrification, and vehicles such as the “HydroFLEX” train retain their AC electrification equipment meaning that they can operate both on the electrified network and the non-electrified network.

Currently, one of the leading builders of hydrogenfuelled trains is Alstom. Their Coradia iLint train is the only hydrogen fuelled train to have operated in passenger service covering over 180,000km in service in Germany and now operating in Austria.

It has been successfully trialled in the Netherlands and around the German regions. 41 trains have been sold in two contracts that include 30 year maintenance support agreements with Alstom.

In the UK, Alstom has been working with Eversholt Rail and, together they have developed the “Breeze”. This is a hydrogen train designed for the UK rail network is designed to replace regional DMUs (diesel multiple units) across the UK and discussions are ongoing with numerous operators and stakeholders to secure fleet deployments. A

The Coradia Breeze

Returning to the HydroFLEX, (p60) this has a new propulsion system which is integrated into the existing traction power electronics system. The new propulsion system combines a fuel cell and a traction battery to provide power into the train.

The traction battery effectively sets the DC voltage on the DC bus, and the fuel cell is controlled as a current source, injecting current into the DC bus in response to the various states of the traction system and battery. The fuel cell can therefore be run in its most optimized state and minimize the quantity of hydrogen which is used.

The Hydrogen is stored in high pressure lightweight tanks. The gas is stored at 350 Bar, and passes through a regulator before being delivered to Spring 2021

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the fuel cell.

The HydroFLEX is fully approved for mainline operation and provides a quiet and clean passenger experience with the only tail pipe emission being water. If green hydrogen is used then the vehicle can be completely decarbonized.

Fitting the Hydrogen Unit into the UK Gauge

A key part of introducing hydrogen trains to the UK is the gauge – unlike Alstom’s German trains, where the tanks sit on the roof, this cannot be done in the UK. The HydroFLEX standard modular power pack design means both the fuel cell and tanks can be fitted underneath the train. The design is for a 4-car unit formed as follows: Battery Driving Motor Car – Trailer Car – Trailer Car – Battery Driving Motor Car

Vivarail’s independently powered emission-free train (the Class 230 BEMU) is fully approved for passenger service.

What is the Current State of Play?

The HydroFLEX has been demonstrated and is now in operation on the mainline. Funding from the Department for Transport’s First of a Kind scheme has been secured to advance the design to the next stage, in order to develop a production version of the unit, which can then be deployed in passenger service. By 2022, it is planned to be operating the next version of HydroFLEX on the mainline.

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The underpinning technology for Breeze is derived from the Coradia iLint. As such two fully homologated, production ready pre-series trains been extensively tested both on private test tracks and in daily passenger service over the last 4 years.

These trials and operations have allowed Alstom to accumulate extensive running data for all of the onboard systems, optimising hybrid efficiency and hydrogen fuel consumption to give the best possible balance between the fuel cells and batteries. They have also developed the train control systems and the overall system integration to ensure that the train communicates with its driver, and that its operational state is readily comprehensible to the driver with feeds into driver information systems and remote condition monitoring. Extensive operation has also validated the simulation tools now being deployed on product development for all of their hydrogen traction programmes around the world.

In the case of VivaRail, their design is simply a change of charging source from the fleet of battery/ diesel hybrids they have already built for Transport for Wales. They have an advanced concept and will simply need incremental approvals for the design of a hydrogen train. They have now had approved: • Diesel train • Battery train • Battery/diesel hybrid train Their Fast Charge is also close to completing its Network Rail approvals so we have extensive experience of the system and successfully achieving the necessary approvals.

Hydrogen Supply and Fuelling

BCRRE is working with Vanguard STS, TP Group, and Fuel Cell Systems to develop bespoke dedicated refuelling solutions for railway applications. It is planned to use renewable electricity to electrolyze water and produce high purity hydrogen which can be used to fuel hydrogen trains. This product, known as the HydroHUB has been developed in a

New Technology - Hydrogen modular manner and is already used as part of the refuelling system for HydroFLEX. In the case of Alstom, a spokesman said, a hydrogen train fleet, even if modestly sized (ten trains) has a rate of hydrogen consumption measured in tonnes per day. That consumption is highly predictable over a long-term period. As such, it is attractive to what is an emerging market for hydrogen supply. For this reason, there are many potential supply partners keen to be involved in supplying rail fleets. The hydrogen itself can either be produced on site at the refuelling station or drawn from other sources. When generated from renewable sources, it is entirely carbon free and can even have negative carbon content in certain circumstances. Alstom has formed a number of supply partnerships as part of its Coradia iLint contracts. Many regional authorities have industrial hydrogen footprint or renewable energy operators which are also keen to become involved. The fuelling process itself is proven and uses already standardised equipment developed originally for commercial road vehicles.

As train manufacturers, hydrogen provision is not Vivarail’s area of expertise. They would define the amount of hydrogen needed for individual routes and hence, the sensible location of the fuelling points.

hydrogen units, over 533,000 tonnes of CO2e per year would be eliminated from UK rail emissions.

Vivarail’s view is that plans to electrify the main sections of the network make complete sense and alternative technologies can be used as the ideal supplement to that programme.

Hydrogen is interesting as it is obviously an industry in its infancy in the UK and work needs to be done outside of the rail sector – particularly in infrastructure and the supply of green hydrogen.

Hydrogen trains are of course entirely feasible and the technology has been proven so we believe it is simply a matter of time before hydrogen trains run on the UK network. As explained above hydrogen trains are essentially battery trains so they have all the advantages of performance, zero emissions and significant range – when combined with Fast Charge stations that can be nigh on limitless. There are many lines across the UK where hydrogen trains could operate successfully and Vivarail is ready to play its part in delivering those trains.

What is Happening on the Operating Railways?

In December 2020, the Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) has completed a three-month-long passenger trial of Alstom’s Coradia iLint hydrogen fuel cell train on regional lines.

What is the Potential for hydrogen?

Network Rail’s Traction Decarbonisation Network Strategy (TDNS) clearly articulates the need for hydrogen to be a vital part of the GB railway system.

Therefore, the development and deployment of these vehicles is inevitable. There will be an interesting interplay between the eventual extent of the electrification which is required and the performance and costs for the hydrogen vehicles.

It is BCRRE’s expectation that rapid developments in the performance and capability of hydrogen vehicles could mean that the UK ends up with a lower eventual electrification coverage than is anticipated by the TDNS in 2050 In Alstom’s opinion, hydrogen has a huge potential for the UK rail network. Where electrification cannot go, hydrogen offers long range performance which can be commissioned today and in service by 2024. Where electrification will, or may, go in decades to come, those same hydrogen trains offer a short – medium term zero emission transition technology to decarbonise the railway ahead of electrification.

Any hydrogen infrastructure deployed (production facilities and fuelling stations) need not be purely rail specific, they can support multiple modes of users such as buses, taxis, road fleets, etc.

And if, after transition operations cease, they are no longer required for rail they can be repurposed to other uses, and the trains redeployed elsewhere.

There are around 2,400 DMU cars in operation today. If just half of these were to be replaced with

This comes after Austria became the second country in Europe, after Germany, to approve Coradia iLint as a sustainable alternative to diesel multiple units. The vehicle has secured official approval from the country’s highest railway authority, the Austrian Federal Ministry for Climate Protection, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology (BMK). The testing of the vehicle began in September since when, the vehicle has operated on four routes in southern Lower Austria, Vienna and eastern Styria.

Deutsche Bahn (DB) and Siemens Mobility are testing the use of hydrogen for rail for the first time. The joint H2goesRail project aims to test a completely new system consisting of a newly developed train and a newly designed filling station.

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replace diesel powered trains operating on regional routes in Germany, significantly reducing CO2 emissions. A one-year trial operation of the train is planned between Tübingen, Horb and Pforzheim, planned to take place in 2024. The hydrogen will be produced on site in Tübingen using traction electricity generated from renewable sources.

DB intends to re-fit its maintenance site in the city of Ulm for servicing the hydrogen powered train.

Siemens Mobility will build a prototype based on the Mireo Plus regional train, but equipped with a newly developed hydrogen drive. The designated Mireo Plus H will be as powerful as its electric counterpart, and have an operating range of up to 600km.

The new hydrogen drive will save around 330 tons of CO2 a year. DB currently operates around 1,300 diesel-powered trains in regional service, and roughly 40% of DB’s 33,000km rail network is not electrified. As such, the use of hydrogen-powered trains, in addition to further electrifying the system, presents a great opportunity for DB to become climate-neutral.

DB Board Member for Digitalisation and Technology, Professor Sabina Jeschke, said: “This project proves that Deutsche Bahn is not just a mobility company, but a technology group as well.

We need to bring our fossil fuel consumption down to zero. Only then can DB be climate-neutral by 2050.”

Michael Peter, CEO of Siemens Mobility, said: “Siemens Mobility and Deutsche Bahn will jointly develop the next generation of a hydrogen traction system – a complete system consisting of a hydrogen-powered train and infrastructure, including a new and innovative fueling station that can refuel the train in just 15 minutes. The train will have 1.7MW of traction power providing up to 1.1m/s² acceleration and a top speed of 160km/h.

This innovative technology will make hydrogenpowered train operations faster, more efficient and more environmentally friendly.”

The state government of Baden-Württemberg has already given the project its support, while funding is expected to come from the Federal Ministry for Transport and Digital Infrastructure (BMVI).

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Alstom has won a €160 million contract to supply six hydrogen fuel cell trains, with an option for eight more, to Ferrovie Nord Milano (FNM), the main transport and mobility group in the Italian region of Lombardy. The first train delivery is expected within 36 months of the date of the order.

The new trains will be based on Alstom’s Coradia Stream regional train platform, which has been designed for the European market and already being produced for Italy by Alstom’s main Italian sites. The hydrogen powered Coradia Stream for FNM, will be equipped with the same fuel-cell propulsion technology that was introduced to the world by the Coradia iLint. The hydrogen version will match the operational performance of diesel trains, including their range. The Coradia Stream trains for FNM are manufactured by Alstom in Italy.

Project development, most of the manufacturing and certification are performed at Alstom’s site in Savigliano. The on-board signalling systems are delivered by the Bologna site.

Alstom has now secured a $149.6m (€125m) order from Italian transport company Ferrovienord to supply regional trains for the Lombardy region.

The order is marked as the second contract within a framework agreement signed with Ferrovienord’s parent company Ferrovie Nord Milano (FNM) in November 2019. Delivery of these trains will begin from June 2023.

Under the first order, Alstom was responsible for the 31 regional trains, which are scheduled to be delivered from next year onwards. The agreement also had an option to purchase 30 additional trains (up to a maximum of 61) within eight years, along with preventive and corrective maintenance services. The scope of the latest contract involves the supply of 20 regional trains, named ‘Donizetti’ that belongs to the Coradia Stream range of Alstom’s trains. These trains for Lombardy are being manufactured by Alstom in Italy.

Alstom’s single-deck electric trains feature four traction motors and have a maximum speed of 160km/h.

Scotland is progressing with its project that will see a conversion of a retired electric train to Hydrogen power.

The project is lead by Scottish Enterprise in partnership with Transport Scotland and the University of St Andrews’ Hydrogen Accelerator.

New Technology - Hydrogen

(on the right Michael Matheson MSP – Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure and Connectivity photographed with Dr. Ben Todd, CEO of Arcola Energy and a 314 Class electric train at the Scotrail Yoker Depot in Yoker, Glasgow on 14th December 2020.)

A retired ScotRail Class 314 electric set was transported by road from its depot in Glasgow to the Bo’ness & Kinneil Railway. There it is being converted to hydrogen-power, an alternative to diesel for non-electrified routes.

The conversion to hydrogen power will be carried out by an industry consortium led by hydrogen technology specialists Arcola Energy over the next 11 months with the target of showcasing the train to a global audience attending the COP26 conference in Glasgow in November 2021.

Transport Secretary Michael Matheson, said, “Our Rail Decarbonisation Action Plan sets out to make our passenger railways emissions-free by 2035, but to maximize our climate change ambitions, there is also a requirement to look at what we do with the retired stock. If we can bring those back into use in a carbon-neutral way, there are huge climate gains to be made.”

The Hydrogen Train Project is expected to attract renewed interest in the visitor attraction, operated by the Scottish Railway Preservation Society (SRPS), as well as providing a direct cash injection via rental of the facilities there.

Another Interesting Development – Hydrogen Rail Milling

Linsinger is keen to be part of the energy revolution and would like to actively contribute to future generations. The production of hydrogen is relatively simple. Water is broken down into its components hydrogen (H2) and oxygen (O2).

In the process, the electrical energy is converted into chemical energy and stored in the hydrogen.

Electricity is generated from the hydrogen; the only by-product is water. The key element of the energy revolution is “green” hydrogen which is produced in a carbon free and sustainable manner.

How Safe Are Hydrogen Trains?

The handling of hydrogen is subject to strict safety guidelines. Defined tests are mandatory

for machines and machine parts (e.g. pressure, tightness, burst and fire safety tests). Linsinger hydrogen rail milling trains meet the European safety standards. Hydrogen is a very safe fuel and less flammable in the atmosphere than common fuel (petrol, diesel). The gas is stored in exceptionally solid tanks. Even in the extremely unlikely case of a gas leak, there will be no accumulation of gas.

Hydrogen is fourteen times lighter than oxygen and therefore escapes faster and harmlessly into the atmosphere. TÜV Süd Rail GmbH carried out the risk analysis in cooperation with Linsinger.

The hydrogen storage tanks (= composite material tanks) are installed inside the machine and therefore optimally positioned in terms of safety.

These composite material containers consist of a plastic core which is wrapped with carbon fibres.

The design allows hydrogen to be stored under high operational pressure for years of use.

The Linsinger unit offers: • Finishing work in only one pass; • Customised material removal of 0.1 – 1.2 mm in one pass; • Eco-friendly process, no pollution of shavings or swarf; • No flying sparks – no fire hazard No emissions – even applicable in the most sensitive areas; • Low noise operation • Dry processing – no cooling or extinguishing water needed • Removal of track switches NOT necessary • Possible to use throughout the year • Highest precision • Non-abrasive work Mill chippings recyclable as raw material • Fast refuelling, 30 minutes per tank Trials have shown the unit to be ideal for: • Metros, light rails, trams No emissions • Low heat development due to fuel cell drive • Highly effective suction system for chips (>99,5%) • Processing of the rail head by circumferential milling with combined circumferential grinding • Low noise emissions during the work process • Variable gauge 1,000 - 1,668 mm • Redundant drive • Suitable for switches and turnouts Spring 2021

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New Technology - Solar Solar Power will Drive Mainline Trains This might sound like a crazy idea and, No, it does not rely on solar panels being fixed to trains!

An innovative company called “Riding Sunbeams” has come up with a highly successful scheme whereby a direct connection is made between renewable energy generators and electrified rail networks.

Who are Riding Sunbeams?

Riding Sunbeams is a consortium, including Turbo Power Systems, Ricardo Power & Environment and rail companies Network Rail, Angel Trains and the Birmingham Centre for Railway Research and Education.

The green tech start-up was founded by climate charity “Possible and Community Energy South” with the goal of supplying the rail network with green, community owned power.

Ivan Stone, chief executive of Riding Sunbeams, said: “Using solar energy to power railways faces a number of technical challenges, but Riding Sunbeams’ world leading project teams are consistently showing how every one of these challenges can be overcome. Instead, the hardest part of realising our mission is turning out to be breaking into the traction power supply market as an SME with an innovative new value proposition.”

What has been achieved so far?

In August 2019, Riding Sunbeams celebrated a ‘first of its kind’ demonstrator project, which saw a solar-powered railway, with a 30kW solar test unit consisting of around 100 solar panels, switched on in Aldershot. The ‘First Light’ project bypassed the grid by connecting the solar unit to an ancillary transformer on the railway train’s traction system.

Climate change charity 10:10 Climate Action was running the project in collaboration with First Light pilot site at Aldershot station.

(Photo credit: Andy Aitchison)

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Community Energy South and Network Rail, alongside a consortium of engineering and renewable energy consultants and academics.

Electricity demand data from six community solar sites was collected, with the intention of discovering how larger solar arrays could power trains. The results were then applied to the creation of “the world’s first ever full-scale” solar farm connected to UK railways, owned by communities and commuters, which Riding Sunbeams planned to complete by the end of 2020.

The ‘First Light’ project was funded by the Department for Transport through the “First of a Kind Round 2” competition, delivered by Innovate UK. It spawned from a 2017 study by 10:10 and Imperial College London’s Energy Futures Lab, which found that solar connected directly to rail, tube and tram networks could supply electricity at a lower cost than prices available on the grid and could meet a “significant share” of their electricity needs.

Leo Murray, director of Riding Sunbeams, said: “Matchmaking the UK’s biggest electricity user, the railways, with the nation’s favourite energy source, solar power, looks like the start of the perfect relationship.

The Next Stage

In August 2020, Riding Sunbeams project won a further £2.5 million of funding to develop solar power for railways. As part of the government’s £900 million “Getting Building Fund”, the South East Local Enterprise Partnerships (SELEP) won £85 million, which was split between 34 projects aimed at creating 9,167 new jobs and safeguarding a further 3,341.

Greentech start-up Riding Sunbeams’ collaborative project with Network Rail was one of the successful bidders. It was a proposal to develop and supply clean energy from solar farms to rail networks. It will be the first to create a direct connection between renewable energy generation and electrified rail networks.

Through this scheme, the Company was awarded £2.527,500 to develop solar power for railways. The proposal was to build and connect the Cuckmere Community Solar Farm, working with the Cuckmere Community Solar organisation.

The solar farm was built to power the railway through a private-wire direct connection and is the world’s first MW scale renewable solar plant to directly power a railway. While it was granted planning permission in 2017, it struggled to find a workable business model, according to Riding Sunbeams. Its connection to the rail track provides it with a route to market, ensuring its future viability

New Technology - Solar and a “replicable business model that subsequent groups can benefit from”.

Alister Scott, chair of Cuckmere Community Solar, said, “The organisation is pleased that this government funding will allow us to get the solar farm built at last. By connecting community-owned sites to the rail network, Riding Sunbeams can inspire rail users to travel in a really low carbon way with a genuine sense of ownership over the solution”.

To secure the funding Riding Sunbeams had to prove that building the solar farm would provide key local and national benefits, showing how up to 40 green jobs would be created over the project's 25-year lifetime, how the resilience of the local electricity network would be boosted, and how projected annual carbon savings of over 820 tonnes could be achieved.

Ollie Pendered, executive director of Riding Sunbeams, said, “The organisation’s vision is to power trains with commercially priced and unsubsidised energy with a positive social impact and securing the Getting Building Fund grant is a huge win”.

The solar farm – which is in Berwick, north of the Eastbourne-London mainline railway - is expected to start supplying power to the local railway network

by March 2022. After completion, Cuckmere Community Solar will launch an investment offer so the project can be owned by local community members and rail commuters who use the network.

When looking ahead to Riding Sunbeams’ next move, Pendered said the goal was to be working with Network Rail “across the whole of the UK” to facilitate renewables being connected to the railways.

The company is already working closely with Network Rail and has spent a lot of time helping it to form its decarbonisation strategy, which includes both the electrification of railways as well as hydrogen trains.

Riding Sunbeams Looking for Another Award

Riding Sunbeams has been longlisted for a prestigious Ashden Award for climate innovation in the UK. The Company is one of 38 that has been longlisted for the 2021 Ashden Awards.

Ashden is a UK charity that has been supporting transformative climate solutions. Ashden’s CEO Harriet Lamb said: “The Ashden Awards focus on cutting-edge initiatives that are both green and fair – that deliver climate justice, create good jobs, train people in green skills, and cut carbon.

Riding Sunbeams has been involved in Network Rail’s Traction Decarbonisation Network Strategy as well as the Department for Transport’s Transport Decarbonisation Strategy and could ultimately see one in every ten UK trains running on energy direct from the sun.

It has also helped to inform both Transport for London and HS1’s new tender processes to procure renewable traction energy direct from lineside generators. Last year, Riding Sunbeams completed a new feasibility study with Transport for Wales for direct supply to 25kV AC overhead electrified routes, looking at the potential for community solar to power the South Wales Metro (See separate article – Ed). Internationally, the company is on a Mission to India discussing Riding Sunbeams with Indian Railways.

The Shakespeare Express Vintage Trains has announced details of its plans for this year’s Shakespeare Express heralds the start of the 2021 steam season for Vintage Trains. It runs on four summer Saturdays and nine summer Sundays presenting its well-proven formula of blossoming Warwickshire scenery through the window and great value Saturday evening dinner, Sunday lunch and afternoon tea options on your table.

Operating Dates: July 17/18/24/25; August 1/8/14/15/21/22/29 September 5/12 On Saturdays, the journey in both directions will be over the Shakespeare Line, but on Sundays, the train will run from Stratford to Birmingham at express speeds up to 75mph via Solihull non-stop to Tyseley (so not stopping at Henley in Arden, although a return trip from Henley may still be made).

Two return journeys will operate each day: Saturdays afternoon and evening with round trips only from Birmingham Snow Hill or Tyseley Sundays: morning and afternoon.

Travel options: (a) outward from Birmingham or Tyseley in the morning for sightseeing in the Stratford area, returning in the late afternoon; or (b) on a round trip from Stratford to Birmingham and return in the afternoon.

Free car parking is available at Spring 2021

Tyseley Locomotive Works avoiding Birmingham’s congestion charge (limited availability and must be booked with your train tickets).

Steam locomotives will be drawn from a pool of Clun Castle and Earl of Mount Edgcumbe (subject to availability). In the event of hot weather, Network Rail may require a diesel locomotive additionally to be added to the train to mitigate fire risk.

All trains will carry Pullman, and Tourist accommodation. A restaurant car service is included in your Pullman fare with Full English breakfast, three course lunch, afternoon cream tea or four course dinner, depending on the time of day. Snacks and drinks are also available to preorder in Tourist.

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New Technology - Solar How Green Will Our Valleys Be? * A great deal is being written about the enormous investment being made by the Welsh Government into modernising and revitalising the railways in the South Wales Valleys. One aspect which does not appear to have been covered to any great extent, is the electrification of these Core Valley Lines, to bring them within the Welsh Government’s target of achieving net zero emissions by 2050.

This article is based upon a report produced by the Rail Standards & Safety Board (RSSB) and their help and permission is gratefully acknowledged.

Electrification of the Valley Lines

Electrification will increase energy consumption and TfW has committed to using 100% renewable energy, 50% of which will be sourced in Wales.

With this in mind, TfW has been working with a consortium of partners led by Riding Sunbeams (see the article on pp – Ed) on a feasibility study investigating the potential to use lineside renewables to power the overhead electrification in the Valleys.

Following extensive research funded by the Rail Safety and Standards Board, and working in collaboration with TfW, Network Rail and the Energy Saving Trust Wales, Riding Sunbeams has found that solar traction power could supply at least one tenth of the energy needed to power trains on the UK’s DC electrified routes every year. It could also present a financial benefit for solar farms and rail operators right now as no public subsidy support is needed. Community energy, social impact, and the importance of working with lineside communities and rail users has been embedded in the heart of the project.

The potential for this technology has huge implications for the UK and the world as we transition to a low carbon future.

The Green Valley Lines

The Green Valley Lines (GVL) is the name given to this project and refers to the feasibility assessment of direct-wire renewables and line-side storage to power the soon-to-be electrified Core Valley Lines (CVL) in Wales. The Core Valley Lines refers to an area of 85 route miles north of Cardiff Bay station. It includes all rail routes from: Cardiff Bay to Rhymney, Cwmbargoed and Coryton, and Cardiff Queen Street North Junction to Merthyr Tydfil, Hirwaun and Treherbert. TfW and KeolisAmey Wales are designing the electri*With apologies to Richard Llewellyn, author of “How Green Was My Valley”.

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fication of the Core Valley Lines, which they took over from Network Rail via an asset transfer on 28 March 2020.

This report was drawn up by Alex Byford MEng MIET, (Chief Technology Officer, Riding Sunbeams), Dr Nathaniel Bottrell MEng, (Ricardo Energy & Environment), Ben Ferguson, (Energy Saving Trust Wales), Leo Murray, (Director of Innovation, Riding Sunbeams), Ernie Shelton BEng MSc CEng MIET, (Horizon Power & Energy), and Ben Whittle, (Energy Saving Trust Wales) with added input by Dr Dave Hewings (Network Rail), Graeme Brindle (KeolisAmey), and Natalie Rees (Transport for Wales).

The Aim of the Project

The Green Valley Lines (GVL) project has reviewed the use of renewable ‘green’ generation as part of the final design solution in the electrification of the Core Valley Lines (CVL) in Wales. The project has undertaken rigorous and iterative analysis across a range of workstreams to assess the engineering solutions, prospect for potential renewable energy sites, and identify the market conditions needed to finance viable, decarbonised power generation to the railway’s traction needs at a competitive and predictable cost.

Why the Core Valley Lines?

The Core Valley Lines were selected as a focus for this project due to the perceived design synergies that might arise where new rail electrification works and new sites for power generation were under parallel development.

The Valleys are particularly rich in renewable energy resources. The project has found that injecting power on to the rail network does not add a significant design or cost burden to the electriNetwork Map of the Core Valley Lines, terminating at Treherbert, Aberdare, Merthyr Tydfil, Coryton, Rhymney and Ebbw Vale

fication works.

Electrification as part of the Decarbonisation of the Railways

In October 2018, the Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB) launched a competition to facilitate research and innovation in support of the industry’s decarbonisation challenge, in particular by developing intelligent, zero-carbon technologies to enable the UK industry to be a world leader in delivering low-carbon transport solutions. The call was aligned with the Rail Industry Decarbonisation Taskforce and the Ministerial commitment to phase out diesel-only trains in the UK by 2040. The RSSB competition focused on three key challenges: A. High speed train power, B. Freight traction power, C. Infrastructure to support operations.

The Green Valley Lines project was funded under challenge C: Infrastructure to support new lower carbon traction operations.

Why Riding Sunbeams?

In order to develop this project, it was necessary

to find a partner who had experience in the use of alternative methods of supplying power to the railway. Riding Sunbeams Ltd is one such UK company that has proven experience in that it successfully delivered a real-world demonstrator of its technical solution for private wire supply of solar to DC traction networks, at a Network Rail site just outside Aldershot station.

This work proved that supply of solar power direct from the generator to the rail traction system could be done safely and efficiently and began to develop a commercial procurement framework to allow UK rail infrastructure operators to benefit from this novel approach. Before this, direct supply of solar, wind or hydro power to rail traction systems had never been done anywhere in the world. Riding Sunbeams’ corporate mission is to meet 10% of the UK’s rail traction load through direct supply from renewable generators, and to maximise the social benefits of doing so.

The Green Valley Lines Report (COF-IPS-05)

The Green Valley Lines (GVL) feasibility study addressed challenge C under the RSSB’s COFIPS competition: Infrastructure to support operations. This study sought to identify the optimal technology mix to allow the South Wales electrified railways to run fossil free in the future, providing direct power supply to the traction system from community owned renewable electricity generators, together with integrated energy storage, to reduce the overall costs of supplying traction power to these lines against a business-as-usual baseline. The key potential benefits include lower costs of service provision for network operators

New Technology - Solar

and large carbon reductions compared with grid supplied traction electricity, plus employment and clean growth benefits to lineside communities and local economies. Integrated lineside storage could also contribute to system resilience, and when combined with bi-mode and tri-mode trains with on-board storage and discontinuous electrification, could even offer a lower whole system, whole life cost alternative to conventional traction power delivery through full-route OHL electrification and associated distribution and transmission infrastructure reinforcements.

Through exploring specific potential use cases on the South Wales Metro, the team looked to develop a more general understanding of the technical and commercial challenges around direct connection between renewable generators and AC rail traction systems, as well as the next steps required to realise this opportunity.

Objectives of the Study

1. To develop a technical proposal for a commercially viable power electronics interface and connection methodology for direct supply of electricity from lineside renewable generators to the 25kV AC rail traction system. The renewable generators will need to integrate with IEC 61850 to provide a South Wales traction smart grid.

2. To identify the best value for money lineside storage technology facility to support rail traction operations and mediate power flow from intermittent renewable sources.

3. To identify the most promising locations and generation technologies for community-owned lineside renewable energy generation and storage facilities to support rail traction operations on selected South Wales electrified routes, and to develop outline business cases for a shortlist of these sites.

4. To determine the optimal technology mix of storage and renewable energy generation and supply to enable a fossil-free rail traction power system that can be delivered at a lower cost than conventional methods allow.

5. To make specific recommendations to Transport for Wales and Network Rail Wales on the design of the South Wales Metro traction system and other routes in South Wales to maximise the use of renewable energy and minimise costs.

6. To produce generic guidance for utilising lineside storage and renewable energy generation to lower the costs of AC rail electrification schemes.

7. To identify opportunities that Vehicle to Grid (V2G), if integrated with the traction system, might be able to provide in terms of increasing the amount of renewable generation that could be connected or being able to utilise regenerative braking as trains slow when stopping at stations.

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Key Workstreams

1. Workstream One: Interface design Assessing options and developing a proposed technical specification and connection method for a power electronics interface between renewable generators and the AC traction network.

2. Workstream Two: Load profiling and matching Analysing the South Wales Metro system’s electrical architecture and projected spatial traction load characteristics for all selected routes; and modelling the compatibility of solar and wind generation profiles with the traction system’s load profiles.

3. Workstream Three: Resource mapping Mapping the land use constraints and renewable energy resource opportunities along the selected routes, compiling a shortlist of site opportunities for potential wind and solar traction power generators, and developing outline business cases for the most promising sites.

4. Workstream Four: Lineside storage analysis Appraisal of the energy storage technology options available and their suitability for deployment on the rail network, and exploration of the potential system services that lineside storage facilities could provide rail infrastructure operators.

5. Workstream Five: Synthesis Summarising and synthesising the findings from all workstreams to develop high level technical and commercial parameters for integrating renewable energy sources and storage to AC rail traction systems in general, alongside specific recommendations for the South Wales Metro traction system.

Putting it into Action

It is one thing to come up with a design, but it is how that is translated into plant on the ground that matters. The project obtained the major feeding diagrams of the proposed electrification works for the lines terminating at Treherbert, Aberdare, Merthyr Tydfil, Coryton, Rhymney and Ebbw Vale. The demand and voltage profile for the different sections was provided from Network Rail Wales for the Ebbw Vale line and KeolisAmey for all other lines.

A spreadsheet-based model was developed to match the generation profiles with the demand profiles in the different electrical sections. This model calculated the expected amount of generation which could be used by the traction load, the amount of generation that would need to be exported at the Grid Supply Point (GSP) or curtailed, and the percentage of rail demand which could be met by the generation sources.

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aim was stipulated in the terms of the Transport for Wales Rail tender won by KeolisAmey. This model was used to estimate how much renewable generation of different technologies would need to be directly connected to the traction network to reach or exceed the 50% target.

The Present-Day Electrical Situation

The electrical network of the Core Valley Lines is split into three electrical sections. Two are supplied from the Upper Boat GSP and the third is supplied from Network Rail’s Imperial Park GSP, which also supplies the Wales mainline between Cardiff and Newport. The demand on these lines is highly variable and has the potential to become negative if the trains are regenerating and there is insufficient on board and line-side battery capacity available to capture the generation.

The demand on the section to the north of Upper Boat may range from 8 MVA export to 16.9 MVA of demand within a 15-minute period, while the demand on the section to the south of Upper Boat may range from 7.27 MVA and 41.3 MVA of demand within a 15-minute period. There is likely to be a minimal base load for the renewable generation to provide on these route sections. Not all the electricity from traction-connected wind or solar PV generators will be able to be used by the rail network. This is particularly true for wind energy, due to its less predictable generation profile that is less well aligned with rail operating timetables than solar PV generation.

Any control system for PV or wind generation curtailment is unlikely to be sufficiently responsive to the changes in demand. Therefore, either battery storage is needed to prevent export at the GSP, or export at the GSP is required to balance the difference between the renewable generation output and traction demand on the section. If export volumes to grid are minimal this is likely to be considered as an acceptable ‘spill’. However, for larger volumes, a formal export arrangement with both grid operators and the electricity supplier would be needed, as well as written consent from the regulator. Currently Network Rail exports around 60GWh of electricity from their single-phase 25kV traction GSPs on to distribution networks nationally each year, exclusively from regenerative braking.

NR are remunerated for this electricity under their main traction power supply contract. This is classed as De Minimis activity under NR’s Network Licence with the Office of Road and Rail, but larger export volumes would likely require written consent from ORR to be classified as Relevant Other Business. Existing connection agreements at traction GSPs would also need to be revised via Modification Applications, and export meters added.

PV generation has a higher utilisation than wind generation. Utilisation is defined as the proportion of generation yield that can be consumed

by the rail demand and which doesn’t need to be exported or curtailed. This higher utilisation is explained by PV only exporting during the day, while wind generation also outputs at night when there is no traction demand. The trains operate between 6am and 11pm. While PV generation has a higher utilisation than wind, for the same installed capacity, wind generation can supply a higher percentage of the traction demand than PV. Therefore, less wind generation will be required to achieve the policy target of 50% of generation from Welsh generators. This is because wind generation has a higher load factor, of approximately 26% compared to 12.6% for PV. This is explained by solar generation output being far lower in the winter months and in evenings than wind generation, which generates during evenings and in winter. The low utilisation factor for wind but high load factor mean that wind would be a highly effective means to provide zero carbon generation to the railway, however the ability to receive income for export to the grid through the GSP is crucial to the business case.

Network Rail estimates that the annual demand on the Ebbw Vale line would be 2,768.42MWh, which is low. As the Ebbw Vale is supplied from Imperial Park GSP, any excess generation would be used on the mainline services and not exported to the grid at the GSP. A critical element for sizing the generation when looking over the whole of the Core Valley Lines is the thermal capacity of the overhead wires. The overhead wires will be the distribution system for the generation, and a single track OHL is rated to a maximum capacity of 10MW and a double track to 20MW. This technical constraint must be compared with the minimum economically viable site for wind and solar, to determine the ultimate mix of wind and solar. The Treherbert, Aberdare, Merthyr Tydfil and Coryton branch lines are all single-track sections. The Rhymney route after Bargoed is also likely to be single track, as is the Ebbw Vale lane.

Other route sections of the Core Valley Lines are double track.

Key Findings

Direct supply from lineside wind and solar PV generators could meet 38% of the total traction demand across the Core Valley Lines and Ebbw Vale on commercially attractive terms. By electrical section, this would comprise 79.51% of demand on the newly electrified Treherbert, Aberdare and Merthyr Tydfil lines, 25.34% of demand on the Coryton and Rhymney lines, and 86.36% of traction demand on the Ebbw Vale line if it is electrified in the future. The resource mapping and shortlisting process identified 96.5MWp of generating capacity across seven potentially attractive solar and ten potentially attractive wind development sites.

Together these make up around a third more generating capacity than the rail traction system

could accept private wire supply from (estimated at 21MWp of solar PV and 42MWp of wind in total). This is a positive finding as not every site can be expected to successfully secure land rights and planning consent to be built.

The cost of the converter for connecting private wires to the OHL is the most critical factor for the financial viability of any given generator site. Obtaining a suitable converter at a price point below £250,000/MW is therefore critical. There are no such products available in the market today that are also likely to be able to withstand the duty cycle needed on the railway. Deployment of traction-connected renewable generators at these scales depends on the ability to export surplus electricity to the distribution network from rail GSPs; if grid export is not possible, generator capacity and yield volumes may need to be sized too small to be commercially viable. Obtaining all necessary consents to export to grid from rail GSPs is therefore critical. Written consent from the Office of Road and Rail (ORR) may be required, and a Modification Application will need to be filed with National Grid to export from the Upper Boat GSP. Debt service cover ratios strongly influence the financial models, therefore securing suitable financing arrangements is also critical to underpin deployment. As a rule of thumb, commercial and technical constraints require individual AC OHL traction-connected solar site capacity to be between 5-20MWp, and wind site capacity to be between 2-20MWp (10MWp maximum if connecting to single track route sections). 20-25-year power purchase agreements (PPAs) will be required to underwrite investment in these new generators.

Under present market conditions, developers will need to be able to secure PPAs of 8-10p/kWh from rail operators for sites to be financially viable. The high capital costs of integrating storage mean this does not improve the economics of any individual traction-connected renewable energy development, but lineside storage facilities could be economically advantageous to mediate power flows across an entire route section, ideally co-located with the GSP with an export connection agreement to allow sale of ancillary services to the grid. Lineside storage facilities could supply a lower cost solution to supporting traction requirements in scenarios where full route electrification is prohibitively expensive and grid capacity around islanded sections is weak. Local socio-economic benefits from supplying the South Wales Metro from lineside renewable generators can be maximised through established models for community involvement and ownership. Similar parameters to those summarised here are likely to obtain elsewhere on the UK’s AC OHL electrified rail networks so this learning is expected to be widely applicable beyond the South Wales Metro.

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Tales from the Four Foot Eight and a Half!

I have chosen this title (with due deference to A A Milne) as a way of recording the stories of men and women who have worked on Britian’s railways and, in particular those whose time was spent on former Great Western lines. I would

like to express my gratitude to them all for telling their stories. This month’s story is slightly different in that it features the Leicester and Swannington Railway. I have taken the liberty of including it as it tells the story of a railwayman in the 19th century Life of The Oldest Railway Man Living* When we look round upon the present perfect system of railways, the fact can hardly be realised that the Liverpool and Manchester line was only opened in 1830, and that in 1829 it was a question whether the locomotive engine should be employed or not. Neither can it at first sight appear possible that such perfection can have been attained in the short period which is in the memory of living man.

There lives in Leicester to-day an old railway man named Thomas West Smith, more familiarly known to his numerous friends as “Old Tom Smith” who can, it is believed, claim the distinction of being the only man now living who actually worked traffic on a railway fifty-six years ago. A representative of the press considered the chance of conversing with an intelligent man who could give such interesting recollections and details of the changes he has

Map of the Leicester and Swannington Railway

*This article was published originally in the Locomotive Engineers & Firemens Journal, September 1888 Volume 1 No 9 pp 278-280 (ASLEF).

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An early drawing of West Bridge Station

witnessed, was a chance not to be missed. Mr. Smith has therefore been, as the Americans would say, “interviewed," and in a journey over the old line he has pointed out the various places where interesting events occurred.

Mr. Smith was born at Braybrooke, in Northamptonshire, on the 7th of October 1808; consequently, he will now have attained the age of 80. He began his railway career in his twenty-third year, by becoming a “porter” at the West Bridge station at the opening of the Leicester and Swannington Railway, on the 17th of July 1832; and in January 1833, the company, having increased its stock of engines, he was promoted to the locomotive department.

The first engine he cleaned and fired was the “Comet” built by Stephenson, of Newcastle, and shipped by sea to Hull, and thence by canal to Leicester, her first driver being Robert Weatherbum. The tender did not arrive for some two or three months afterwards, and the supply of water was for the time being carried in a large cask on a coal waggon.

Mr. Smith gives very full details of all the other locomotives, which were the “Phoenix”, “Samson”, “Goliath”, “Hercules”, “Ajax”, “Atlas”

Travel in 1835 - This is from a picture by C. Hamilton Ellis and is No1 in a set of 24 L.M.R. “Travel-In” prints. It portrays a Leicester & Swannington Railway train hauled by “Samson”, the first locomotive in the World to be fitted with a whistle, then known as a “Steam Trumpet”.

and “Vulcan”, all of which at various times he was engaged upon, either as cleaner, fireman, or driver. He also mentions with pride the runs made when Mr. George Stephenson and Mr. Robert Stephenson rode upon his engine or, as Mr. Smith says, “Old George and Young Robert, as we us't to call them.”

The signals were of a primitive description, consisting of a pole with a pulley at the top, and the rule was to “go ahead” unless a red flag was flying, or a red lamp shown from the top.

A later picture of Leicester West Bridge Station with all the staff on parade!

The engines in those days had no “whistles,” so the drivers were provided with bugles, which they tootled whenever they felt inclined, and when they were coming to a station or crossing and, if that failed to attract attention, they adopted the simple plan of raising the safety-valve lever.* However, on one occasion *According to Clement Edwin Stretton, in his History of the Midland Railway, published in 1901, on almost its first run, at Thornton crossing, “Samson” collided with a horse and cart on its way to Leicester Market with a load of butter and eggs. Although the engine had a horn, it clearly was not loud enough, and at the suggestion of Mr. Bagster, the manager, the engines were provided with the first steam whistles.

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a cart crossed the railway close to the “Stag and Castle” Inn, Thornton, and a train ran into it. After that, Mr. Smith tells us, “We had a whistle. It was a kind of steam trumpet.” And when the engines were first run at night, it caused the greatest consternation.

The old Ratby Station, which still stands upon the left side of the railway, has a history which is interesting. It is a brick building, probably about 10 feet by 12 feet. It served for weighing machine office, station master's office, and passengers' waiting-room; but, most strange of all, it was an old licensed public house. The stationmaster, in addition to all his other duties, was an innkeeper, and, as Mr. Smith remarks, “they wouldn't allow that sort of thing now.”

There were no guards' vans in those days.

Goods guards had to ride upon the waggons; and when they wanted to stop, they had to run along the tops, and apply the brakes, which they did with a kind of brake stick, which, Mr. Smith says, was known as a “sprigger.”

The early engines had loose eccentrics on the axles, and the levers on the footplate were in constant motion backwards and forwards, and care had to be taken to avoid getting some smart raps from them. In 1838, Mr. Smith went from West Bridge to take charge of a contractor's locomotive, the “Etna”, working at the construction of that portion of the Midland Counties Railway between Trent and Rugby.

When the Midland Counties line was opened throughout, on 1st July 1840, “Old Tom Smith” became one of that company's drivers, being stationed at Derby and working to Rugby and to Nottingham. When the Midland Counties Birmingham and Derby - and North Midland Companies, in 1844, became amalgamated into the present Midland Railway, Mr. Smith was taken over with the rolling-stock and other property, and became a driver under the new company, and worked trains to Rugby, Leeds, Hunslet Lane, Hampton, Birmingham (Lawley Street); also, to Lincoln when that extension was opened.

In the spring of 1848, Mr. Smith was sent to Southwell to open and work a new branch. The passenger traffic, after about twelve months, was found not to pay, and locomotive working was given up, a horse being employed to draw a carriage. Mr. Smith returned once again to the West Bridge, Leicester, in March 1849, to work two passenger trains a day to Burton and back with engine No. 51, and in August of the same year the line from Desford to Leicester 76

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was opened. He then ran for many years with engines Nos. 41-45 and 100 between Leicester, Peterborough, Burton, and Derby.

On a modest estimate, it is probable that Mr. Smith must have ridden on the footplate as fireman and driver some 2,000,000 miles, or say eighty-five times round the world, and in all this long journey he had not met with any accident. However, on one occasion, when running to Kettering with a special train, he found the distant signal at Kibworth “all right”, but on sighting the “home” signal it was at “danger”. Being without the modern continuous brakes, his only hope was to reverse his engine (No. 190) and put steam against her. The catch flew out, and the lever dashed forward, crushing “Old Tom” between it and the weatherboard. He was laid up for some weeks and never drove on the main line again.

The Company placed him in charge of a stationary engine, working the coal stage at Leicester, and here he was of considerable use in moving engines, or doing a bit of shunting in the locomotive sidings up till 18S6, when, after fifty-five years' work, he retired, thinking, as he says, that he had done about enough railway work.

Mr. Smith, it is pleasing to know, enjoys excellent health. He is as active and vigorous as most men of sixty. He maintains, and, we think, with considerable reason, that enginedriving is a healthy occupation, and it will no doubt interest our readers to know that he has just become an honorary member of the Associated Society of Engineers and Firemen.

An Abnormal Load!

This photograph is believed to have been taken in the late 19th century, offering an abnormal load for the Midland Railway. It obviously doesn’t matter which way the train is going as the elephants face in opposite directions!

The Brunel Institute

The Brunel Legacy Tim Bryan Director of the Brunel Institute at the SS Great Britain in Bristol

In this, the first of a series of features about Brunel and his work, Tim describes the collections held at the Institute that tell the story of Isambard Kingdom Brunel and his life and work.

Of all the Victorian engineers, Brunel is probably the best represented in terms of surviving archive material about his life and career; in April 1910 the Great Western Railway Magazine recorded that the Brunel family had presented a large collection of material to the Great Western Railway, which was kept at Paddington for many years, but is now preserved at the National Archives at Kew. In 1950, Brunel’s grand-daughter Lady Celia Noble presented the University of Bristol with a priceless collection of letter books, sketchbooks, calculation books, documents and drawing instruments that had been retained by the family until that point.

The collection grew further as more material become available through donations and auction purchases by the University.

In 2010, the collection was moved to the Brunel Institute, to become part a new collaborative venture between the SS Great Britain Trust and the University of Bristol that sits alongside Brunel’s engineering masterpiece, the SS Great Britain. The

Institute now houses one of the world’s finest collection of Brunelrelated material which includes not only the material formerly held at the University of Bristol Library, on long term deposit, but many other important items from the Trust’s own National Brunel Collection relating to the engineer and his family, making it one of the most significant collections of its type in the world.

The collection spans all aspects of Brunel’s career, covering bridges (including the Clifton Suspension bridge), railways, steamships, tunnels and other miscellaneous projects such as his designs for a

Detail of a lamp post at Bath station from Brunel’s sketchbook

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Great Western Railway from 1837 to 1857.

Further details of the Brunel archive collection can be found at: https://archives.bristol.ac.uk/Record. aspx?src=CalmView.Catalog&id=DM162

Sketch of a horse by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, aged 6

prefabricated Crimean War hospital, but naturally there is much of interest to the Great Western enthusiast and historian!

Most importantly, the collection includes Brunel’s original sketchbooks and notebooks and there are eighteen sketchbooks dedicated to the Great Western Railway alone, covering the period 1836 - 1842. The sketchbooks often show preliminary ideas for structures which look quite different to the finished product, and include bridges, stations, tunnels and much else besides.

They also reveal not only Brunel’s drawing skills, but also an incredible attention to detail. Brunel’s artistic talent was apparent from a very young age – the National Brunel collection also contains a drawing of a horse he completed in 1812 at the age of 6 that shows the confidence and skill being nurtured by his father Marc.

Many of the completed engineering drawings for GWR structures are now cared for at the Network Rail archive, and some can be viewed online at: https://www.networkrail.co.uk/who-we-are/ourhistory/the-network-rail-archive/ The Brunel Institute archive also houses Brunel’s diaries and notebooks which reveal much about the man as well as his work! Many of the well-known biographies of the engineer have this primary material at their core. One of the most interesting items is the famous ‘locked diary’ in which the young Brunel recorded his thoughts and insecurities as he struggled in the early years of his career. There are also thirteen bank passbooks revealing something of his financial affairs!

Brunel was an inveterate correspondent and received and wrote many letters; the collection contains letter books covering personal and office correspondence between 1832 and 1859. There are also fifty-six original letters from Brunel to Daniel Gooch and Charles Alexander Saunders together with other documents concerning the 78

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The 60,000 items in the Trust collection also includes GWR-related material and prints, paintings and photographs relating to Brunel, as well as the MacGregor Library housing more than 7,000 books on Brunel, industrial, transport and maritime history. Particularly striking are stereoscopic images taken at the end of Brunel’s career (and during the earliest years of photography) which feature some of his later work such as the SS Great Eastern and his masterpiece the Royal Albert Bridge at Saltash.

The Brunel collections are housed in a stateof-the-art purpose built archive vault which securely conserves the historic material in the best environmental conditions; the Brunel Institute is however one of the few archives in the world to offer access ‘on demand’ which means that anyone with an interest in Brunel, the SS Great Britain or maritime history can normally view the collections Tuesday-Friday every week; not surprisingly, the Covid-19 pandemic has meant that we have not been able to offer this level of access, but we hope that in the coming months, like many organisations, we will be able to open up the collections again.

Brunel Institute staff and volunteers normally offer ‘Archive in 5’ sessions for visitors every day – these are short talks featuring original material from the collection that people can get up close and personal to. As access to the SS Great Britain and the Institute is still restricted, a selection of these talks are now available virtually at: https://www.ssgreatbritain.org/brunel-institute/ learning/stuff-do-home/virtual-archive-five.

More information about material from the collection can also be found online at: https://www.ssgreatbritain.org/your-visit/ collection-stories More original material from the archive and railway-related Brunel artefacts including a section of South Devon Railway atmospheric railway pipe can be seen in ‘Being Brunel’, a new museum created by the SS Great Britain in 2018 which explores the story of the engineer and his life and legacy.

This brief introduction to the Institute can only give a hint of the treasures it contains, and in forthcoming issues of the Great Western Star, we hope to highlight some of the most interesting objects from the collections and the stories behind them. In the meantime, if you would like to find out more, visit the SS Great Britain web site at www.ssgreatbritain.org.

The New UK-based Global Centre of Rail Excellence The rail industry is a significant growth area for Wales. Transport for Wales has committed to revitalising the rail network by providing new services and rolling stock (trains and carriages), innovative solutions and a significant programme of station investment. This includes a commitment of an £800m investment from 2023 towards ensuring that 95% of journeys are on new trains, with more than half the rolling stock being assembled in Wales.

The UK Government’s Rail Sector Deal (2018) sets out a new approach that promotes partnership working between the public and private sectors to increase innovation and productivity. Its aim is that the UK should deliver the benefits of new digital technology and become a world leader in rail technology and decarbonisation, boosting exports and skills. The need for a world class test facility to support and accelerate delivery of these strategic aims has been clearly recognised by the UK Government.

pounds getting their rolling stock there in the first place. Siemens also has its own facility at WegbergWildernrath in Germany.

So, the Welsh Government, with industry experts in an advisory role, have rightly identified a lack of rolling stock and rail infrastructure testing facilities, which the GCRE is well placed to exploit. It also fits neatly into a more strategic approach of investing in infrastructure which helps to attract investment and firms into Wales, rather than the old approach of just offering direct financial support.

Therefore, a UK-based and, in particular, a Wales-based testing facility would reduce industry costs, accelerate decarbonisation and help to facilitate innovation, increase skills and training and create jobs in the UK. Given the demand for test facilities across Europe and beyond it is expected that a Global Centre of Rail Excellence in Wales would also be well placed to attract international business. The anticipated cost will be around £150 million.

How the project evolved

Where will this be sited?

In the process of overseeing the bidding process for the devolved Wales and Borders rail franchise the Welsh Government, through its transport body, Transport for Wales (TfW), held discussions with leading train manufacturers and rail operating companies. From that came the realisation that they all faced the same challenge; namely a lack of testing facility capacity. As new trains and other components are introduced to the UK rail network, they need to be thoroughly tested before they become operational. Currently, UK manufactured trains are frequently transported to European testing facilities at significant cost.

Network Rail currently utilises infrastructure testing facilities in the United States.

In the UK there is the Rail Innovation & Development Centre, owned by Network Rail, at Melton Mowbray in the Midlands, with a linear disused line. However, it is hugely oversubscribed by the likes of Bombardier (train manufacturer). As new trains and other components are introduced to the UK rail network, they need to be thoroughly tested before they become operational. Currently, UK manufactured trains are frequently transported to European testing facilities at significant cost.

Network Rail utilises infrastructure testing facilities in the United States.

The biggest facility in Europe is the Velim operation in the Czech Republic, with its high-speed loop. With its long waiting list, the Velim facility charges five figure sums to rent the track for eight hours. However, that is not the only cost as the train operators have to spend tens of thousands of

The Welsh Government is working in partnership with Neath Port Talbot and Powys Councils to develop proposals for a Global Centre of Rail Excellence on the Nant Helen open cast mine and Onllwyn coal washery site at the head of the Dulais Valley. This site has previously been worked by Celtic Energy whose coaling operations are expected to end later this year. The site would then have to be restored in accordance with statutory obligations determined and consented by Powys County Council.

There is significant common land with commoners’ land interests to be considered within the extent of Celtic Energy’s land holding. These interests will need to be addressed through the project design and mitigation. The site falls into two distinct areas. A primary area associated with the open cast mine, where the coal is extracted, and a secondary area associated with the washery, where

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the coal is cleaned and prepared for distribution.

The site is predominantly brownfield with a lesser extent of greenfield land. The site’s topography means that the existing mining operation is not readily visible from the nearby settlements of Onllwyn, Seven Sisters, Ystradgynlais, Caehopkin, Abercrave or Coelbren.

The site is very well connected in transport terms. It can be accessed from the A4109 and is well located to link to the A465 Heads of the Valleys Road, a strategic trunk road linking Swansea in the south west to Hereford in the north east of the region. The site also has rail access via a branch/ freight line to the south that links with the South Wales Main Line via Swansea Burrows sidings.

Who is organising this Proposal?

The Planning, Design and Access Statement has been prepared by Ove Arup and Partners Limited (Arup) on behalf of the Welsh Government in support of a cross boundary outline planning application (with all matters reserved), submitted to both Powys County Council (PCC) and Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council (NPTCBC) for the development of a Global Centre of Rail Excellence (GCRE) at the site of Nant Helen Surface Mine, Onllwyn. Coaling operations are coming to an end and final restoration by Celtic Energy was consented in June 2020 under a section 73 application.

In April 2020, Celtic Energy submitted two planning applications to Powys) and to Neath Port Talbot for a complementary earthworks scheme to provide a comprehensive, flexible and adaptable landform across the entire site that could support a wide range of future uses which included the GCRE, establishing the earthworks formation and associated drainage and landscaping for two of the key components of the rail testing facility, namely the high speed and infrastructure test track loops and rail line connections. Both were consented in July 2020.

Environmental Impact Assessment

The site of the proposed development is more than 1 hectare in area and constitutes major development as defined within the Town and Country Planning (Development Management Procedure) (Wales) Order 2012 (as amended). Subsequently, the planning application has been scoped to accord with the requirements associated with major development as prescribed by the regulations.

Previous planning applications for development at the site were subject to Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). Under the Town and Country Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) (Wales) Regulations 2017, the development has been deemed as requiring EIA, the scope of it having been agreed by both PCC and NPTCBC in a joint Scoping response in November 2019. Given that the application is in outline with all matters reserved, it has been agreed that this document can be a 80

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combined Planning, Design and Access Statement which sets the context for the planning application and proposals therein. It considers the context to the site and its surroundings, the design evolution of the proposals and the environmental impacts of the proposed development and assesses the material planning considerations against the policy background in justifying the granting of planning permission. It should be read in conjunction with the Environmental Impact Assessment.

Material Planning Considerations The nature and scale of the proposed development,

in the context of the site’s location and features, creates several material planning considerations which have been broadly considered in a format that mirrors the EIA (construction and operation effects) and include: • • • • • • • •

Principle of development and the land use and the prevailing Development Plan policy context Socio-Economic benefits Geotechnical (land stability and contamination) Construction Management (focused primarily on noise mitigation) Hydrological Impact (sustainable drainage, water quality and flood risk) Landscape and Visual Impact (national park, common land and rights of way) Ecological Impact (SSSI, SINC, habitats and protected species) Heritage Impact (Scheduled Monument)

Objectives, Trends and Benefits GCRE aims to meet a number of objectives which

have been developed to address the issues and needs of the UK rail industry: • Deliver a UK-based modern and comprehensive rail testing facility to provide the capacity and capabilities for rigorous testing of rolling stock, infrastructure and integrated systems from prototype to implementation.

• Act as a catalyst for the creation of a rail technology hub in Wales, providing a flexible, open-market platform for leading R&D activity that drives innovation.

• Provide opportunities to work with industry to support skills development through highquality employment in fair, secure and sustainable jobs that contribute to reducing regional inequality and promoting regeneration in Wales.

• Develop and test rail sector principles, standards and specifications which improve the UK's competitive strengths as a world leader in achieving carbon neutrality, contributing to an overall decrease in carbon emissions across the rail industry.

Beyond the industry objectives, there are other reasons/drivers of change or desirable outcomes that play directly into either the site or the local context, chief among these are: • A transformational impact on the heads of valleys by regenerating the post-coal landscape and creating new socio-economic opportunities.

• Interpretation of the historic environment and the transport heritage aspects of the mining context of the site and beyond given the presence of a section the linear tram road scheduled monument on the site.

At present, accessibility is limited and there is no in-situ interpretation and one outcome of this scheme could be an improvement to the experience of using the local footpath network through narrative on the historic transport context associated with mining.

The Case for Change

The UK does not possess anything approaching such a high-quality facility as that planned at GCRE. Both public and private sector organisations frequently use test facilities in Europe and the USA, supporting jobs and building competing expertise in other countries. Moreover, these other facilities are often owned and operated by a single commercial entity, which stifles access to testing and innovation.

With projects such as HS2, CrossRail2, Northern Powerhouse Rail and the Cardiff Valleys transformation approaching, together with the soon to be time-expired status of the majority of the UK’s signalling infrastructure (in itself an estimated £35 bn renewals programme from 2025), the need for safe and efficient testing to drive performance and cost-efficiency has never been greater.

Operational independence and full open-market access is critical to allow competition and innovation to flourish. GCRE will address a number of specific issues: • Supporting UK train manufacturers and encouraging the establishment of further UK manufacturing facilities and testing capacity.

• Supporting the development of a UK digital railway industry by providing high quality and safe testing facilities for digital signalling, train control and asset management technologies.

• Delivering high-tonnage endurance testing of railway infrastructure particularly track and structures; such a facility will enable infrastructure to be rapidly tested and verified and would be unique in Europe, potentially attracting customers from around the world – Network Rail has a strong and confirmed interest in this element.

• Removing risk from the introduction of new trains and other assets by allowing them to be thoroughly tested prior to deployment.

This would avoid the need for new trains being tested on the national network or

rushed into service before all performance risks had been dealt with (note issues with new inter-city trains; certain electrification assets; and projects such as Crossrail).

With infrastructure and rolling stock testing in a single location, more robust systems integration testing can be conducted.

• Tackling ever-rising costs across the rail sector by allowing new technologies to be effectively tested and commissioned rather than committing them to operations before they are fully developed.

• Generating high quality employment and economic opportunities for communities in South West Wales.

• Providing further opportunities for sustainable technologies associated with the rail sector (electric, battery, links to sustainable generation), Traction Hydrogen fuel cell battery packs, Discontinuous electrification ,2040 diesel deadline Control European train control system, Automatic train control, Digitisation Data transfer and communication, automated inspection and maintenance, Design Lightweight materials The rail industry faces substantial challenges and opportunities to exploit new, emerging and existing technology within a rail environment. The GCRE is the vehicle to create a rail technology hub for business and research, creating and strengthening links to potentially include Innovate UK, UKRIN and local universities whose specialisms include: • Research Trends Cardiff University • The Low Carbon Research Institute (LCRI) Centre for Integrated Renewable Energy Generation and Supply (CIREGS) • Electric Vehicle Centre of Excellence (EVCE) • Centre for Automotive Industry Research (CAIR) • The High Value Manufacturing (HVM) Group Swansea University Materials Research Centre (MRC ) • Swansea Materials Research & Testing or SMaRT • Institute of Structural Materials (ISM) University of South Wales • The Energy and Environment Research Institute (EERI) • The Wales Transport Research Centre (WTRC)

A response to Covid-19

At the time of writing, the UK is currently going through a health and economic crisis due to the global Covid-19 pandemic. It is still too early to predict the medium- and long-term economic effects of the global pandemic, however short-term impacts are already being felt. The lockdown has resulted in 18% of businesses reporting temporarily closing or pausing trading and 20% of the workforce being furloughed under the UK Government’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme. This is predicted to lead to Spring 2021

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an economic recession, with UK GDP declining by 2% in the first quarter of 2020. Unemployment data in the UK currently does not yet fully reflect the impact of the lockdown, but there has been a significant increase in Universal Credit claims, of 40% or 1.2 million applications in a single month, which indicates that unemployment will rise sharply. Stock markets have already seen steep falls in value only comparable to those of 2008, both in the UK and across the globe.

The UK government has announced a series of economic packages to mitigate the impacts to businesses and individuals. There will also be significant costs to the NHS and for the overall pandemic response. The number of rail passenger journeys have steeply declined, with skeleton services in place for key workers and essential journeys, leading to lost revenue.

GCRE is well placed to provide a solution for both of these issues, through its focus on infrastructure (including digital infrastructure), innovation and transport delivery efficiency, and its potential contribution to supporting transport, mobility and the economic benefits which come from connectivity.

It can be an immediate and positive response to the inevitable recession in Wales and in the UK, providing a short-term benefit, while developing an asset that will deliver positive outputs and outcomes over the longer-term.

•

•

•

•

•

What is planned for the site and what is the timescale?

The site is one of scale and variety, with its backdrop of the National Park to the north, encircled by roads and variously sized settlements. It is a site of mixed character due to the variety of habitat and functions (including common land) that is has supported over time, from the activity and buildings associated with the Washery, then out into the wider historically opencasted and subsequently restored areas, to the currently worked. It is a mosaic of areas of different topography and appearance that create a complex and changing character to the site as you move across and around it.

The existing site is varied in character with the built form of the Washery, overhead power lines, punctuating a landscape of grazing land and wetland, criss-crossed with access routes and bordered to the south by the existing rail freight line.

The site is a landscape that exhibits both restored, former open casted areas (the locally named ‘wedding cake’ overburden mound’) and the currently actively worked void. The currently active site is bordered by single and groups of dwellings that line the access roads on its periphery.

The Proposal

On the land associated with the Nant Helen open cast site, the scheme principally features: • a single (with room for a second subject to future market demand) electrified ‘rolling stock test track’ (6.9 km) for performance 82

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•

• •

•

• • •

testing of electric, diesel and hydrogen powered trains up to a line speed of 110 mph. a single ‘high tonnage infrastructure test track’ (4.5 km) for testing of infrastructure including track systems, civil structures, ancillary lineside equipment, signalling, power and telecommunications up to a line speed of 40mph. a dual platform station environment (typical of the UK rail network) for the testing of train – platform interfaces. The platforms will have sufficient length to serve 230m trains and will likely take the form of modular, pre-cast concrete units constructed off-site.

The test track will have a vehicular access track around its entirety as a means of access for maintenance staff and will be contained within a 2.1m palisade fence line along both corridor boundaries, or appropriate acoustic mitigation where required.

An overhead 25kv AC traction power system with scope for additional DC 3rd/4th rail system at a later stage. The OLE system will likely take the form of a series of cantilevered structures at 40m intervals around the test tracks.

The test track will connect to the existing branch line and washery area via a bidirectional delta junction. It is anticipated most rolling stock would access the facility via the Neath & Brecon Branch Line and Swansea Burrows beyond, although some trains may be transported to site via road.

Core facilities on land associated with the Onllwyn Washery land include: Research, development, education and training/conference centre including laboratory space for the collation and assessment of testing results as well as laydown areas for equipment being tested.

An operations & control centre/office 4 road testing/maintenance facility for trains undergoing testing at the facility, with capacity for 2no. 400m trains and 2no.

230m trains simultaneously with provision of a headshunt road at rear of the facility for increased operational flexibility.

Warm and cold storage sidings – a set of storage roads for the medium-long term storage of fleets. Storage capacity for up to 400 vehicles with connection to electricity supply units located incrementally along the sidings Carriage wash building and Controlled Emission Toilet (CET) spine facility 25kv OLE infrastructure • Staff block with mess and overnight stay facilities (for 10 staff) Related infrastructure to include access routes, drainage, lighting, electrical substations (5no.), mobile and land based ‘hyper connected’ communications, CCTV, perimeter/security fencing (including

acoustic mitigation as required), Neath and Brecon Branch Line connection.

Additional Facilities

The list below provides further context on the components of some of the main facilities that subject to demand/requirements could include: • A 4-road maintenance shed could provide: • Facility for changing wheelsets/underframe components • A single pitted road to allow underframe inspections • Jacking equipment on all remaining shed roads • CET provisions for all rolling stock - diesel, water and compressed air supplies • Multiple LV power supplies – 100V, 240V etc.

• Multiple 23m raised access gantries to provide full roof access • 5-10 tonne crane on at least one road • Vehicle weighing facilities, software testing facilities, fire testing and emissions testing all within static testing area.

• Rolling stock decommissioning siding to be accessible by a static crane, together with a 1 car shed for covered cleaning.

• Wheelset storage – both covered and uncovered lay-down areas and lockable stillages • Associated laboratory for vehicle weighing facilities, software testing facilities, fire and emissions testing all within static testing area.

• Hydrogen Refuelling facility.

• Research & Development facility to include driver training facility.

• Network Rail compliant platform structure, with potential for full station environment.

This train, rail infrastructure and technology testing facility, will provide unique capability in the UK and Europe, to support innovation in the UK and international rail industry, including the testing of cutting-edge, green technologies. In order to deliver the first phase of the project, the Welsh Government has confirmed a £50 million capital funding loan to be given to Powys Council, while the UK Government has pledged up to £30 million. In further milestone developments, a land option deal has been completed for the sites at the Nant Helen surface mine and Onllwyn coal washery, which will see Celtic Energy gift all the land necessary for the project.

To take the project forward, a new GCRE company will be established as the project transitions from government led, supported by industry to industry led, supported by government. Ken Skates, Minister for Economy, Transport and North Wales, said: “This is an enormously significant step forward in our plans to deliver a world class facility with unique to Europe integrated capabilities. GCRE will be a powerful ‘magnet’ project bringing a major global

industry closer to Wales. It will provide a raft of vital services and wide-ranging research, development and innovation platforms to UK and international train manufacturers, network operators, the wider industry, supply chain and academia. It will also provide significant direct benefits to our national operator Transport for Wales. Working alongside our public and private sector partners we will deliver high quality jobs and training opportunities whilst supporting Welsh exports for decades to come.”

Nigel Brinn Corporate Director (Economy and Environment) at Powys County Council said: “We are delighted that both UK and Welsh Governments have confirmed that they are able to invest in this extremely important project on the Powys border.

The opportunity to deliver such an innovative and economically beneficial restoration and after use for the site is very much welcomed by all at Powys County Council. We look forward to progressing the project as quickly as possible with our Joint Venture Partners of Welsh Government and Neath Port Talbot Council. We are fully committed to doing everything we possibly can to play our part in delivering this project of truly international significance. The opportunity and potential of this project is widely acknowledged, and we are absolutely committed to ensuring that the maximum overall benefit to the region is achieved. We are extremely excited about the opportunity that this initial investment will create, working with research and development partners to establish this Centre of Rail Excellence.”

Neath Port Talbot Council’s Corporate Director of Environment and Regeneration, Nicola Pearce, said: “Neath Port Talbot Council, the Welsh Government and Powys County Council have worked hard with a range of partners to help reach this key milestone.

Subject to planning and other approvals, the Global Centre of Rail Excellence will create a world class facility for research, development and testing of rail technology offering major opportunities for economic growth in the South Wales Valleys and throughout Neath Port Talbot. We look forward to continuing to work with the Welsh Government and our other partners as this project is delivered. The plans are an important addition to the site strategy being brought forward by Celtic Energy, following approval of its restoration proposals in April 2020, and second planning application, approved in July 2020.

Will Watson, Celtic Energy Chief Executive, said: “As our coal mine operations come to the end of their natural lives, we have been working hard to ensure that local communities continue to benefit from well-paid, sustainable employment, whilst we diversify our sites from coal to property, tourism and green energy. We are delighted that the Global Centre of Rail Excellence project has reached another key milestone and we are looking forward to continuing our close working relationship with Welsh Government, local authorities and rail industry players to help deliver a world class facility that will benefit people locally and globally.”

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Richard Walters, Celtic Energy Chairman, added: “As part of the project we have been committed to ensure that the generations, who have previously relied on the coal industry for local employment, continue to benefit from access to sustainable employment. They will now have opportunities to support and promote the expanding rail industry in Wales and across the UK more widely.”

General Comments The site is connected to the existing rail network,

which is critically important, and also has ‘very understanding’ neighbours, as the GCRE intends to operate 24-hours a day. There also aren’t that many sites in the UK with the necessary space to provide 1,000 hectares of mainly flat land connected to the rail network.

As part of the remediation of the former opencast mine, Celtic Energy secured planning approvals from both Powys and Neath Port Talbot councils last summer for earthworks. The Welsh Government has been working closely with Celtic Energy to get the project’s planning consent to this stage.

A third and final application, which is ready for submission to the local authorities, will seek approval to build the track and associated infrastructure and allow it to operate 24-hours a day.

The project is currently at the planning stage.

Work on this project started at the end of 2017 and is scheduled to be complete by 2023/2024.

Consultations were held in the summer of 2019 followed by a further 4-week pre-application consultation in the autumn of 2020. The planning application is currently being submitted with a decision expected in the summer of 2021. Site preparation and construction work is planned for 2021to 2023 with accreditation and validation happening in parallel. If all goes to plan, it is intended that Phase 1 will be operational in 2023 with the site being fully operational in 2025.

What it will provide

The first project, that is expected to be completed by 2023, is an inner ‘kidney shaped’ 4.5km looped track. There will also be a larger outer looped track, extending to 6.9km, and to the south-east associated infrastructure.

The inner track, known as the high tonnage infrastructure testing loop, will allow for the testing of rail infrastructure such as signals and points, as well as new track designs.

This infrastructure cannot be tested on a live railway because there isn’t a safe way of doing it. The internal track will have a wagon travelling around at 40mphs putting new infrastructure through its paces with rigorous assessment. When the owner of the UK rail network Network Rail, which is committed to using the facility, wants to test equipment it has to use the Pueblo testing centre in Colorado, as do equivalent organisations in Europe. The Welsh Government has already had what it describes as ‘promising conversations’ with 84

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potential customers, so are confident of a regular revenue stream associated with the high tonnage testing loop. That is why it is keen to deliver it as the first GCRE project.

While the inner track will be able to test trains at 40mph, which is equivalent to the speed of a London Underground vehicle, its primary focus will be on testing rail infrastructure and interfaces. The outer loop, allowing speeds of 110mph, will be able to test high speed trains, as well as new developments in rolling stock technology such as hydrogen trains.

When testing high speed rolling stock, they don’t need to operate at full speeds.

The GCRE will be able to conduct 90% of the required tests and validation processes of rail vehicles, with the remainder being conducted in a live network environment.

At 110mphs the outer loop will allow trains to travel faster than what is allowed on the existing rail network in Wales.

While rolling stock often grabs the headline, of the £100bn spend committed to the high speed two rail project from London to Birmingham, before reaching northern cities such as Manchester and Leeds, the track and associated infrastructure will take up more than 95% of the cost. The GCRE is well placed to support the testing of high-speed rail infrastructure, as well as its rolling stock.

Network Rail’s testing facility at Milton Mowbray has an accumulated impact per annum of 0.5 mega tonnes. To put that into context the GCRE will be able to absorb up to 50 mega tonnes a year. This compares to say the busiest sections of the West Coast Mainline, which absorb around 100 mega tonnes per year.

Jobs Boost

As one of the most deprived parts of Wales, the Welsh Government is keen to create well-paid employment opportunities with around 150 direct jobs anticipated, but hundreds more in the supply chain.

The Siemens rail testing facility supports around 500 related jobs in Germany. Jobs will also be created in the phased construction of the GCRE.

Funding Each phase has an indicative price tag of £50m, so

taking the overall project to around £150m.

Longer-term, although no firm plans have been drawn up, the Welsh Government is expected to divest from the project while perhaps retaining a small equity stake for the taxpayer. Celtic Energy will have a small equity stake of around 5%.

Earlier this week, (w/e 9th April 2021) Powys County Council and Neath Port Talbot Council approved consent for the earthworks for the new rail testing facility. A new GCRE company will be established to take the project from one that is government-led and supported by industry to one that is industry-led, and supported by government.

William Dean’s Ugly Ducklings When one looks of the deigns of engines produced by the GWR in the 19th century. It is with some puzzlement that one arrives in 1899 with what can only be described as one of the least attractive locomotives that ever came out of Swindon Works.

The Class in question is the Krugers. They had outside frames to the six-coupled driving wheels, but inside frames for the leading wheels. A distinctive visual feature, initially, was a large saddle-shaped sandbox over the first ring of the boiler.

The class had two prototypes: No. 2601, was a 4-6-0, while No. 2602 was a 2-6-0. These first two were built in 1899, while Nos. 2603-2610, all 2-60s, followed later, between 1899 and 1903. Though Dean was officially still in charge, Churchward's influence is evident in the rugged design. Their, perhaps ironic, nickname was as an insult to Paul Kruger, the Boer War leader defeated by Lord Roberts in 1900. In addition, No.2602, which was slightly less ugly as a 2-6-0, nicknamed Mrs Kruger!

Basic dimensions for the class include 2-6-0 wheel arrangement (coupled wheels 4ft 7 1/2 in leading wheels 2ft 8in), boiler pressed at 180 lbf/ in2 and two inside cylinders (19in diameter and 28in stroke).

Perhaps Churchward saw the chance of experimenting in the name of Dean, and this somewhat experimental class was not successful, the boiler with its high pressure and 3ft 6in long combustion chamber gave trouble and the long 28-

inch stroke of the inside cylinders led to fractures of the solid crank axles.

The locos were employed on the coal drags from South Wales but did not prove successful. So, the class was not long-lived, and most were withdrawn around 1906. Several of the boilers were converted for stationary use in Swindon Works. They worked at a reduced pressure (165 lbf/in2) where they proved more successful than as a locomotive. They remained in service there, with at least one surviving until the 1950s.

Their numbers (Nos.2601-2610) were adopted

by Churchward in 1907 for some of the last batch of the more elegant and reliable Aberdare Class 2-6-0s, which may also have re-used some of the "Kruger’s' parts.

(Top) No 2601 in 4-6-0 format (Above) A Krger firebox seen at Swindon in 1964 (Below) The 2-6-0 version of the Krugers. No 2602, rudely nicknamed “Mrs Kruger” after the wife of the Boer War leader

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Taking the GWR Act to Parliament* - Part 2 In 1839, John Williams, Library of Science and Art, 106, Great Russell Street, London published a book written by S C Brees, C.E &c entitled:

APPENDIX TO

RAILWAY PRACTICE,

CONTAINING A COPIOUS ABSTRACT OF THE WHOLE OF THE

EVIDENCE

GIVEN UPON THE LONDON AND BIRMINGHAM, AND GREAT WESTERN

RAILWAY BILLS,

WHEN BEFORE PARLIAMENT, PROPERLY DIGESTED AND ARRANGED WITH MARGINAL NOTES.

AMONG THE SEVERAL WITNESSES EXAMINED WILL BE FOUND THE FOLLOWING EMINENT CIVIL

ENGINEERS: GEORGE STEPHENSON ESQ, CHARLES VIGNOLES, ESQ, ROBERT STEPHENSON ESQ, HENRY R PALMER ESQ, I K BRUNEL, ESQ, GEORGE W BUCK ESQ, J U RASTRICK ESQ, HENRY H PRICE ESQ, JOSEPH LOCKE, ESQ, DR DIONYSIUS LARDNER, &C &C

GEORGE LEATHER ESQ, WILLIAM C MYLNE ESQ, FRANCIS GILES ESQ, COL G HENDERSON, THOMAS CABREY ESQ,

________________________ TO WHICH IS ADDED

A GLOSSARY OF TECHNICAL TERMS,

USED IN CIVIL ENGINEERING, EXPLAINING AND ILLUSTRATING EVERY WORD IN ORDINARY USE, AND THE DETAILS OF HAWTHORNE’S CELEBRATED LOCOMOTIVE ENGINE FOR THE PARIS AND VERSAILLES RAILWAY.

GREAT WESTERN RAILWAY

Abstract of Evidence given before a Committee of the House of Lords, June 1835 Please note, the spelling, capitalisation, punctuation are those of the original publisher - Ed)

Examined Isambard Kingdom Brunel Esq. C.E

(Continued from pp46-52 of the January 2021 issue of Great Western Star)

We have made all the requisite Borings to ascertain the nature of the Soil, which I should say upon the whole is rather favorable.

The only London clay we have is for a short distance after leaving the Birmingham line ; it is in Cutting and the greatest depth is but 22 feet, which is not sufficient to cause any difficulty. From London to Reading it consists almost entirely of excellent Gravel, at Reading there is some Chalk; in the first hill through Reading there is a small quantity of Clay with the Gravel, upon leaving Reading it is I was fortunate to acquire a copy of this book which in 1952 had been in the possession of Harry Withers, Leading Porter, Tewkesbury, ex L.M.R - ed.

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very hard Chalk, which in the neighbouring Quarry stands upright. The Line thence through the north of Berkshire, being upon the surface, the quality of the soil is of no comparative consequence. The Oxford clay, which is as bad as the London Clay, ranges in tat Basin until beyond Swindon, where it is almost entirely Clay, and continues as far as the Avon at Chippenham; upon crossing the Avon it is a Stratafied Stone, rising in beds ;it lies above Oolite of Bath. We wall the sides of our Clay banks, as we shall have Stone at hand. Passing Chippenham the cuts are still in Stratafied Stone; which is very easily worked; they form dry walls of it, in place of hedges, in the neighbourhood. It continues the same until we arrive at Box Hill, wich is in Bath Stone; the entrance of the Tunnel is in Cornbrash, which is Stratafied Stone. We then pass through the bed of Bath Stone, and enter the Clay which lies below it; the first hill after that is in the same Stone, and the next in Clay. The Cuttings are not of any extent until we come to Bath and Bristol; it is principally

Lias Lime Stone and Red Sandstone. Most of these soils will be useful in constructing the Railway : the Cornbrash will be useful : the Gravel would be used for ballasting, it likewise makes good embankments ; Chalk is used for the same purposes. The Soil of the Northern is much superior to the Basing Line, as the valley of the Avon up to Bradford is formed of slippery debris from the hills; they are frequently moving, and a deep cutting through them would be both difficult and dangerous. We have no cuttings in so difficult a soil. A great portion of the Land on the Southern line, at least from Newbury to London, is of inferior value, being principally Heath and Waste Land, which would not influence it much; as there is no surrounding population, it was an object with me to select a direction that would admit of Branches to neighbouring towns and districts.

The Levels, starting from London to Bristol, are as follows : four 4 miles and 32 chains, it rises from the Birmingham Railway at the rate of about 3 feet 10 inches per mile or 1 in 1367, which in reference to Locomotive power is nearly level; then, for nearly a mile, it rises 6 inches per mile or 1 in 9900 ; then, for two m il es, it rises 5 feet 6 inches per mile ; or in other words, For the first 50 mil es from Lon d on , there is nothing above 6 feet 7 inches per mile : it is generally running fro m a Level to 4 or 5 feet per

mile, then there are some inclinations of 7 feet 10 inches per mile ; but in the first 74 miles there is nothing above 7 feet 10 inches per mile or 1 in 673; to the 96th mile there is nothing above 11 feet and a fraction per mile ; so that the highest inclination we have to encounter with the Locomotive power is 11½ feet per mile, which is 1 in 473. At the Box Tunnel comes an inclination of 2 miles, 36 chains at 49 feet and a fraction per mile or 1 in 107.

The Levels of the Basing Line a re as follows: about 6 continuous miles and 54 chains , or I in 202, which is about 26 feet per mile, near Devizes ; there is also a Plane near Hungerford, 7½ continuous miles, 1 in 250, which is about 22 feet per mile ; there is another Plane near Burbidge 3¼ miles, 1 in 264, which is about 20 feet per mile ; there are several shorter ones, 1 in 330 or 16 feet per mile.

There are several upon the Southampton line 16 feet per mile.

The Proportion of Power required at those different inclinations, supposing the power of the engines to be the same, would be as follows : taking the friction at 280, or 8lb per ton, which is about what it is in practice, supposing the Weight of the Engine to be 10 tons, and the gross Load drawn upon the Level to be 110tons, it is found to be 1 in 473 ; the gross Load would be 59tons and a fraction ; this is the

Gradients of the Great Western Railway

Distance from Bristol Mls chs 4 53 8 59 11 0 11 24 11 45 11 75 16 57 19 13 21 18 24 38 26 73 27 41 41 17 50 4 59 11 59 53 62 0 66 4 76 76 77 78 83 31 85 20 88 69 96 40 104 77 107 40 108 1 110 0 110 75 115 27

Total Length Difference of Level Gradients rise from of Per Mile Proportion Bristol Gradient Rise Fall to Base Ft ins Ft ins Ft ins Ft in 5 7 4 53 5 7 1 2 1/4409 21 6 4 6 15 1 3 11 1/1845 37 0 2 21 15 6 6 10 1/771 38 6 0 24 1 6 5 0 1/1056 34 0 0 21 4 6 17 2 1/308 34 6 0 30 0 6 1 4 1/3960 77 6 4 62 43 0 9 0 1/586 199 0 2 36 121 6 49 7 1/106 176 9 2 5 22 3 10 9 1/48 140 6 3 20 36 3 11 2 1/473 140 3 2 35 0 3 0 1 1/51480 141 6 0 48 1 3 2 1 1/2534 289 0 13 56 147 6 10 9 1/490 240 0 8 67 49 0 5 6 1/952 172 0 9 7 68 0 7 6 1/706 171 0 0 42 1 0 1 11 1/2772 157 9 2 27 13 3 5 8 1/931 126 0 4 4 31 9 7 10 1/673 105 0 10 72 21 0 1 11 1/2741 100 3 1 2 4 9 4 8 1/1139 89 6 5 33 10 9 2 0 1/2658 96 3 1 69 6 9 3 7 1/1457 92 0 3 49 4 3 1 2 1/4488 50 0 7 51 42 0 5 6 1/960 46 6 8 37 3 6 0 5 1/12766 61 6 2 43 15 0 5 11 1/893 61 6 0 41 Level Level 50 6 1 79 11 0 5 6 1/954 50 0 0 75 0 6 0 6 1/9900 67 0 4 32 17 0 3 10 1/1367 Spring 2021

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greatest Inclination on the great Western, except the Plane near Box, where it is intended to have an Assistant Power of some description to overcome it.

At 1 in 202, it would be 1 in 36, and the proportion between those would be as 100 is to 163½ : so that supposing the Engines to go along the whole of the Basing Line, and to carry their load up the long inclination, the proportion of the Load would be diminished in the proportion of 100 to 163, a loss of Power of 63 per cent; but supposing them to have an Assistant Engine upon that Plane of 6 miles, as we have near Box, 2½miles, they having to attain a greater elevation, but doing it more gradually, and as the other Planes that remain upon the line would govern the power of the Engine, the proportion of the Power would be for the Plane of 264, as 100 to 163, or 36 per cent over the power required upon the steepest Plane upon the Great Western ; and supposing them still to have an Assistant engine upon those two Planes, making three long Planes altogether, still the general run of the Inclinations of 16 feet per mile would require and increase of power of 20 per cent, more than would be required upon the whole length of the Great Western, with the exception of the Plane; that is upon a supposition of three Assistant Engines being upon different parts of the Line ; one at the Plane at 6½ miles, another at the Plane of 7 miles and 28 chains, another of 3¼ miles ; all these Planes are between Basing and Bath. By going slower at these Inclined Planes, Engines of less power may be used, but I have supposed Engines of equal power, carrying equal weights, with equal speed ; this induces me to say, that there can be no doubt as to the Northern Line being the best. On the Other, some of the Levels are very steep, whereas we are able to keep them low ; even if the communication with great Towns was equal, I should prefer the Northern.

I stated, that in their long Inclination of 1 in 202, they have to rise a greater total height thanwe have in our short one of 1 in 107. We preferred a short steep Inclination to a long one, and in in 202 would be very steep, and to carry Engines all along the Line of sufficient Power to get up would be very expensive.

Our Plane would not be so steep as absolutely to require additional power ; as upon the Plane on the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, which is steeper, they do not always use an Assistant Engine, The terminus of the Southampton Railway, as laid down, is about 35 chains along the Turnpike Road, above the foot of Vauxhall Bridge The Amount of Cuttings upon our Line are as follows : between London and Reading, 2,402, 173 cubic yards ; from Reading and Bath, 6,386,042, making a total of 9,750,156, which includes the Branches : this gives upon an average about 78,000 to the mile.

Spoil Banks are made where there is more earth than is required for the embankments, and land is obliged to be purchased, upon which it is laid in heaps, to save it being carried away. We have no Spoil Banks, they are generally considered objectionable.

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Side Cuttings are made to get earth to make embankments, when there is not sufficient ; we have none upon the Great Western. There is but one place where we have any Cutting above 40 or 50 feet dep and that is 70 ; the general run of our deepest cutting is 30 to 40 feet deep ; our Embankments are from 25 to 30 feet ; there is a short one near Box, nearly 40 feet ; it is 37 feet near Chippenham ; over the Brent, near London it is more than 40 feet.

We regulate the height of an embankment according to the quantity of Cutting we have to form it, although it must be regulated by the general level of the Railway, yet that level is regulated by the line of the country.

Our Cuttings and Embankments are nearly equal.

At the Brent there is a Viaduct of nine arches, from 60 to 63 feet high and 60 feet span, the estimated cost of which is £22,000 ; and at one end of the Viaduct, for a short distance, the embankment is at that height, which would be principally in gravel.

The Cuttings upon the Basing Line are as follows: • From London to Basing about 10,000,000 cubic yards as stated by Mr Giles in the House of Lords last year ; • from Basing to Bath I make 11,500,000 (some engineers state it may be reduced to 10,596,000) and • from Bath to Bristol 2,500,000 – that would make altogether 24,00,00 of excavation.

There are several deep cuttings on the Southampton line from London to Southampton : there is a cutting near London of 116 feet, I believe they have reduced it 10 or 12 feet ; there is one of 116 feet through St George’s Hill, near Oatlands ; there is a cutting at Frimley from 60 to 90 feet ; from Basing to Bath there is much heavy cutting ; there is a short tunnel of half a mile near Bradford, where the Cutting is from 70 to 75 feet at one end and 6 feet at the other ; then they come to a hill with a Cutting of 114 feet ; then there is Cutting 100 feet deep, an another 90.

The Tunnel through the hill at Claverton is just upwards of one mile in length, and in 110 feet at one end and 68 feet at the other ; it is laid down level but the Engineer stated he should give it an Inclination probably of 26 feet per mile ; it is intended to be worked without shafts and the soil taken out a the ends ; he proposed carrying a small driftway, and then enlarge it, in order to have a number of places to work at once ; but still the materials must be taken in, and the earth brought out at the ends.

The extreme Height of earth above the Tunnel is 375 feet; there is a height of 35 feet for half a mile, it then drops ; it is almost out of the question having shafts, although they are necessary for the Ventilation. This tunnel would occupy about three minutes to pass through. (The Box Tunnel would occupy about 5 to 6 minutes at the same speed).

We might have had all our Tunnels Open Cuttings, except the Box Tunnel, withput exceeding the amount of Cuttings upon the Basing Line.

Estimated Expences (see below) Excavation and Embankments, 9,750,000 yards at 1s per cubic yard….................. £487,500 Masonry, including Bridges, Viaducts, drains and walling……….............................. 459,725 Tunneling………………………………………………………………………......................... 279,195 Forming the road, fencing, &c at about £5,000 per mile…………….......................... 630,400 Depots…………………………………………………………………..................................... 57,000 Locomotive power, carriages &c………………………………………............................... 57,000 Land and compensation, allowing a large overplus for contingencies

upon the land…………......................................................................................280,000

Making a Total of………………………......................................£2,250,820 And leaving something more than 10 per cent for contingencies….............................249,180 Making a Total of……………….....................................………£2,500,000 I consider a deep Cutting through open Pleasure Grounds more objectionable than a Tunnel beneath them, and am embankment still more objectionable.

If I had expunged all the Tunnels, with the exception of Box Tunnel, and a small one near Bristol, it would have raised the Line a little, and made an addition of 2,000,000 cubic yards of Cutting.

A Cutting, 14 to 20 feet, is the most advantageous Cutting, both in reference to the expence (if it was 30 feet, it would make a difference in the cost of a Bridge) and to the convenience of the Landowner ; being just the height of the Bridges, and gives a free communication upon a level ; where Cuttings are deeper, it causes great gashes in the land, and makes a greater number of communications necessary. The same thing applies to Embankments, the higher they are the longer the Arches must be, and it causes greater expence to proprietors should they wish to construct an arch for their private use.

The severance of Land is also more expensive where in deep Cutting or high Embankment ; therefore, the Basing Line, independent of expence, interferes more with the country, the amount of Cutting between Basing and Bristol being 14,000,000. ; the expence of the Land alone between those two points is 40 per cent greater than ours, which is under 10,000,000 ; and the Bridges would also be more expensive.

The London and Southampton Railway up to Basingstoke, and from Basingstoke to Bristol, averages about 200,000 yards a mile of Cutting. The London and Birmingham averages about 11,000.

The Liverpool and Manchester 100,000 and the Great Western 78 or 80,000.

From London to Basing there are no Tunnels; from Basing to bath one a mile in length, and another ½ a mile. Out total length of Tunneling is 4 miles 54 chains ; we have a few chains less Tunnelling than the London and Birmingham, which is 111 miles long. The total amount of Tunnelling upon our Line, including removal of soil, lining &c amounts to £280,000.

The Tunnelling upon the Basingstoke amounts to about 2,600 yards, of much worse soil than ours; the Engineer of the Line admits it to be Fuller’s Earth, with springs in it, and take it at £40 per

yard, which is less than I have put it at, amounts to £104,000, which is much below what it will cost.

The aggregate Amount of Cutting and Tunnelling upon our Line amounts to £767,500. The quantities upon the other Line from Basing to London, at the same prices, although their lead is a mile longer than ours, amounts to £810,000.

The Estimate includes all expences attending the Works, as well as the expence of the Railway, allowing a large amount for Contingencies and unforeseen difficulties. I was not limited to any precise Amount to be expended ; my original statement was about £2,700,000., £2,800,000, or £3,000,000., but I found it would not amount to that sum ; my Estimate has been approved of by several Engineers. The Details are as shown above.

The prices are about the same as are now being paid upon the London and Birmingham Railway.

To excavate Gravel, which is a tolerably easy soil, and carry it a distance of three miles, would be very cheap at 1s per cubic yard, which is the price I have allowed for Cuttings and Embankments on our Line ; The average lead being 2¼ miles, (we have leads of 6 miles but the average is 2¼ miles) the leads on the Basing line are longer. One shilling is the price paid on the London and Birmingham Railway.

We have allowed about 4 bridges per mile for the Accommodation of the Public and Owners of the Land ; and the annual expence of keeping them in repair is not much.

In the event of their being an Enclosure Act, the expence of Bridges for any new Roads would fall upon the Company ; but the cost of bridges is greater in an unenclosed country than in an Enclosed, because there are a greater number of small narrow rods, than where it is better laid out.

I have examined the country between our Railway and Gloucester, with a view to a Communication, and find to the eastward of Gloucester there is a range called Cottswold Hills, which to a certain extent cut off Gloucester from any Communication ; these hills are that part of the Line between Cheltenham and Oxford : and a Line between Tring and Gloucester would be across the highest part of these hills, where all the Streams run that supply the numerous Rivers both East and West of this part of England ; the Thames is close by, and all the Streams that run Spring 2021

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down into the Severn, so I do not consider a Line between the latter places altogether practicable. The branch to Gloucester leaves our Line at Swindon, and there being no break whatever in the before mentioned range of Hills, except one which was taken many years ago the Stroud Canal Company, we should pass through the same gap, the summit Level of that Canal being 90 ft lower than the Kennet and Avon Canal. The water communication between Stroud and Gloucester branches off at Swindon and gets to Oxford North East by East ; it then branches into two, and joins the Wilts and Berks Canal. It is in this same valley that the railway passes, and on the North of the Marlborough downs. If I was employed to point out the best line between Gloucester and London, I should bring it in this same direction, as I do not think that I could carry any Line from Oxford to Gloucester without coming as far as Byberry Colne and St Aldwins, which would bring it within five or six miles of the Canal I am speaking of.

The Great Western is the only Line between Bristol and London which affords the means of Communication with other Towns in that district.

Between London and Bristol there is the large Chalk range, that extends from the Bristol Channel a considerable way up to Wantage, and the centre of the County of Berks, and drawing a meridian at Reading, another a little East of Bath, there is a complete table land, very elevated, between the two places ; and there are no large commercial Towns between the two ; so that a railway would be almost impracticable. But there is a valley between Basingstoke and Bath; by following the gap, although you are cut off from Branches to the South, you get into a valley 150 feet lower and have the North open to you. The large Towns west of Bradford and Trowbridge are open equally to one and to the other.

A communication may be made from Bristol to Southampton, by a Branch from our line at Reading or Twyford ; but the communication between the two places is very inconsiderable, as a proportion of two Coaches and a half only leave Bath and Bristol for that direction daily, so that it would never pay for a railway.

I have not yet constructed a Railway, but I have been engaged upon works where Railways have been used.

I was Engineer to this same projected line, during the last session of Parliament. It was then from London to Reading, and from Bath to Bristol only, omitting the part between Reading and Bath.

I calculated it would take about two years to complete that part of the Line between Bristol and Bath.

The Expences incurred in Parliament las year were about £35,000 to £40,000 which will be included in the cost of the work and allowed for out of £200,000 for Contingencies.

I examined three spots with a view to a Terminus in London : one near Waterloo Bridge, one near Millbank and one near Vauxhall Bridge. (I stated 90

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before the Committee last year, that the Termination next the River from the Hoop and Toy at Vauxhall, by a Viaduct would cost £180,000, not £800,000 as erroneously reported.) There was also another one near Paddington.

A terminus on the Banks of the Thames certainly would be desirable, if other advantages were combined with it. I thought, and still think, that the Terminus that we had at Vauxhall Bridge was better than joining the Birmingham Railway. I also thought that two large Railroads bringing their Traffic to the same part of Town an objection, besides the difficulty of making arrangements between the two Companies.

The Terminus of the London and Birmingham Railway, according to the Extension is at Euston grove, (I think at an Inclination of 1 in 86 or 90) which situation is convenient. Light goods could be distributed all over London in Carts and Wagons, and Heavy Goods would go down the Regent’s Canal to be carried by the River ; a great increase in Trade is expected upon the Canal. I therefore think it is perfectly capable of carrying our Trade.

I stated last year, when the terminus was intended to be at Vauxhall, that I considered that a Line like the present, by the Paddington Canal and the Regent’s Canal to the pool on the whole objectionable, as there are twelve Locks, occupying seven or eight hours in going down ; and is therefore expensive, and I am still of the opinion that it is objectionable compared with a better.

The main Depot on the Liverpool and Manchester Railway is in the street, above 200 yards from the nearest wharf. There are no means of kifting goods from the ship to the wharf by a crane and therefore anything going by the Railway heavier than a man can carry must be put into a Cart and taken to the Dêpot ;in fact, Vessels that are engaged in the Liverpool and Manchester Trade do not come to that Dock, but stop half a mile off, where the Goods are generally unshipped and taken to the Warehouse of the Consignees, and afterwards sent to the railway.

The distance from the Terminus of the Railway to the Wharf is no more than 50 yards.

(This same Railway crosses one Turnpike Road upon a Level.)

At Bristol, the Trade is carried on in much the same manner, except to a greater extent, the Warehouses not being at the Wharf.

To sum up, the general advantage of this Line are as follows: the Country is naturally Level, affording an opportunity of making a Level Railway ; there are great facilities for making Branches to many parts of the West of England and the Soil offers very great facilities of Construction, as the greater part of it is in Gravel or Stone, which is valuable and easily worked. (Of course Devonshire and Cornwall are upon both to the Great Western and Basing Lines.)

Railway Art Gallery In this special section, we look at the work of a ex-Pat railway enthusiast who lives in Australia but just loves painting pictures of railway scenes. It is hoped that in future editions we may be able to highlight the work of other lesser-known artistswho revel in portraying the beauty and majesty of railways.

If you are an artist who would like to be featured or who knows someone who should be featured with their portrayal of the railways that we all love, then please let us know - Ed

Freight train driver wins landscape photography award Freight train driver Dylan Nardini has been crowned this year’s Scottish Landscape Photographer of the Year. He won the overall prize with a portfolio of three images taken on the Isle of Arran, at Leadhills and Chatelherault Country Park in South Lanarkshire.

Mr Nardini said: “Knowing that the judges have seen something pleasing in my work is so flattering and has given me a huge boost in what has been a very tough year for so many. I’d like to thank my wife Louise, kids Gypsy and Martha for putting up with me going on about light everywhere we go and disappearing early on so many mornings, to hunt those little magical moments that highlight our beautiful country.”

The 47-year-old from Hamilton has been interested in photography since a young age, but says he developed his passion for landscapes through his work driving trains for the last 28 years.

(Top) Leadhills; (Above) Isle of Arran and (Right) Autumn colours at Chatelherault Country Park in another of Mr Nardini’s winning pictures Spring 2021

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Railway Art Gallery

Mark Cox BA Carmarthenshire artist Mark Cox is an eclectic artist who enjoys working on a variety of subjects, producing landscapes, marine and coastal paintings. He works in both oils and watercolours. Mark, who has been painting all his life, gained an honours degree in fine art at Trinity College, Carmarthen and values the skills and techniques that can only come from years of practice and experience.

He says, “I have been incredibly lucky in having had two modestly successful careers.

Although I have been painting all my life, I only went full-time in 2003. I have no idea how many paintings I have painted in all, but I have sold more than one thousand one hundred of them. This has meant painting 5-6 days a week. I have thoroughly enjoyed this and have been lucky to meet some wonderful people both customers and other artists. My paintings have been bought by all groups of people from some very well-known personalities to a pair of children who wanted a painting for their mom at Christmas (not a profit in that one!). I have been supported in this by my good lady Alex who is a trained bespoke framer who has done

A Black 5 crossing the Bascule Bridge at Carmarthen

Another Black 5, this time on Washwood Heath, near Mark’s old house

Gwarchodwr Cymreig (Welsh Guardsman) one of the saddle tanks on the Gwili Railway 92

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David Lloyd George on the Festiniog Railway

all my framing, run the business, exhibitions, tax..

I have blogged on pretty much a daily basis for 7 years. I hope that someone has enjoyed reading them. I have shown widely in Carmarthenshire, Bristol, Brecon, Newport, Dublin, Mid and South-West Wales, including Cardiff and the National Assembly for Wales.

My paintings have been sent as far as Australia and the USA and are in public as well as private collections.

However, we have now decided to call it a day and we officially finished at the end of the financial year (2018). My paintings will no longer be available in any gallery, although I may do a bit of painting and sketching for pleasure.

The paintings featured here include one of a Stanier Black Five crossing the Bascule Bridge at Carmarthen. I have a real fascination with steam locos. originating from my boyhood and although I don't sell enough to warrant doing more than the odd picture. I do enjoy doing them. Alex and I went to visit the Gwili Railway.

It is on our doorstep and yet although I have been to draw and paint there, we had never been for a train ride. It was really nice - the volunteers are so friendly, and the trains bring

back happy memories. Another painting is of Gwarchodwr Cymreig (Welsh Guardsman) one of their saddle tanks.

David Lloyd George was not only a famous Welsh Prime Minister, but he was also a steam engine on the Ffestiniog Railway! We went on this train in the Summer. I admit being a sucker for steam engines and traction engines... I am not a fanatic, but I did as a child collect railway engine numbers. The setting is generic to the hills around Blaenau Ffestiniog and the engine details I got using my photographs as a reference. I then did a drawing to sort out the composition and engine details before getting on with the painting.

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Banbury & Cheltenham Direct Railway – Then & Now Part 1 – Then Peter Towey In the first part of this article, we shall look at some of the history behind the Banbury and Cheltenham Direct Railway, followed in Part 2, by a résumé of a walk along its trackbed that was undertaken in 2020. While it is a fairly long article, it does cover the history of a abandoned line and looks at it from two contrasting angles.

It is hoped that we may be able to publish more of these articles in the future (to all budding authors, please get walking!) - Ed The origins of the B&CDR stem from the desire to include much of the Cotswolds rural areas of Gloucestershire into the national rail network, which otherwise would remain incredibly isolated from the rest of the country. Upon completion of the railway line, it was also envisaged that a direct link would be created between North Oxfordshire’s iron ore fields and the Coalfield of South Wales thus making it possible for the carriage of important minerals and valuable traffic along the proposed route.

The overall route was created in stages by various railway companies all of which eventually became a part of the Great Western Railway company. The Banbury and Cheltenham Direct Railway once completed, would eventually connect the two towns via junctions at either end – one at Lansdown in Cheltenham and the other at Kings Sutton, just south of Banbury.

The use of existing main lines would prove pivotal in the completion of this cross-country south west, north east route, which was to pass over some of the highest hills in the Cotswolds escarpment by way of many deep cuttings, high embankments, bridges, viaducts, and tunnels.

Main Towns and Cities

The 1st part of the route to be opened that would eventually be used by the B&CDR was the spur between Cheltenham’s Lansdown station on the main Midland Line to Cheltenham’s St. James station which was more central to the town. This was first opened on October 23rd 1847 by the GWR, who had taken over operations from the line’s original proposer the Cheltenham and Great Western Union Railway.

At the far north eastern end of what would become the route of the B&CDR, the Oxford and Rugby Railway opened between Oxford and Banbury on September 2nd 1850 which, albeit unknowingly at the time, created the 2nd section of the line that would be traversed by the B&CDR between Kings Sutton and Banbury.

The next piece of the B&CDR jigsaw to fall into place was when the Oxford, Worcester & Wolverhampton Railway (OW&WR) opened fully on June 4th 1853 providing through passage between Oxford to Worcester and on to Wolverhampton.

Filling the Gaps – The Branch Lines With these major railway lines now having been constructed connecting the larger towns and centres, thought was given over time to the fact that the more minor and peripheral communities and villages across the Cotswolds region would be missing out on an important link to what had become the national rail network. To that end, a series of branch lines were considered that would join these more lightly populated, countrified areas with the rail network.

The first of these to come to fruition was the

(Route map of the B&CDR – The Railway Magazine August 1955) 94

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Chipping Norton station with a ‘Prairie’ tank awaiting departure for Kingham in 1960 (Geoffrey Bannister)

Chipping Norton Railway – a branch line that would connect Chipping Norton to the east, with the main OW&WR. A new station was needed, and it was decided to site this between Shipton and Adlestrop on the OW&WR. The new station was named Chipping Norton Junction and it opened on June 8th 1855 for goods trains and on August 18th 1855 for passengers. The first real stretch of what was to become the B&CDR had begun to take traffic.

The next branch line to appear was the Bourtonon-the-Water Railway which would use the same connecting station at Chipping Norton junction on the OW&WR to reach the village of Bourton-on-theWater to the south east. This opened to passengers and freight on March 1st 1862 and would help in growing Bourton-on-the-Water as a village that many tourists would come to visit.

In the meantime, the East Gloucestershire Railway had been formed in 1861 with a view to creating a railway line that would connect Cheltenham to Lechlade and then diverge both to Witney and Faringdon, thus providing 2 routes into London. The line was to be routed via, Charlton Kings, Andoversford and Fairford.

Fearing unwanted competition from rival railway companies in the area, the GWR offered incentives for the EGR to cease plans for their conceived branch Railway cutting construction between Andoversford & Notgrove 1870s / 80s (The Mantle family))

Bourton-on-the-Water station in 1914 with Harold Simpson leaving for WW1 (The Simpson family)

to Witney and to create a railway line to Bourton-onthe-Water instead.

The Banbury & Cheltenham Direct Railway

For varying reasons and following later EGR propositions, the East Gloucestershire Railway did not come to fruition and after nearly a decade, a new company entitled the Banbury and Cheltenham Direct Railway was eventually formed in the early 1870s to resurrect the earlier proposals of the EGR and build a railway line that would connect Cheltenham with Banbury, making use of the already existing Bourton-on-the-Water and Chipping Norton branch lines.

To this end, construction work began in late 1874 particularly on the western end of the line between Lansdown Junction in Cheltenham and Bourton-on-the-Water. Work was finally completed in 1881 and the Banbury & Cheltenham Direct Railway was eventually opened on June 1st 1881, allowing passengers to travel from Cheltenham St. James as far as Chipping Norton. Through trains would operate between Cheltenham and Chipping Norton Junction and with those wishing to carry on to Chipping Norton having to change trains here.

Following completion of the western section of the line, construction could then continue in earnest on the eastern section between Chipping Norton and Kings Sutton, a good part of this of which had already been completed by 1880. Work continued on this stretch of line including major engineering works such as a viaduct and 2 tunnels with the Through the A44 road bridge to the southern portal of the Chipping Norton Tunnel in 1960 (Colin Maggs)

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Banbury & Cheltenham Direct Railway finally opening to the public from Chipping Norton to Kings Sutton on April 6th 1887. At Kings Sutton station, which had been opened by the GWR on June 1st 1872, the B&CDR would join the Oxford and Rugby Railway main line by way of a junction for its short, 4 mile run north eastwards into Banbury.

At Last – a Through Route!

A through route was now available to both passengers and freight from Banbury in the Cherwell Valley to Cheltenham at the edge of the Cotswolds in the north east of the south western region of England.

The Banbury and Cheltenham Direct Railway was utilised in the main as two separate branch line workings – one from Cheltenham to Chipping Norton Junction (re-named as Kingham on May 1st 1909 due to the potential confusion with Chipping Norton station) – from where passengers would have to change for onward travel to Banbury and vice versa.

The penultimate stretch of line to be completed, which would be used by trains traversing the B&CDR was a small section at the Cheltenham end of the line just south of Lansdown Junction that would curve to the left, heading south onto the Birmingham and Gloucester main line towards Gloucester. Even though the earthworks had been completed for this section more than two decades earlier, probably by the East Gloucestershire Railway company, it wasn’t

Hatherley Loop Junction from the Kingham line.

Gloucester to the left, Lansdown Junction to the right (M. P. Barnsely coll.)

opened until the early 1900s. This curved section of line made up the 3rd arm of a triangular junction, allowing, for example, trains to run from the north Oxfordshire iron ore producing areas through to South Wales and for long distance services such as the ‘Ports to Ports express’ to utilise the B&CDR on its journey from Newcastle to Swansea. This southern arm of the triangular junction was known as the Hatherley Loop. The northern arm of the loop, of course, brought the line to Lansdown Junction where trains joined the Birmingham and Gloucester main line and could either branch off to the right to Cheltenham St. James terminus or continue northbound on the Birmingham and Gloucester line.

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The ‘Ports to Ports’ Swansea to Newcastle Express exiting the Kingham avoiding line in 1922 (H. G. W. Household)

The Missing Link

The final minor section of the B&CDR to be built was the Chipping Norton Junction (Kingham) avoiding line in 1906. Until then, any train that needed through passage between Banbury and Cheltenham had to reverse at Chipping Norton Junction which was, of course, inconvenient. To circumvent this inconvenience, the GWR constructed a bridge over the main OW&WR line and a junction to the west and east of the station allowing through trains to pass over, thus avoiding the need to reverse into Chipping Norton Junction. This triangular section became known as the Kingham Loop and was opened to goods traffic on January 8th 1906 and to passengers on May 1st 1906.

As soon as the Chipping Norton Junction avoiding was in place, it was used as a through route by the ‘Ports to Ports’ express, a long-distance service of up to 8 carriages that travelled from Newcastle-uponTyne to Cardiff initially and, later, to Swansea and continued using this route over the B&CDR until September 1939.

Disappointing Traffic Flow Overall, the Banbury and Cheltenham Direct

Railway was a line that covered primarily rural and countrified areas, traffic levels remained modest throughout its life and it was never able to rise above the status of a branch line. The increase in road traffic with both private vehicle owners, buses and hauliers taking advantage of the vastly increasing UK road network in the post war years, meant that it was only a matter of time before rural branch lines such as the Banbury and Cheltenham Direct Railway would experience a downturn in both passenger and freight numbers using their railway.

The End is in Sight!

In a similar fashion to its opening, various sections of the B&CDR were closed, and services withdrawn at various times, the first stretch to be closed being the Chipping Norton to Kings Sutton part of the line

Bloxham station prior to the cessation of passenger services in June 1951 (W. A. Camwell)

which finally closed to passenger traffic June 2nd 1951.

Encouraged by a newly elected Conservative government, railway closures began to gather pace with the emphasis on promoting road travel and to that end, the eastern end of the B&CDR was next to fall victim to circumstances of the time, with passengers making their final journeys between Cheltenham St. James and Kingham on October 13th 1962.

Effect Upon Freight

Freight services were then withdrawn between Chipping Norton and Rollright on November 30th 1962 and the final passenger trains ran on the Kingham to Chipping Norton section on December 1st 1962, with many local people turning out to mark the sad occasion. Freight however, continued to be transported from Bourton-on-the-Water to Kingham and from Kingham to Chipping Norton until the line was finally closed to all traffic on September 7th 1964, meaning the true end of all operations for what were the original Chipping Norton Railway and Bourton-on-the-Water Railway branches.

The section of line between Hook Norton and Adderbury having remained open until this point for freight services only, was officially closed on November 4th 1963, whilst at the far eastern end of the line the final closure saw the Adderbury to Kings Sutton section eventually close to all traffic in August 1969 having also remained open as a goods line only.

Cheltenham St. James station approach May 1964 (Ben Ashworth) After the Official Closure

Following the closure of all official services on the Banbury and Cheltenham Direct Railway, certain infrastructure remained, and services operated on the extremities of the line for a few years to come.

At the eastern end of the line, the junction at Kings Sutton with the old Oxford and Rugby Railway along with a short section of line remained open until 1971. At the western end of the route, Cheltenham St. James station and Malvern Road station had both closed to passengers on January 3rd 1966 with St. James continuing to take goods traffic until October 31st 1966.

Also at the western end, the section of double track between Malvern Road junction, where the Honeybourne Line converged and Lansdown junction where the lines met the Midland main line, continued to see traffic for several years.

Scheduled passenger workings continued operating from the Honeybourne line over this stretch to until March 23rd 1968 and thereafter it was used primarily as a diversionary route until August 25th 1976. The line was eventually lifted from July 1979.

Part 2 – Now (2020) Peter Towey and Paul Towey

Adderbury sidings with the final goods train in 1969 – Adderbury Historical Association)

This brings us to the second part of this article which takes a brief look at a walk undertaken in the summer of 2020 by my cousin Paul Towey and I, along as much of the trackbed, or course of it, as was possible between the former Cheltenham St. James station and Kingham to see just how the passage of 58 years since the line’s closure had treated the old Banbury and Cheltenham Direct Railway line.

Our walk was inspired by various factors – in addition to an ever growing interest in local history and past railway infrastructure in the area, the B&CDR held a particular fascination for more personal, pertinent reasons.

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(Above) Cheltenham Spa St. James station 1960 (Lens of Sutton coll) (bottom) The same site in 2020 (Peter Towey)

The Family Link

Our Grandfather, Patrick Towey, worked for MacAlpines in construction and was among the foremen who oversaw the gangers working on the widening of the Lansdown Road bridge in Cheltenham circa 1940 – the sole reason this branch of our family came to be living in the town in the first place – which we still do to this day.

Then in the 1940s and 1950s, our Fathers, Michael Towey and James Towey were sent to boarding schools in Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire respectively and both used to travel the line as children from Cheltenham St. James to Kingham before changing trains for their onward journeys.

So, when restrictions permitted during the ‘lockdown’ year of 2020, we made the decision to ‘walk the line’ and cover as much of the B&CDR trackbed course as we could, with the aim of putting together a full photographic record of the journey and recording any and all of the railway infrastructure that may still be in place.

We were incredibly and very pleasantly surprised at just how much of this railway infrastructure still remained after so many years of disuse and will attempt to convey this over the following paragraphs.

Leaving Cheltenham

There will be no surprise that the early stages of the walk in Cheltenham covers ground that is now very much developed, with the areas of Hatherley, Warden Hill, Leckhampton and Charlton Kings and their housing estates having swallowed up much of the trackbed.

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(Above) Malvern Road bridge 1964 (G. Adams & M. J. Stretton coll.) (below) in 2020 – Peter Towey)

of the railway line even in the most built-up of areas.

From the site of the former St. James station and approach, now principally occupied by offices and a Waitrose, the trackbed has been converted into a walkway, first passing under St. Georges Road bridge, then Malvern Road bridge before reaching the site of Malvern Road station which has some platform edging still in place and then under Queens Road bridge where official path ends and the B&CDR trackbed shortly meets the Midland main line at what was Lansdown Junction, just south of Cheltenham Lansdown station.

The former B&CDR now veers off to the left of the main line at the start of its 90 degree curve, just north of the old signal box which is still in situ. and makes its way through Dean Close school land after which we rejoin it as it passes through Hatherley.

Just beyond the site of the long dismantled Hatherley Road bridge, the line courses through what is now Browning Mews and Alma Close before reaching the site of Alma Road bridge, now also long gone.

Having passed the old Alma Road bridge site, we follow the course of the trackbed along what is now Warren Close to the site of where Warden Hill Road bridge once stood, carrying trains across Warden Hill Road and now passing from the area of Hatherley and into Warden Hill.

Beyond this, the trackbed enters land that is now occupied by Bournside school and we rejoin the line a little further on via a footpath at the site of where Bournside farm bridge used to carry a track over the line. Even in built up areas such as this, the remains of lineside fencing and posts are still in evidence as a giveaway as to what used to be here.

Carrying on, we walk the trackbed as far as possible until houses are reached that have been built on

(Above) Kingham to Cheltenham train passing Lansdown Junction 1962 (E. Wilmshurst) (Below) The same trackbed leading to Cheltenham St. James in 2020 (Peter Towey)

(Above) Cheltenham to Andover train passing Shurdington Fields, Bournside 1925 (H. G. W. Household) (Below) 2020 (Peter Towey)

the line just west of where the Shurdington Road bridge stood, carrying the A46 trunk road overhead the B&CDR. We rejoin the line at the former Moorend (foot) Crossing where we are granted a glimpse of the remains of the crossing gates and posts still in place before we make our way through a modern estate road to Moorend Park Road bridge, still very much in use today.

to walk the line as far as Little Herberts Road bridge which is still in use by traffic today.

Beyond this, the trackbed is once again reclaimed by private gardens in Charlton Kings until we reach a foot crossing of the line and then the site of Ashgrove Farm bridge which is now demolished, with only the track remaining.

Leckhampton to Charlton Kings

Now in Leckhampton, we follow Eyon Close along the course of the old trackbed until we reach the site of where the now demolished Moorend Cresent bridge and make our way past the developed area to much used Leckhampton Road bridge and the site of Leckhampton Road station.

Just beyond this there is a 3 arched bridge that originally led to Naunton farm and we can carry on along the trackbed which is now a nature reserve as far as Pilley bridge and beyond this to a footbridge over the B&CDR which is unused, though still in situ today.

The trackbed now enters land belonging to the Old Patesians club and we continue to Sandy Lane bridge which is part filled in though still carries road traffic overhead.

We are now in Charlton Kings and the line here is not walkable as it continues along gardens that have been extended across the old trackbed as far as the site of Charlton Kings station, though there is a foot crossing leading to the adjoining golf course where a footbridge once stood.

Just beyond the station is Cirencester Road bridge and another nature reserve which allows us

Charlton Kings to Andoversford

From here we continue to Coxhorne Farm bridge which is in very good condition today and then along an embankment to Whitehorn Farm bridge until we reach Capel Lane road bridge, which is filled in though it still takes traffic.

It is then a short distance along a now filled in cutting before we reach an un-named farm track bridge adjacent to Dowdeswell reservoir, which is in very good condition. With good views of the reservoir at this point, we continue along an embankment until we reach a bridge that carried a lane to the former Rossley Manor, with just the abutments remaining.

The embankment continues from here until we arrive at the site of the former 12 arch Dowdeswell viaduct that was sadly demolished in 1967 and on to Sandywell Park tunnel at 384 yards long and Sandywell Park 3 arched bridge.

Continuing east we reach the site of Andoversford station where a short road of modern houses is now situated, though the ‘Great Western pines’ still stand tall and proud.

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(Above) Sandywell Park Tunnel eastern portal 1959 (R. Dagley-Morris) (Below) in 2020 (Peter Towey)

(Above) Gypsy Lane bridge (undated J. H. Russell) (Below) in 2020 (Peter Towey)

until we meet the re-aligned A40 having passed the site of another now demolished farm track bridge.

station in England. A tall, 3 arched bridge spanned the now in-filled, deep cutting just beyond the station and is believed to still be buried in situ.with the A436 passing overhead.

Andoversford to Notgrove

The B&CDR and MSWJR diverged at this point with the B&CDR breaking off to the left and now heading steadily north east, deeper into the Cotswolds as we continue on the trackbed of what was now a single line towards the next station stop of Notgrove along a multitude of embankments and cuttings, some of these very deep.

From here to Notgrove we pass 14 bridges, 2 of these dismantled with only abutments now remaining, 4 of which are un-named, with the named bridges being Gypsy Lane, Syreford Road, Hampen Hill, Hampen, Salt Way, Salperton, Littlewell and Crows Castle.

We now reach the remote site of Notgrove station (now a caravan park), which at 750 feet above sea level, was the highest station on the entire GWR

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Notgrove to Bourton-on-the-Water

We carry on north east from Notgrove, descending gradually from the lines’ 784 foot summit towards Bourton-on-the-Water along one of the remotest sections of the B&CDR, once again coursing along numerous steep embankments and deep cuttings, some of which are heavily overgrown and strewn with brambles and nettles, other stretches providing easier walking where the trackbed has been maintained.

Between Notgrove and Bourton, incredibly we pass under and over another 22 bridges, with 4 of these now demolished, 1 filled-in, 1 with only (Left) On Hampen Bank approaching Notgrove.

Crows Castle bridge in background. July 24th 1961 (Ben Ashworth) (Below)Crows Castle bridge in 2020 (Peter Towey)

(Above) 2-6-0 43XX class no.6343 with Great Western stock running down the incline into Bourton station over farm track bridge east of Lower Harford bridge (J.H. Russell) (Left) The farm track bridge in 2020 – Peter Towey)

which is marked by a detailed information plaque.

Here the B&CDR trackbed courses through an industrial estate after which we rejoin it heading further north east towards the next station, Stowon-the-Wold. The going is much more level here, the majority of embankments and deep cuttings now behind us. abutments remaining and 16 fully in tact and standing. Those with known names are Aylworth Road, Roundhill Farm, Lower Harford and Aston Farm.

Having crossed the Fosse Way once again and the River Windrush, we reach Bourton-on-theWater by way of an embankment where the former trackbed now passes through a school after which we re-join it by the now demolished Station Road bridge and the site of Bourton-on-the-Water station

(Above) Heading south west out of Bourton-on-theWater 1962 (Michael Mensing) (Below) 2020 – Peter Towey)

Bourton-on-the-Water to Stow-on-the-Wold

Between here and Stow station we pass over two more rivers which are tributaries of the slightly larger Windrush, the Eye and the Dikler, which is crossed by a low lying bridge. We then pass under Lower Slaughter bridge and pass over another tributary which is crossed via a low bridge constructed with Barlow rail.

Stow-on-the-Wold station is reached, the original building still standing and having been extended, in use now as a private residence with the original weighbridge building still in place inside its grounds.

Just beyond Stow station, the B&CDR continued north east in a deep cutting, passing under the now removed A424 girder bridge, after which we re-join the trackbed and shortly reach the most northerly point on the line before bearing east and then south east towards our destination of Kingham.

We are now travelling along much more level ground here in the north Cotswolds and pass the site of a mainly demolished bridge near Maugersbury, with only the abutments remaining before reaching an old B&CDR gradient marker that is still in place and passing under the substantial Oddington bridge.

Two further small brick built bridges are crossed shortly afterwards, carrying the railway over tributaries of the River Evenlode as we now head in a south easterly direction and pass over Bledington Grounds crossing and Heath Lane crossing.

We now make our final approach towards Kingham station and reach the point at which the Kingham avoiding line branched off to the left and we pass over a brick and iron built bridge that spans the River Evenlode. To our left is a low-lying double arched bridge carrying the loop line over the same Spring 2021

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(Above) From high up on the avoiding line, looking down on the trackbed curving south into Kingham station undated (Michael Mensing) (Right) in 2020 (Peter Towey)

river.

Another brick and iron constructed bridge is shortly reached that passes over a tributary of the Evenlode before we finally make a sharp right hand turn into Kingham station, 24 miles and 17 chains from Cheltenham St. James and our ultimate destination for this journey.

We found it a very pleasant surprise at just how much of the B&CDR infrastructure still remains in place, more than 58 years after it conveyed its

last passengers, with over 75 bridges, a tunnel, numerous linesman’s huts, ‘level’ crossings, a footbridge, culverts, much ballast, a weighbridge building, gradient marker, aqueduct, viaduct remains, a signal cable run, copious amounts of lineside fencing both concrete and sleeper constructed as well as many ex-GWR bridge rail fence post tensioners, Barlow rail and then the many deep cuttings and steep embankments, all providing plenty of great views along the way.

The Origin of The Railway Gauge.

Sir, " Why did railway companies adopt a gauge of four feet eight-and-a half inches?" is a question which is very frequently asked by those who enter the railway service. At various times some very absurd ideas have been propounded to try to account for that which at first sight may appear like “an odd half inch.” To place the matter clearly before our members, the annexed diagram has been prepared by me from the early records.

About the year 1630, Mr. Beaumont, at Newcastle-upon-Tyne, introduced the "wooden way" (Fig. 1), which consisted of wooden planks nailed upon wooden cross-sleepers, the width outside, or including the two planks, was five feet. This width was adopted in order that the coal carts of that period could be run on the track.

In the year 1767, at Colebrookdale Ironworks, cast-iron plate rails were introduced (Fig. 2), having an upright ledge or flange on the inner side to keep the wheels upon the track. These plate rails were also laid at a width outside of five feet.

In 1789, Mr. William Jessop, when constructing a railroad at Loughborough, in Leicestershire, abandoned the flat wheels and flanged rails, and introduced the “edge rail” (Fig. 3) and flanged wheels.

Jessop, it will be observed from the diagram, still adhered to the gauge of five feet outside, and as his rails were made one and three-quarter inch wide, it will be seen that the width of two rails, or three and a half inches, deducted from the five feet outside measurement, leaves the present four feet eight and a half inch gauge, thus : — Width of line outside 5 ft.0in.

Width of two rails (1¾in. each) 0 ft 3½in.

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It has been considered by some persons that Mr. George Stephenson was the originator of the gauge, but it will be seen that the 4 ft. 8½in. gauge was actually in use 99 years ago, and long before Stephenson became an engineer; consequently, it is unfair to blame him, as some have done, for “making an odd halfinch.”

Many years after Jessop's Loughborough line (Fig. 3), when Mr. George Stephenson became engineer for the construction of the Stockton and Darlington Railway, he saw no reason to alter from the gauge which he found previously in use; he, therefore, adopted four feet eight and a half inches for that line, and also for the Liverpool and Manchester, and when consulted as to the gauge for the Canterbury and Whitstable, and for the Leicester and Swannington Railways, he replied, “Make them of the same width; though they may be a long way apart now, depend upon it they will be joined together some day.”

I am, Sir, Yours faithfully, Clement E. Stretton, C.E., Consulting Engineer to the Associated Society of Enginemen and Firemen.

40, Saxe-Coburg Street, Leicester.

Railroad Gauges of The World (1888)

From a comprehensive review of the history and development of the railroad gauges of the world, the following particulars in regard to the gauges of the world are extracted. It was agreed in England about 1848 that a uniform gauge of 4ft.8½in. should be used on all new roads, except those already served by 7ft. gauge.

The first German road, from Nuremberg to Fürth, was built with 4 ft.8½in. gauge, which is now used by all the principal roads of Germany, although there is a very considerable mileage of narrower gauges, mainly 1 metre, or 3ft.3 3/8 in. France started her roads with a width between rail centres of 4ft.11 in, which has led to some slight variations of gauges, according to rail width. The later roads have been built with a gauge of 4ft.87/8 in.

Holland began with a 6ft.4 in. gauge but has now altered all its roads to 4ft.8in.

The Railroad Congress at Bern, in May, 1886, adopted the following resolution, which is to apply to Germany, Austria-Hungary, France, Italy, and Switzerland: "The gauge of railroads measured between the inner edges of the rail heads shall, for roads built or altered as to gauge after this resolution takes effect, not be less than 4 ft.83/8 in. on straight lines, nor mor than 4 ft.95/8in. on curves."

In Russia, the first road opened in 1832, from St. Petersburg to Zarskoe-Selo, about 16 miles, had a 6ft. gauge. When the second road was made in 1842, from St.Petersburg to Moscow, the Czar, at the instance of our countryman, Major Whistler, fixed the Russian gauge at 5ft., which increase over the English gauge was thought desirable for locomotive purposes. Major Whistler thought as wide a gauge as 6ft. uncalled for. The 6ft. gauge has continued the standard in Russia; but that it was not made different from the German gauge for military reasons seems to be proved by the fact, instanced by Herr Glaus, that the lines built under imperial direction from Warsaw to Vienna, and from Warsaw to Bromburg— the Berlin line—were carried out with the German gauge.

The history of American gauges is briefly and intelligently reviewed, with reference to the narrow gauges, the author confining himself to the standard gauges.

Ireland has a standard gauge of 5ft.3 in.; Spain and Portugal, 5 ft.61/8 in.; Sweden and Norway have the 4ft.8½in. gauge over the majority of their railroads, but 20 per cent, of the Swedish roads have other gauges varying from 2ft.7½ in. up to 4ft.; Norway has 592 kilos of standard gauge, and 970 kilos of 3ft.6 in. gauge.

In Asia, of the British-Indian roads, with a collective length of 12,366 miles, about 7,450 miles

have a gauge of 5ft.55/8in., the remainder being divided among six gauges from 2ft. to 4ft. Of the narrow gauges, the most prevalent, embracing 4,209 miles, is the metre, 3ft.33/8 in. The Ceylon railroads have the standard Indian gauge.

The Russian Trans-Caspian lines have the Russian standard gauge of 5ft.

In Asia Minor, the line Mudania Brussa has a gauge of 3ft.7¼ in. The island of Java has 449 miles of 3ft.6 in. gauge, and 126 miles with 4ft.8½in.

In Japan, with the exception of an 8-mile piece begun in 1885, with a gauge of 2ft.9in., all the roads have a 3ft.6in. gauge.

In Africa, the Egyptian railroads, amounting to 932 miles, are of the 4ft.8½in. gauge. Algiers and Tunis, with 1,203 miles, in 1884, had the 4ft.8½ in. standard on all except 155 miles, which had a 3ft.7¼in. gauge. The English Cape Colony had, in 1885, 1,522 miles, all of 3ft.6in. gauge.

In America, apart from the comparatively small mileage of United States roads with 3ft. gauge, practically the whole of the United States and Canadian railroads are of 4ft.8½in. to 4ft.9in. gauge.

In Mexico, in 1884, 2,083 miles were 4ft.8½in. and 944 3ft. gauge.

In Brazil, at the end of 1884, there were 869 miles of 5ft.3in. gauge, and 4,164 miles of various gauges between 2ft. and 4ft.7in., over 3,700 miles being 1 metre, or 3ft.33/8in., so that this may be considered the standard gauge of Brazil.

In Australia the different colonies, rather singularly, have different gauges, that of New South Wales being 4ft.8½in.; Victoria, 5ft.3in.; South Australia, 5ft.3in. and 3ft.6in.; and the other colonies 3ft.6in.

The total mileage in operation in the world at the end of 1885 was 303,048 miles. Of this length seventy-four per cent, were of the 4ft.8½in. to 4ft.9 in. standard, 12 per cent, had larger gauges, and 14 per cent, smaller.

— Glaser's Annalen.

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The Dartmoor Line – The FIRST to re-open under the Government Scheme - and at Record Speed!

What a wonderful birthday present! Just 150 years after the railway first arrived in Okehampton, trains are planned to be running into Okehampton before the end of 2021! Thanks to the UK Government’s “Restoring Your Railways” initiative, the line from Exeter to Okehampton will be the first to be up and running under this scheme!

Not only is this a welcome return but the teams working on its reopening, under the leadership of Network Rail have been breaking records witht the speed of their tracklaying.

Benefits of the Reopening

The move will greatly improve connectivity for people living between Okehampton and Exeter and the surrounding areas, with journey times on the train estimated to be around 30% quicker than by car or bus while helping contribute towards reducing traffic congestion and associated pollution on the busy A30.

The railway will also provide better access to and from the wider mid- and west Devon and north Cornwall areas, and will greatly support school and college pupils and people who live in or near Okehampton, but who need to travel to Exeter to study or work.

Economically, the reopening of the railway is expected to attract inward investment to Okehampton and the surrounding areas as well as resulting in greater numbers of visitors. The development of the railway and Okehampton station as a transport hub will help boost tourism to the area by providing greater access to the town and nearby attractions including Dartmoor National Park - which is celebrating its 70th anniversary and the Granite Way cycle route. It has the potential to bring millions of pounds into the local area.

Once the initial green light was given for this

The Plymouth/Exeter railways in 1890

Ex-LSWR Drummond T9 4-4-0 no 30717 at Okehampton in June 1954

Okehampton Station in a timewarp, abandoned but intact, mercifully free of vandals.

08/08/1991 (Colin Burges)

Maunsell N class no 31406 approaching the Okehampton turntable in spring 1961

project and working in partnership with Great Western Railway (GWR), Network Rail initially carried out detailed investigations to understand what infrastructure and railway control system improvements were needed to bring the Dartmoor 104

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(Left) the original track in 1991 (Right above) the original track cut into 60ft lengths, ready for removal

Line up to the required standards to enable GWR to operate trains safely.

As part of these upgrades, improvements have been made to Okehampton station including the installation of a ticket vending machine, Help Point, public address system, information screens, CCTV, and free Wi-Fi. A 'Pay & Display' car park will also be introduced with dedicated disabled bays, and the station building, and platform will be fully accessible.

Reopening the Line

The reopening of the railway line between Okehampton and Exeter is one step closer after Network Rail finished relaying the new track and sleepers this week (w/e 14th May).

Following the confirmation of government funding in March, engineers started immediately and have worked tirelessly upgrading this 14 mile stretch of track between Okehampton and Coleford Junction, where the Dartmoor Line joins the existing railway line to Exeter. As well as laying new track and sleepers, Network Rail engineers have been working day and night on drainage, fencing, preparing the ground for the new railway and much more.

However, before the high technology equipment can move in (see NTC below), the old track had to be removed. This was done using a Cropper machine which cut the old track into handleable lengths.

This method was used as it is quicker than burning or cutting. The old track was then removed and the trackbed dozed and prepared, before the ground was compacted using a whacker.

The Class 86 locomotive returning with empty wagons

(Above) the train load of sleepers (Below) The NTC with its train of sleepers

The Balfour Beatty New Track Construction (NTC) Machine

NTC machines are employed for relaying new sleepers and rail on to a prepared track bed. The NTC machine is the only high-production track laying system in the UK suitable for consistently delivering high performance track renewal. The machine’s sleeper-handling gantry transports the new sleepers and places them onto the conveyor systems of the reception wagon. The sleepers are transferred to the head of the truss beam before being placed on to Spring 2021

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the track bed using the sleeper-drop mechanism.

The sleepers are then aligned to the desired spacing automatically. The new rail is thimbled through a series of rollers and clamps along the truss beam and aligned into the sleeper seat using the rail liner. The rail is clipped into the sleepers using the clipping equipment mounted to the self-powered wagon. Additional features include: – Self-powered machine within possession – Fully automated FASTCLIP clipping system – Dedicated operational crew – Dedicated fleet of sleeper carrying wagons to deliver sleepers to site with the NTC machine. On multi-line and single lines the NTC machine has the added benefit of being able to work with an adjacent line open, delivering steel and concrete sleepers, at speeds of up to 175 yards to 200 yards an hour (dependant on site conditions).

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Over 11 miles of new track have been successfully laid and 24,000 concrete sleepers installed (as of 10th May) using the NTC machine. The concrete sleepers, which were stored at the work site adjacent to Okehampton station, have been transported along the Dartmoor Line using a Class 56 locomotive train that has pushed around a quarter-mile long set of wagons containing on average 2,430 sleepers per journey at a speed of 5mph. The 29,000 tonnes of ballast have also nearly all been installed, and this will be followed by the process of tamping, using a machine travelling along the newly laid railway and inserting vibrating metal rods into the ballast to compact it so that it effectively supports the track while lifting the track so that it is level. Once complete, this process results in a smoother ride for passengers and prevents the train wheels from

causing damage to the track. To enable engineers to work throughout the night, over four miles of lights have also been erected. These lights have been powered by silent generators to ensure residents living near to the Dartmoor Line are disrupted as little as possible.

Now that the main elements of the track relay work have been completed, Network Rail will be turning its focus to other aspects of the project including upgrading several level crossings, installing new GSM-R masts (the railway’s mobile communications system), undertaking bridge repairs as well as running engineering test trains to check the quality of the newly laid track.

Becky Tipper, Network Rail scheme project manager, said: “We are delighted with the progress the team has made and this is credit to the hard work and dedication of our engineers involved in this project. To have already laid the 11 miles of track, 24,000 sleepers and nearly completing the installation of the 29,000 tonnes of ballast is no mean feat and we are looking forward to focussing our attention on the next stage of work. It has also been really comforting to see such interest and support from the local community. We are committed to reopening this important railway line as quickly and safely as possible and look forward to the resumption of regular passenger services in the not-too-distant future.”

Richard Burningham MBE, Manager of the Devon & Cornwall Rail Partnership, added: “Hats off and many thanks to all involved in this tremendous feat. To have laid 11 miles of track already is

fabulous and it’s been great to see videos of the very innovative piece of kit which has helped on the Dartmoor Line. Thanks too to the Government for funding all this work.”

History of the Line

It all started in the late 1860s as part of a series of lines from Exeter into the rural areas of northwest Devon. Okehampton station opened in 1871 when the London and South Western Railway (LSWR) extended its line from Sampford Courtenay.

Services were extended further west to Lydford with the inauguration of Meldon Viaduct in 1874.

Constructed to rival the South Devon Railway route to Plymouth, the completion of the LSWR's own route to Plymouth saw Okehampton become an important junction with lines to Padstow and Bude as well as Plymouth. Boat trains carrying passengers from ocean liners calling at Stonehouse Pool, Plymouth and prestige services such as the Atlantic Coast Express and Devon Belle all used the route. From 1961 to 1964 it was the terminus of a car-carrying train from Surbiton.

With the publication of the Beeching Report in 1963, the line to Bude was put forward for closure as was part of the Exeter to Plymouth Line which was to be cut back to Okehampton. The local press were surprised at this decision, since many small towns had their railway services cut, yet Okehampton survived with a population under 4,000. Its survival prompted questions as to why the line should remain open when others, such as the Avocet Line which saw far more traffic, were Spring 2021

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34108 Wincanton calls at Okehampton with the 09 00 Waterloo - Plymouth, Aug 1961.

(Bernard Mills)

proposed for closure. It was said that at the time Okehampton had about 50 regular users per day and a handful of season ticket holders! The Avocet Line was saved from closure, but Okehampton lost its passenger services in 1972. The line survived, however, for the purposes of freight thanks to the activities of the British Rail ballast quarry at Meldon, three miles from Okehampton, which had an output of 300,000 tons per year. The line to the quarry closed in 2011.

As part of a local partnership scheme initiated and led by Devon County Council, Okehampton station was re-opened in 1997 and a Youth Hostel opened in the old goods shed, providing an activity centre as well. The Dartmoor Railway operated heritage passenger services from the station, running to Sampford Courtenay and Meldon. A summer Sunday service from Exeter to Okehampton operated as part of the Dartmoor Sunday Rover network.

The station building, which was used by Devon Training for Skills after 1972, was restored and reopened incorporating an independently owned model shop and café. After temporary closure during a change in railway ownership in 2008, the cafe was reopened by the Friends of Dartmoor Railway but closed in 2019. A craft centre previously operated on one of the platforms. This now houses a small exhibition and museum showing the history of the railway and station.]

British American Railway Services Ltd, a new company created by Iowa Pacific Holdings of Chicago, became the owner of the Dartmoor Railway on 4 September 2008. The company said it would develop freight, passenger, and tourist services on the railway. This was never achieved, and the last heritage service ran on 24 December 2019.

The Hope for a New Future

In November 2017, the Government included the reopening of the line from Exeter to Okehampton as part of its plans to expand the network, and a letter to local MPs from the secretary of state 108

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for transport, Chris Grayling, was sent out at the end of January 2018. In January 2020 it was announced that, due to financial problems, the British American Railway Services had put all their British operations up for sale including this railway.

The United Kingdom government's November 2020 Spending Review included a commitment to restore passenger services and £40,000,000 was allocated for this work in the March 2021 government budget.

Then, it was announced on 19 March 2021, that Okehampton station would reopen to regular services by the end of the year. This was to be funded as part of the Government's 'Restoring Your Railway' programme. The service is planned to be two-hourly between Okehampton and Exeter St David’s with some services extended to Exeter Central. The service will increase to hourly towards the end of 2022.

Rail Lines into Cornwall

One of the aspects that could offer a much bigger future in the long term for the Okehampton line is that, for many years, there has only been one rail line into Cornwall from Devon – and that is the line along the southern coast of Devon through Dawlish.

The troubled history of this line is well known with constant disruption during winter storms. Network Rail is in the middle of a multi-year programme to strengthen and protect this line (See the January issue of Great Western Star - Ed) with some quite revolutionary technology being used.

These problems have led to many calls over the years for the former London & South Western Railway line, which ran around the northern edge of Dartmoor, via Crediton, Bere Alston and Okehampton to be reinstated, thereby offering an alternative route between Plymouth and Exeter but this, so far has never been officially backed despite a great deal of lobbying over many years.

The reopening of the link would restore the continuous circuit of railway, linking the towns around Dartmoor. On 18 March 2008, Devon County Council backed a separate proposal by developers Kilbride Community Rail to construct 750 houses in Tavistock that included reopening part of this route from Bere Alston to a new railway station in Tavistock. Time will tell but at least, with the reopening of the Okehampton line, the gap is getting smaller!

New Book DRSA members will be interested in the latest

book in the 'Backtracking ...' series from renowned local author, photographer and former railwayman Bernard Mills. Entitled 'Backtracking around Plymouth, Callington, Tavistock North and the SR main line to Okehampton' (ISBN 9781916019041), it is published by Plymouth-based local history specialist Pen & Ink Publishing.

Copies can be bought online from Pen & Ink's partner website www.chrisrobinson.co.uk/shop/ books. Published February 2021

RAILWAY NEWS FROM AROUND THE PRESERVATION SCENE The HRA Goes Virtual For 2021 Awards Lockdown restrictions meant the Heritage Railway Association’s annual awards event went on-line for 2021, with a simultaneous broadcast on Facebook and You Tube on the afternoon of 28th April. The show featured two new award categories – Most Innovative Fundraisng Idea - reflecting the extraordinary circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic, and its impact on heritage rail, and Diesel Locomotion, acknowledging the importance of diesel power in railway history. The event also featured awards presented by the heritage rail magazine editors.

The HRA Awards recognise a wide range of achievements and distinctions across the entire heritage railway industry, and the awards acknowledge individuals and institutions as well as railways, tramways and cliff railways. In spite of the overwhelming impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, several categories saw a record number of submissions and shortlisted entrants The Lord Faulkner Award for the Young Volunteer of the Year recognises the crucial importance of succession generations in securing the future of heritage rail, and acknowledges a distinguished contribution made by one or more young volunteers, under the age of 26. The winner was Oliver Edwards, of the Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway. Runners-up were the Severn Valley Railway’s Tom Mills and Michael Abbott, from the Somerset & Dorset Railway Heritage Trust.

The Morgan Award for Preservation was won by the Mid Suffolk Light Railway, for their Shredded Wheat locomotive.

Runners-up were the Midland & Great Northern Joint Railway Society, for their restoration of GNR/M&GN Third 129, Great Central Railway (Quorn Wagon & Wagon), for their restoration of three containers, and the Railway Preservation Society of Ireland for their Guinness Grain Van 504.

The Mid-Hants Railway’s Watercress Line film unit won the Award for External Communications. The runners-up were the Didcot Railway Centre, for their marketing communications; Swanage Railway’s ‘Save Our

Winners of the First Dieel Locomotion Award were The Class 50 Alliance Service’ film-makers; the Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railway’s media and communications department, and the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway Preservation Society’s 60year celebration book ‘It’s Still a Lot of Fun!’.

The Internal Communications category, was taken by the Talyllyn Railway, for their Control Centre public on-line subscription service.

Close behind as runners-up were the Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway Society, for their Summer/Autumn issue of ‘Joint Line’; the Great Western Society for the Great Western Echo magazine; Bluebell Railway for The Bluebell Times, and the Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway for ‘The Earl’ communication to working members.

In spite of pandemic restrictions, the UK heritage rail sector has taken every opportunity, however limited, to engage and enthuse the paying public, and competition in the Outstanding Visitor Attraction category was strong.

The Dartmouth Steam Railway took the trophy, placing the Lynton & Lynmouth Cliff Railway, Didcot Railway Centre, the Seaton Tramway and the Statfold Barn Railway as runners-up.

The new award for Most Innovative Fundraising Idea saw five contenders, with the Seaton Tramway’s Tramathon Live 2020 as the winner, and the Talyllyn Railway’s Virtual Visit Appeal, the Mid-Hants Railway and Bahamas Locomotive Society’s Autumn Gala, and Bluebell Railway’s ‘Steam Returns to Bluebell Railway’ film as runners-up.

The Coiley Award is presented to an HRA member who has completed an outstanding engineering project in the field of locomotive overhaul, restoration Spring 2021

or preservation. Top honour for 2021 went to the Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railway for their restoration of the Large England locomotive Welsh Pony, with the Lincolnshire Coast Light Railway’s Skeggy Simplex, and the Tanfield Railway’s 1904 Andrew Barclay Horden as runners-up.

The HRA Award for Small Groups drew a record six nominations, with the trophy going to the Downs Light Railway Trust for their achievements with youth engagement. Runners-up were Southern Electric Traction Group CIC, for 4VEP No 3417, Hull and Barnsley Railway Stock Fund, for their move to Hull College; Tarka Valley Railway CIO for Steaming Ahead, the Bahamas Locomotive Society for Steve Allsop’s 50 years’ service, East Somerset Railway for their platform, museum and outreach project, and Great Central Railway for the Quorn Wagon and Wagon Group.

The HRA Annual Award (Large Groups) was won by the Lynton & Lynmouth Cliff Railway, for their Top Wheel installation.

The Isle of Wight Steam Railway platform teams, the Swanage Railway’s social media team, and the Dartmouth Stream Railway & Riverboat Company were the runners-up.

The last HRA award of the show was the new Diesel Locomotion Award, where top-of-the-podium place went to the Class 50 Alliance, for 30 years of Class 50 preservation excellence, closely followed by the Mid Suffolk Light Railway, for their Shredded Wheat locomotive, and the Lincolnshire Coast Light Railway for their Skeggy Simplex as runners-up.

The 2021 HRA awards show also saw coverage of the heritage rail sector’s magazine awards.

The Heritage Railway Magazine Interpretation Award went to the Narrow Gauge Railway Museum at Tywyn Wharf on the Talyllyn Railway. The Rail Express Modern Traction Award was taken by the Engineering Team at the Island Line, Isle of Wight, and Ian Smith of the Middleton Railway won the The Railway Magazine Lifetime Achievement Award. Steam Railway Magazine’s annual readers’ poll saw ten nominees, with the Cockerill steam tram ‘Lucie’ at the North Yorkshire Moors Railway voted winner.

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RAILWAY NEWS FROM AROUND THE PRESERVATION SCENE The Heritage Railways Steam (and Diesel) into Summer with a Huge Sigh of Relief!

After the most horrendous 18 months in the history of the Heritage Railway industry, the various railways and groups are emerging from their COVID-19 caves and looking forward now to many weeks of good weather and the full lifting of COVID restrictions.

Almost without exception, they have been very heavily dependent upon two sources of income – Government handouts and the generosity of their supporters who have donated many hundreds of thousands of pounds in order to keep their favourite attraction going.

Here we have a look at how some of these have got back into action.

The Severn Valley Railway got going with two contrasting events – first the visit of Lady of Legend and then their Spring Diesel Bash.

Sadly, because of COVID-19, the SVR was unable to celebrate in 2020, the running on Saturday 23rd May, of the first public trains between Bridgnorth and Hampton Loade and five years after the plans were first made for the restoration of the railway (see article on pp35-42).

The Spring Steam Bash was the first event in 2021 on any of the Heritage Railways and was built, unashamedly around No 2999 Lady of Legend, which was making its debut appearance away from Didcot. Having taken 45 years to become a reality, it was with great pleasure Great Western Star paid the SVR a visit and enjoyed a highly pleasurable run from Bridgnorth to Kidderminster. The SVR had organised a schedule of seven locomotives – five GWR, one Southern and one LMS – over two weekends. The timetabling was arranged such that in a full GWR Star Class No 2999 Lady of Legend at Didcot before leaving for the SVR

The Award Winning Class 50 Alliance team day, you could ride behind all seven locomotives, completing three complete round trips. We visited on the Saturday, going from Bridgnorth behind the Star of the Show and returning behind 28XX Class No 2857. A memorable day although, sadly, on the Sunday, a pin sheared, meaning that 2999 was out of service while a new one was made but, other than that she performed beautifully.

The second event – the Spring Diesel Bash – began on the 13th May and ran until the evening of the 16th. It was an ambitious programme with eleven locomotives in action on each day! The locomotives achieved some 1,700 miles of haulage. A late addition is 20227 ‘Sherlock Holmes’ which carries a striking Metropolitan Railway ‘midcared’ red livery. The loco was until recently was on hire to the North Norfolk Railway and comes courtesy of the Class 20 Locomotive Society (C20LS) and Class 20189 Ltd. They were joined

by Vintage Trains’ 47779, which like the Diesel Traction Group’s class 17 D8568 has been repaired and repainted in our own Kidderminster TMD. Both look absolutely superb.”

They were joined by GBRfliveried duo 50007 and 50049 and stalwarts D821 Greyhound, 33108, 40106 Atlantic Conveyor and D9551.

On top of two very successful events, the Class 50 Alliance heard that they had won the inaugural Diesel Locomotion Award in the HRA 2021 Awards. All in all a great start to 2021 The South Devon Railway kicked off its year with a media event on the 11th May at Buckfastleigh Station – the first time that the seven-mile historic line had

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Dick Wood before his shave and haircut!

Media Day on the SDR operated at all for 14 months or 417 days – the longest closure period in the line’s 52 year history, although the site had been open to visitors since the 12th April. A train was moved in and out of the station, staff were in period uniform and the signalbox was working. The next event was the “Great Devon Shave-off!” when Dick Wood, PR & Business Development Manager, South Devon Railway Trust and Chairman of the Devon Association of Tourist Attractions had his now fulsome, flowing white, 14-month old beard growth removed at last.

In March 2020, at the start of the first lockdown, he rather rashly promised that he would not shave his face again until the SDR’s steam passenger trains returned to the scenic, seven mile line thinking it might only be a few months before normality returned. And, in the light of what has happened since then with three lockdowns, that now obviously hasty promise from SDR PR Manager and former General Manager of the line, Dick Wood, put him in an awkward spot to keep his promise! So, mid-morning on Tuesday 18 May in front of invited local media and onlooking train passengers, Dick Wood’s beard, and maybe his hair, will all be shaved off at a special ceremony on the platform of the SDR’s Buckfastleigh station, alongside a waiting steam train, but also to the musical accompaniment of a traditional ‘sea

RAILWAY NEWS FROM AROUND THE PRESERVATION SCENE shanty’ called ‘Beardman’ using suitable lyrics sung by local Mid Devon community choir ‘Voiceworx’.

Dick Wood’s regular Turkish Barber, Sultan Burak, who owns the ‘Golden Scissor’ hairdressing salon in Bampton Street, Tiverton, came down especially to carry out the full beard shave and hair trim.

Whilst the SDR’s SOS appeal and grants from local councils and the Government have raised an impressive £1,326,147 to date, the SDR has lost £2 million in revenue so far and is, therefore, still in desperate need of funds to keep the wheels rolling in the railway’s 149th year, and which celebrates its 150th birthday in 2022.

PNP Events which has the one of the UK franchises to operate Polar Express ™ trains have announced on social media and other channels that tickets for this December’s operation on the SDR will go on sale on Monday 7 June.

The SDR, and they, are expecting big demand for tickets given that 17,000 people booked to go on our Polar Express ™ trains for the first year of operation last year, but the whole programme had to be cancelled late on due to another Covid Lockdown intervening Over the weekend of the 8th/9th May, the SDR enjoyed viral interest on social media following posting of Emma Massingale’s delightful ‘Pony Express’ video last Friday (7 May) featuring two pony mares visiting Dartmoor Otters and Totnes Rare Breeds, plus SDR steam trains which had been viewed almost 900,000 times by Sunday afternoon! By the beginning f the week, the figure had reached around 2million! Do go and have a look – it is a wonderful video that all the family will enjoy - Ed See: https:// fb.watch/5mhWHkNSpF/ and https://youtu.be/Mn4-bLjw1KU The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Heritage Rail has welcomed the anniversary of the first train to be run by volunteers in preservation – on the 14 May, 1951 on the Talyllyn Railway in Gwynedd. The narrow gauge railway dates from 1865, and was built to serve slate quarries above Abergynolwyn.

‘Without the plucky pioneers, it would never have happened,’ says the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Heritage Rail which has hailed the seventieth anniversary of the

first train to be run by volunteers on a heritage railway as the first step for a movement that has done so much to develop the culture of volunteering and respect for Britain’s unique railway heritage.

With the support of members of the Group, Chair, Rt Hon Liz Saville Roberts MP has tabled an Early Day Motion to draw attention to this milestone anniversary.

She said: “This first small step by the volunteers of the Talyllyn Railway, in my Dwyfor Meirionnydd constituency, ignited the enthusiasm of people around the country which led to the amazing heritage railway movement which has done so much to support rural communities and the wellbeing of so many people who are railway volunteers. I am very proud that the Talyllyn is one of seven heritage railways in my constituency, and one of the eleven Great Little Trains of Wales, and wish them well for the next 70 years.”

Lord Faulkner is Vice Chairman of the Group and also President of the Heritage Railway Association said: “The heritage railway movement is a remarkable success story involving some 22,000 volunteers across the country with huge benefits for wellbeing in this difficult period. Skills training and teamwork have brought encouragement and a sense of purpose to many young volunteers, recognised by an annual HRA award. The scale of the success would have been unimaginable to the Talyllyn pioneers seventy years ago, but without their courage and tenacity, it would not have happened.”

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The text of the Early Day Motion is: “TALYLLYN HERITAGE RAILWAY ANNIVERSARY That this House warmly congratulates Talyllyn Railway, Tywyn on its seventieth anniversary of running a public train service with volunteers, preserving its unique heritage for thousands of visitors to enjoy; notes that the railway dates from 1865, and was built to serve slate quarries above Abergynolwyn; further notes that Talyllyn Railway was the first heritage railway to be run by volunteers in preservation, igniting the enthusiasm of people across the UK leading to the development of the heritage railway movement; regrets the 18 months of loss of income suffered by heritage railways due to the Covid pandemic; and wishes them well as they start to welcome visitors again.”

The joint administrators of Llangollen Railway have sold the business and certain assets to Llangollen Railway Trust Limited for an undisclosed amount ensuring a new future for one of North Wales’s most popular leisure attractions.

Alan Coleman, one of the joint administrators, together with

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RAILWAY NEWS FROM AROUND THE PRESERVATION SCENE Jason Elliot at Cowgills, said: “The sale has secured the future of this superb heritage railway which is a key attraction to the local area and has provided the best outcome for creditors.

“We always try and achieve the best outcome financially for the business and to preserve as many jobs as possible and we are extremely pleased to be able to ensure the future of this much loved local attraction.”

The sale excluded the rolling stock, plant and machinery and those assets will be auctioned by Lambert Smith Hampton in May. Llangollen Railway PLC, which operated the historic railway, was not legally able to continue to trade with the company insolvent to the extent of £350,000 with £250,000 relating to engineering contract disputes. Cowgills was instructed by the board to try and find a buyer for the line which is estimated to be worth around £8-10m a year to the local economy in North East Wales.

Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway chiefs have been overwhelmed by interest from the public ahead of the new season.

A spokesman said: "We’re well on our way to another recordbreaking day of ticket sales in the lead-up to this season. As an independent charity who do most of our work thanks to tickets, this means a huge amount. Just two bookings for our Breakfast Train would do it."

Departures, which started on May 4, will see passengers enjoy a one hour steam train trip through mid Wales.

Meanwhile Fish & Chip Trains are also back and will be operating on Saturdays 1st, 15th and 29th of May with limited capacity.

A spokesman said: "Our trains previously have sold out very quickly, and we have very limited space on these services in 2021 Every booking helps us to preserve steam in our part of rolling Powys."

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Dinmore Manor Locomotive Ltd (DMLL) based at the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway has received a grant of £12,800 from the Government’s £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund to help the organisation continue it’s place in the heritage sector supply chain.

Nearly £400 million has been awarded to thousands of cultural organisations across the country including DMLL in the latest round of support from the Culture Recovery Fund, the Culture Secretary announced today.

DMLL supplies working steam locomotives to help Heritage Railways provide their services as living museums. The company is operated by volunteers, supported by a number of specialist contractors and helps ensure the heritage mechanical skills so vital to the sector are developed and passed on to future generations. This grant will allow DMLL to support our suppliers with contract work until the regular cash flow from locomotive hire earnings come on stream with the reopening of our customer railways.

Plans have been submitted for a massive restoration and development of the Buckley Wells locomotive and carriage works site, home of the East Lancashire Light Railway.

The East Lancashire Light Railway Company and the ELR Trust have set out their vision for the site in plans lodged with Bury Council.

The intend a comprehensive programme of restoration and repair to the grade II listed Buckley Wells Locomotive Works and carriage shed building, just south of Bury town centre, which currently houses the locomotive engineering

Spring 2021

restoration and maintenance for the ELR. They also plan a new locomotive running shed and heavy maintenance workshop on the site of the original Buckley Wells engine shed which was demolished by British Rail in the 1970s.

Other developments include a new green energy carriage shed, an amended track layout for rail access to the proposed new buildings, new vehicle access routes and designated parking areas for full time staff and volunteers.

A design and access statement with the plans prepared by Equilibrium Architects Ltd sets out the importance of the railway to Bury and the region.

It said: “The East Lancashire Railway is the award-winning premier visitor and heritage attraction in the borough of Bury and the wider Irwell Valley in Rossendale, attracting more than 200,000 visitors a year, and has its main workshop facilities located within Bury at Buckley Wells.

“The Buckley Wells locomotive and carriage works houses over 250 heritage locos, carriages and wagons, and forms the essential locomotive and carriage operational, maintenance and restoration facilities necessary to successfully operate the rail services and events on the heritage railway.

Volunteers are continuing to work to restore a heritage line in Shropshire while the Government assesses a bid for funding to reopen a short section as a light railway.

The Cambrian Heritage Railways organisation in Oswestry is hoping to win money in the third and final round of the funding to bring back some of the lines closed in the Beeching cuts.

RAILWAY NEWS FROM AROUND THE PRESERVATION SCENE

Working on the Cambrian railway line are volunteers, Nick Culliford, Joanne Knight, Anne Boden, and Norman Knight It wants to reopen a mile-long stretch of line from the mainline at Gobowen Railway Station to the former Park Hall halt, just a few hundred yards from the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital.

It would mean that patients, staff and visitors could travel from across Britain to the specialist hospital by rail. The halt was used for both the hospital and the Park Hall Army Camp before the line was axed by Dr Beeching in the 1960s.

Both Oswestry Town and Shropshire Council have backed the bid for funding and North Shropshire MP Owen Paterson has urged transport minister, Grant Shapps to allow the line to reopen.

Volunteers have organised Covid secure work on the line, which is still intact, with just some sleepers under the rails needing replacing.

Roger Date from the Cambrian Railways said: "The project is all ready to go. The track is there and over the past few years the railway has secured all the land and the buildings including the goods yard at Gobowen. There is a need for a feasibility study to develop our aspirations and create a business case.

"We are not talking about great distances, about 0.8 of a mile to the Park Hall halt and then 2.4 miles to Oswestry station. For the first phase it is simply upgrading the track and doing some work to the Whittington Road bridge."

14-mile line through the Cotswolds.

But, at a time when Covid restrictions remain, the railway – which this year celebrates its 40th Anniversary – is operating prebookable round-trip trains only, from its Toddington station. The service runs south to Cheltenham Racecourse before retracing its route via Toddington to Broadway, then returning to Toddington – a full 28-mile journey behind steam.

Richard Winstanley, the voluntary Finance Director of GWSR Plc, commented: “I am delighted with the way that our volunteers, the public and our supporters have responded to the railway’s resumption of services, following the first stage in the Government’s roadmap to lifting of Covid restrictions.

Fireman John Pedley and driver Chris Irving were in charge of the first train of the 2021 season (Ian Crowder) “It’s wonderful to see our beautifully-restored locomotives steaming through the glorious Cotswold countryside after so many months of lockdown, which has brought real financial difficulties: not just for us, but every other cultural and historic organisation.”

The railway has however, benefited from two life-line funding

grants from the Culture Recovery Fund for Heritage. These could amount to nearly £390,000 and are designed to help meet essential maintenance and overhead operational costs.

At Didcot Railway Centre Spring Steam Days operate at Weekends and Wednesdays from 19 May - 20 June. We will be using a train of vintage carriages with individual compartments so every group can have their own exclusive space for the ride on our demonstration line.

All tickets will be backed by our Lockdown Guarantee so you can book with confidence. At weekends and selected other days, a second historic train will be offering rides on the Branch Line - see the Locomotive Roster to check which engine(s) are due to be in action on the day of your visit. Bank Holiday Steam Up - 29, 30 & 31 May Volunteers at East Somerset Railway have an exciting new project for 2020 with the arrival of Ex GWR Large Prairie 4110 2-6-2T which arrived at the Cranmore site after being transported from the Dartmouth Steam Railway.

The East Somerset Railway has begun three years of restoration work followed by a three year period when the ESR will be able to use the loco to haul their passenger trains. 4110 was built at Swindon Works in 1936 and withdrawn from service in 1965. After languishing at Barry scrapyard until 1979 it was sold to the West Somerset Railway in 2015, until February last year when, due to lack of funding for the restoration work, it was sold to the Dartmouth Steam Railway.

Full trains and a good head of steam marked a successful ‘return ticket’ for the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway (GWSR) which, from Tuesday 13th April, has resumed services over its Spring 2021

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A Night Owl Emerges from the Dark – Part 3 Paul Perton, Marketer, Writer, Photographer

It would be easy to imagine that re-creating a century-old steam locomotive would be pretty straightforward, given the technology available today. It surprises many people that it’s not.

Railway preservation is beset with problems that can be mountain-like, impeding progress. It goes without saying that the finance to re-build, recreate, maintain and run steam locomotives is hard won. Money has to be spent wisely, carefully and for the maximum benefit of the project. Yet, despite that, the plans often turn out to be in conflict with personal ideas, loves and agendas.

Clearing the money hurdle is just to be confronted with even more problems that have to be negotiated, before that first release of steam into the cylinders can be anticipated.

A good idea ought to morph into design and action, but all too often, an argument develops on day one; which loco? What will it do - preservation services, or main line? Where will it be designed, built, stored and run. What era of its history will it represent? What colour should it be? Lined or not?

Is that even possible, given the resources available?

The work of the steering committee designated to start the decision making can last many months. If all goes well, a strategic plan will eventually emerge.

The searching for information, drawings, photographs and available components then gets underway, alongside an initial round of prequalification discussions with potential engineers, builders and other interested parties.

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In the case of 4709, the Barry Ten assisted with some critically important components, most needing renovation themselves. Drawings were sourced, with a huge effort from the Great Western Society’s archive at Didcot. That left us about a third of the way into the project to re-create a giant G.W.R. 2-80. What next?

Swindon’s drawing office was renowned for its prodigious output, much of which has been lost over the years, or found its way into landfill sites.

Some drawings hide determinedly on shelves and private collections, though.

New CAD technology has enabled us to recreate many designs, especially for 4709’s huge cylinders. Currently underway, the casting of these multi-tonne monsters as driven by a CAD design, modified to allow for the changed loading gauge, is now necessary to run 4709 on the main line.

Being computer-based meant those drawings could be used to drive the profiling machine used to cut the necessary casting patterns from massive, solid blocks of polystyrene. In a bygone age, this would have required hand making wooden patterns, adding many months and considerable cost to the project. Today’s technology definitely has a place.

But not everywhere. Donor parts arrive in many different stages of wear, tear and corrosion.

Headed for re-engineering, the level of detail and often non-availability of original drawings for these components, quickly necessitates a trip back to the drawing board. There, we often learn that the

benefits that experience, hands-on observation, measurement and design bring can still largely outweigh modern CAD technology.

4709’s pony truck languished in pieces until work on the chassis reached a point where its renovation and use became a critical part of the project. Work has started in earnest on this component and subsequent stripping down has revealed many missing and worn out components. The team also discovered that simply fitting the 41XX truck to the larger and heavier 47XX was not possible.

Recently recruited preservation specialist Bob Meanley, set about the task of re-engineering the pony truck, opting for a drawing board, parallel slide and his pencil, to speed and detail the project.

Like any preservation project that has main line aspirations, we are required to conform to the

current Network Rail (NR) loading gauge, which has required considerably more work than just changing the width of the cylinders. From the 4709 project’s earliest days, Don Ashton spent months poring over many drawings, checking the implications of compliance with the revised loading gauge.

Given the age of the technology it employs, it’s probably surprising to discover that a steam locomotive is an excellent example of a complex system. So, every component has interdependencies and thus, making a design change to any one part will invariably cause a cascade of changes elsewhere in the system.

In our case, the first obvious change was to the height of the locomotive. 4709 is classified as a Rebuild Project, rather than a new build, meaning our original 13ft 4in height had to be reduced to

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13ft 1in (instead of the 13ft 0in specified for new locos). With Dennis Howells’ help, we realised that to comply, the height of the boiler needed to be lowered by 2in. Fortunately, the gap between the top of the frames and underside of the boiler on a 47xx is 8in, so this small change would be virtually invisible and would not impact on the overall look of the engine.

Could it be that simple? Of course not. We studied the frame and stretcher plans and immediately realised that the resulting repositioning of the firebox throatplate would make it necessary to also move two frame stretchers. In turn, this pushed the lower stretcher extremely close to the adjacent horn block. More problems to overcome.

To successfully achieve the change, it was also necessary to reduce the height of the saddle by the same 2in, but it’s a critical part of the loco’s cylinder casting. Originally, we had planned to use the cylinders recovered from 2861, however this saddle was not only at the wrong height but would be the wrong radius for 4709’s boiler.

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Don Ashton came up with a solution which resolved both of these issues. However, costing the work needed to restore the old cylinder block and given that it could still cause unforeseen problems, it was decided that new cylinders would cost more, but represent a much reduced risk and deliver a much longer service life.

Cylinders.

Our saga of polystyrene patterns for 4709’s cylinders, the associated difficulties and the closing of specialist foundries has been discussed extensively elsewhere. Suffice to say that at the time of writing, one cylinder is cast, the second due towards the end of April 2021.

By now, we’d achieved a height reduction of 2in, but 4709 still needed to lose a further inch.

Again, Don spent months on his drawing board sympathetically reprofiling the chimney, bonnet and cab sides to fit within the new loading gauge. It was critical not to detract from the overall look of the

47XX and Don was very successful in providing us with working drawings, detailing these minor, but vitally important changes.

There still remain some issues to be resolved.

Due to the lowering of the cab floor, the vacuum brake cylinder and several other vital components also need to be slightly relocated, doubtless setting off another chain of interdependency-related issues to be solved.

Nearer the time, we will be paying similar attention to the height of the blast pipe in the smokebox. Its critical relationship with the petticoat pipe choke diameter is the basis on which 4709’s good steaming will depend.

In addition to the build and fabrication work, these many and time consuming adaptations have

been necessary to accommodate refurbished ‘donor’ parts and the overall savings they represent. It will also mean that 4709 will then be in the so-called Barry Condition, ready for restoration to commence.

4709 Front End Progress

After half a century at Barry, exposed to the elements and sea air, parts of what is intended to become 4709’s pony truck, have predictably, corroded. Now, they need to be replaced.

The pony truck resembles the letter ‘A’, and was originally fabricated from many components that were common steel sections at that time, or heavy items which had been forged, bent and curved in three dimensions. Understandably, many of these sections are no longer available and so, renovation

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4709 centre stay pattern under construction

4709 centre stay pattern ready for use

for mainline use involves a detailed and thorough assessment of each and every component.

Then comes the challenge of whether it would be more economic to replace with new, rather than repair. Interestingly, no modern day fabricators are able to bend the 5”x 5” x 5” x ½” T sections with which the pony truck radius bars were fabricated and so the originals have had to be sent away for specialist weld repairs to meet the approval of the VAB. Clearly Swindon had no problems in bending these sections in the day; providing a good indication of the capability and knowledge that has been lost.

It was always intended to fit the entire front end of donor loco no. 4115 to 4709, so we could be confident that it would work as a proven and selfcontained unit. However, a general arrangement drawing of the proposed configuration quickly showed that this plan was unworkable; at 6 cwt, 4115’s leading frame stay was too light for a 47xx.

The original 47XX stay weighed some 2 tons. Back to the drawing board - literally.

have also been commissioned for the compensating beams themselves which will be cast in steel in the next few weeks.

In the meantime, work on 4709 is progressing with the machining of fourteen new spring hanger brackets and the ongoing refurbishment of the (re)usable components from the loco’s pony truck assembly.

Making the New Frame Stay Casting

A new frame stay casting is needed as the function of this huge block of cast iron is to stabilise, stiffen and dampen the entire front end of the locomotive. In addition, the stay will contain a 10 inch diameter hole through which a heavy cylindrical counterweight will rise and fall as the wheels follow the track, moving compensating beams that connect to the front of the leading axle springs. This arrangement enables the leading axle to allow for the deflection encountered by the pony truck’s wheelset.

On 4709, this casting will be hidden under the running boards ahead of the smokebox. A bell shaped cowling will cover the 10” hole for the counterweight.

A 3D model was produced for the pattern.

Caddick and Moss of Bristol – the company that previously produced patterns for 4709’s wheels and dragbox, has subsequently completed these patterns, which are due to be cast shortly. Patterns

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Cylinder No 2 Successfully Cast!

There was a great exhalation from the 4709 team this week (w/e 14 May), when the brandnew casting for the loco’s second cylinder emerged from its giant sand mould.

Preparing to pouring the melt at around 1300C

“We were holding our breath,” said 4709’s Chief Engineer, Paul Carpenter.

“This foundry work using polystyrene patterns is at the very edge of technology and a huge learning and discovery process for us all.”

Poured on Thursday morning 6th May, Boro Foundry in Smethwick filled the mould with 2,646kg of molten metal, at an average temperature of 12800C. The pour took less than five minutes; the culmination of many weeks of work, planning, testing and preparation.

Throughout the pour, flames leaked spectacularly from every joint in the sand box, as the hot metal ignited the gases generated by the burning of the polystyrene pattern.

The massive cylinder then sat for the best part of a week; “We’ll strike the mould next Tuesday or Wednesday, but expect the metal to still be red hot,” said Boro’s Sam Edwards at the pour. “It’ll take several more days to cool sufficiently for us to examine and check that the pour was successful.”

It was and the cylinder was shot blasted and had its running (pour) system removed. It will now join its sibling, cast several weeks ago.

Both will be heat treated to relieve internal stresses, after which they will be machined and joined as a pair.

Completed and installed in 4709’s chassis, the cylinders will be a critical part of 4709’s front end. “In addition to their role in converting steam to motion, the cylinders will also provide a physical datum for measurements and alignment for the hornguides, wheels, axles and motion. Once we’ve got this casting in place, we can start planning for 4709 to become a rolling chassis,” adds Paul.

(Above) Pouring the melt (Paul Perton) (Below The Casting ready for inspection, machining and heat treatment (Sam Edwards, Boro Foundry)

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GWR 2800 Class 2-8-0 No 2807 & the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway Part 1 At the start of the 20th Century, George Jackson Churchill was appointed as Locomotive Superintendent of the Great Western Railway. He quickly realised that there was an immediate need for a heavy freight engine and, equally important, there was the need to standardise on the range of locomotives to minimise cost. One of the first of these “new” standard designs was the 2800 Class of 2-8-0 tender engines and between 1903 and 1938 a total of 84 of these locomotives left Swindon Works, numbered 2800-2883. Later, under Collett, this Class was extended with the addition of 2884-2899 and 3800-3886. The first batch of 28XX were subsequently fitted with new boilers and superheaters.

These engines were notable for being the first 2-8-0s in the country and, so successful were they that, in the first 50 years of their lives, apart from minor modifications, the only major change was the fitting of superheaters. Throughout the working life so good were they that they became known as the best heavy freight engines in the country – quite remarkable when it is considered that they were built to a new design and not a variation on a well tried and trusted design. Indeed, in J H Russell’s book A Pictorial record of Great Western Engines, the author relates the story of a trip in February 1906, where although the load for the Class was 60 wagons, a test train from Severn Tunnel Junction with No 2806 with 54 wagons and a dynamometer car behind the engine; at Stoke Gifford the load was increased to 65 wagons and at Swindon, it was increased again to 100 wagons, which she trundles quite happily all the way to Southall. So, according to the author was born the ability of the “twenty-eighters” to cope with 100 loaded wagons; he went on to relate that during his time on the Great Western, a train left Banbury at 8.10am every weekday with coal for Southall and loaded to the limit of 10.

28XX class 2-8-0 No 97 (2800) as-built, painted black, with low-pitch boiler (RCTS)

28XX Class 2-8-0 No 2819, Superheate and with short cone boiler (RCTS)

28XX Class 2-2-0 No 2811 with long cone boiler (RCTS)

The first member of the Class, No 97, later 2800, left the works in June 1903 in black livery lined out in red and with a small diameter chimney. The cladding of the barrel was in five sections, but the later ones were made with four, A further difference was the pitch of the boiler was only 7ft 5½in whereas the subsequent ones were pitched at 8ft 2in. Looking at the Churchward locomotives, they were as follows: Engine No Swindon Lot Date

Works Nos Nos Built 2800 (97) 1901 139 1903 2801-2810 2096-2105 153 1905 2811-2820 2115-2124 155 1905 2821-2830 2158-2167 160 1907 2831-2835 2390-2394 181 1911 2836-2845 2436-2445* 186 1912 2846-2855 2486-2495* 190 1912-13 2856-2883 2762-2789* 210 1918-19 *Numbers not originally carried on locos.

Nos 2801-2820 came out in 1905 and were fitted with 4,000-gallon tenders, almost identical externally with the more usual 3,500-gallon type.

As time went on, Nos 97 and 2801-2820 were fitted with a larger pattern chimney. The next most notable changes came after 1934, when the early engines were retrofitted with outside steam pipes and curved dropends and top feed. In 1930-31, Automatic Train Control was fitted to the whole class.

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28XX Class 2-8-0 No 2807

According to the RCTS publication, The Locomotives of the Great Western Railway, Part Nine Standard Two-Cylinder Classes, No 2807 as built in October 1905 was fitted with a Type 2 halfconed boiler but this was changed to a Type D4 in August 1915. She was fitted with a 14/84 Superheater in March 1911 and Outside Steam Pipes in November 1936 before eventually being withdrawn in March 1963. According to the Service Record, held by the Trust, she passed half a million miles in 1927 and one million miles by the time of nationalisation in 1948. When withdrawn, she had reached 1,472,687 miles. According to the latest records in preservation she passed 1.5 million on Boxing Day 2016.

Allocations while in Service

No 2807 was allocated to Bristol in 1921. By 1948, she had moved to Hereford (HFD). In 1952, she was at 85A (Worcester), 1955 still at 85A but in 1959, she was now at 86A (Ebbw Junction) and in 1963, she was withdrawn in March from her final shed 86E (Ebbw Junction).

(Note the shed codes changed on several occasions between 1948 and 1963. These details for 2807 are taken from Jim Grindlay’s book, published by Modelmaster Publications – British Railways Steam Locomotive Allocations 1948-1969, Part One, Western Region 1-9799 and Great Western Railway Allocations for 1921 by Ian Harrison, published by Wild Swan Publications. - Ed Following early shed allocations to Westbourne Park and Old Oak Common in the Paddington area, in 1911, No 2807 embarked upon eight years of coal traffic in South Wales, operating first from Aberdare and later Pontypool Road. The First World War saw No 2807 performing on the famous “Jellicoe Specials”, hauling Welsh steam coal destined for the Grand Fleet at Scapa Flow.

GWR 2800 class engines worked the South Wales to Lancashire section of this round the clock service.

No 2807 on shed at Severn Tunnel Junction 18th August 1963 (P Sankey Collection)

No 2807 in Woodham Brothers Yard (Top) 29th October 1979 and (Bottom) 11th May 1980 (Paul Sankey Collection)

No 2807 in Preservation

No 2807 was rescued by Cotswold Steam Preservation Ltd from Woodham Brothers in 1981 and was taken to the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway for restoration. It is the oldest survivor of its class in preservation – six have been bought for restoration – 2807, 2818 (on static display at the Museum of the Great Western Railway and owned by the Museum), 2857 (Owned by The 2857 Society and on the Severn Valley Railway (Boiler certificate expires 2021), 2859 (privately owned and under restoration), 2873 (owned by and resident on the South Devon Railway (dismantled) and 2874 on the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway (Owned by The 2874 Trust and under preparation for restoration) In 1981, No 2807 was moved to Toddington railway station on the Gloucester Warwickshire Railway to become the first steam locomotive on the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway. It was restored to steam in 2010.

28XX Class 2-8-0 No 2807 and the GWR The Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway does not own any locomotives. No 2807, for example is owned by Cotswold Steam Preservation Limited (CSP) who bought it from Woodham Brothers in June 1981. It was then moved to the GWR at Toddington and over the next 30 years was fulSpring 2021

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Lifting the boiler at Riley’s

ly restored, steaming for the first time in 2010.

In 2011, No 2807 paid visits to the West Somerset Railway, the Great Central Railway and to the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway.

During 2014 and 2016, No 2807 featured in several Gala events at the North York Moors Railway. During 2016, while at the North York Moors Railway, she suffered a boiler tube failure which resulted in the tube being plugged at both ends to temporarily seal the failure and allowed the locomotive to operate.

Although a new tube was subsequently fitted, there are fears that the failure could be a sign that the other boiler tubes could also fail in the shortterm. As the engine was already seven years into its 10-year ticket it was known that if there were any further problems, a decision on whether to withdraw the locomotive for a full heavy general overhaul would be required. Plans were developed to mitigate the risk.

2807 was taken out of service in January 2017 but returned to traffic the following year. The boiler certificate expired in November 2019, but its life was extended for a short period. Its last day in service was the 1st of January 2020. When taken out of service the locomotive had travelled over 42,000 miles since it was returned to steam in 2010.

Since being withdrawn on Wednesday 1st of January 2020, the CSPL has been busy removing components from 2807. By the end of January 2020, the cab, smokebox and boiler had been stripped of all components, along with cylinder cladding. This allowed the team to needle-gun and paint the boiler in February in preparation for the boiler to be lifted and transported to Riley and Son E Ltd, who are overhauling the boiler.

The ashpan was cut up inside the firebox. With the boiler ready for lifting, attention was turned to disassembly of the motion, with the con rods removed first. The boiler was transported to Riley & Son (E) Ltd at Heywood for overhaul in mid-2020 following the letting of a contract for the work.

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Work started at Heywood in late June 2020.

Although removing the boiler was achieved ahead of schedule, the current lockdown has put further work on hold for the time being. Despite this, the company can still proceed with organising contractors to carry out work needed, such as reprofiling the four coupled wheelsets.The work required on the boiler includes:  The front boiler barrel section and smokebox tubeplate need replacing  The backhead from below the fire hold door down to the foundation ring needs replacing.  The foundation ring needs repairs  Sections of the smokebox and smokebox door plate need replacing  A new set of boiler tubes  Other smaller items to complete the above

The Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway

The line on which this Heritage Railway now operates was built by the Great Western Railway in 1903-1906 – coincidentally the time that the 2800 Class was being built in Swindon. The Great Western had proved very successful in running “horizontal” lines, i.e., London to Bristol, London to South Wales, but had basically neglected many of the so-called “vertical” or connecting routes.

One of these was a line from the West Midlands to the South West, which would compete with the line built by the Midland Railway.

On 1st August 1899, the GWSR obtained an Authorising Act for a high-speed line from Honeybourne to Cheltenham. This line was to have

Ex-Great Western Railway 4-6-0 4073 Castle class No 5073 ‘Blenheim’ passes Stratford Racecourse on 19th June 1959 with a Class D ‘Marazion to Oxley Sidings’ partially fitted freight.

a maximum gradient of 1 in 108 and the tightest radius of curve was to be half a mile. Included in the Act were powers to double the Stratford Railway between Stratford and Bearley and to create a new curve there to connect with the North Warwickshire Line. The line opened in 1906 and the first through trains between Wolverhampton and the West Country started in 1910. Two years later a station was opened to serve the racecourse at Cheltenham. From 1906 until 18 June 1951, the station was called Stratford on Avon but, on the 18th of June 1951, the name was officially changed to Stratford-upon-Avon.

According to P W B Semmens in his book “The Heyday of GWR Train Services”. Newton Abbot: David & Charles Publishers plc, 1990, in 1922 there were five through southbound trains a day, with a fifth between Birmingham and Swansea.

They all called at Stratford for two to five minutes on their way to the stop at... Cheltenham at the south end of the Great Western’s 1906 line... By 1939 the number of Birmingham-Bristol trains on ordinary weekdays had fallen to four, and one to Swansea... However, as with other West of England services, there had been an explosion of Saturdays-only trains, in this case amounting to another six southbound ones. In 1934, a service of streamlined diesel railcars began operating over the route from Birmingham to Cardiff. Three twin-engined cars equipped with buffets provided a fast business service.

The route via Stratford continued to be heavily used for long-distance passenger services, but the drive for rationalisation eventually resulted in diversion of through Birmingham to Bristol trains to the Ashchurch (former Midland Railway) route.

Local passenger services ended in 1960 and from 10th September 1962 “The Cornishman” and the South Wales diesel multiple unit trains were diverted via Ashchurch, but summer-only trains continued to use the Honeybourne route on Fri-

A 1949-built locomotive, no 7903 Foremarke Hall, on the platform of the new Broadway Station March 2018. (Jack Boskett) (Stratford-upon-Avon Herald)

day nights and Saturdays until 1966. The line was heavily used for freight – in the summer particularly for locally grown fruit and vegetables – the freight trains traveling up the line were carrying coal and those travelling south had iron ore from the Northamptonshire iron fields. The Cheltenham line closed completely on 25th August 1976, following the derailment of a Toton (Nottinghamshire) to Severn Tunnel Junction coal train at Winchcombe. The following morning the wagons, which had been carrying coal were empty, but the locals were found to be well-stocked with it! What a coincidence!

The End of an Era or a New Beginning?

From 1976 to 1964, local people and railway enthusiasts worked hard to save the line, despite the lifting of the track and demolition of many buildings in 1979. Despite these setbacks, the group of 50 or 60 volunteers were successful in 1981 of raising £70,000 to purchase 15 miles of trackbed and the remaining associated buildings – basically at Toddington, where the goods shed, signal box, platform and canopy were still standing. Their original ambition was to go from Cheltenham to Stratford (30 miles) but, in the event, they settled on Stratford to Cheltenham Race Course, about 16 miles. They were then successful in obtaining a Light Railway Order which enabled them to rebuild the line between Broadway and Cheltenham. Tracklaying with bull head rail and wooden sleepers in traditional 60ft lengths began in 1982 and an initial train service over 700 yards of track was run just three years later, steam-hauled by Cadbury No 1.

Between 1984 and the present-day volunteers have steadily restored the line, building stations and signal boxes, replacing lost signals and other infrastructure. Winchcombe station was opened in 1987 with the building being brought stone by stone from Monmouth Troy station in Monmouthshire. It now has a very modern waiting room on the other platform built in stone. Behind Spring 2021

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Hayles Abbey Halt rebuilt by 14 Pway volunteers over 40 Monday’s and 2300 wheel barrow loads of rubble , bricks , mortar and chippings in one year !

(Malcolm Ranieri)

the building is a row of Scotch pines. These were planted as a guide to help people find the railway as it was not in a town. Despite one or two major landslips, the track was gradually extended to 12 miles and includes three main stations and one halt. Between 2016 and 2020, the line was extended to Broadway, giving passengers from the Cheltenham area to enjoy a trip through the Cotswolds. Hayles Abbey Halt has also been rebuilt. Gotherington is now a private house and the GWSR has built a new platform on the other side of the track.

At Winchcombe are the Carriage & Wagon works with a staff with a full range of skills – woodworking, metalworking upholstery, electrical etc.

Very often the carriages arrived in a poor state but were fully restored into a top rate standard. The coaches are also fitted out with disabled access.

There are three full rakes of 6, 7 and 8 coaches, two in chocolate and cream and one in crimson.

Unlike other Preserved railways, the GWSR does not own any locomotives, all trains being run with visiting engines. There are in principle six at the moment. The first to arrive was 2807, which was restored at Toddington over 29 years by about 15 men. The there is a 2-8-0 tank No 4270 which arrived in 1975 which used to work in South Wales and is owned by Pete Waterman.

Her rebuild was completed in May 2014. Then there is the flagship loco, No 7903 Foremark Hall, built in 1948. Next is No 7820 Dinmore Manor which used to work mainly on the Cambrian from Shrewsbury to North Wales, which is a frequent visitor to the South Devon Railway in her black BR livery. The largest loco is the Merchant Navy Class 35006 Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation Co. which took 31 years to restore.

The two interesting structures on the line are Greet Tunnel, which is 693 yards long and Stanway Viaduct with its 15 arches.

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into a Public Limited Company which had a turnover in excess of £2 million per year, attracting over 140,000 visitors a year.

How has all this been made possible. Today, the Gloucestershire Warwickshire railway employs seven staff – a mix of full and part-time – and has the incredible support of around 1,000 volunteers. From the fragile beginnings of a Light Railway Order and just 700 yards of track, the railway today is overseen by the Office of Rail and Road and the Rail Accident Investigation Branch.

The railway is responsible for 46 bridges, one viaduct, two tunnels and an aqueduct/footbridge, all of which are over 115 years old. Every bridge is inspected visually every year by the railway’s own staff and once every six years by specialist consultants.

Looking Forward.

The GWSR was the first Heritage Railway to announce a return to regular working in 2021, following the Corona virus lockdown. Train services started on Tuesday 13th April and, in charge of the first train was GWR Tank engine No 4270 During its 40th year the railway is planning a major exhibition and award ceremony for the first volunteers who are still with the railway.

A display will show the railway’s astonishing progress from a 15-mile strip of derelict land with no track and very few buildings remaining, following 1976 closure of the line and its subsequent demolition by British Railways. The GWSR was formed in 1981 and the following year moved to the abandoned Toddington station yard, bought the land, and started the long, meticulous process of rebuilding the railway.

What has been achieved, an outstandingly attractive steam railway between Broadway and Cheltenham, is a testament to the thousands of volunteers who over the years, have played a part in its development.

More information on the overhaul of No 2807 will appear in the Autumn issue of Great Western Star

This is the new video produced by the Society to celebrate 10 years of running No 2807. It is available Price £10 including post and packing from the GWSR.

The New Counties - a Photographic Update

(above) 1014: Coupling rods finished andextension rods finished (Below left) ) 1024 tender tank material cut with Project Engineer Dicky Boast

(Below) 3840 driving wheels ordered from existing pattern and cylinder block ordered

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News from the World of GWR Modelling In this section of the magazine, we will look at what is happening in the world of railway modelling analogue and digital - and in a range of gauges from Z-Gauge up to about 7¼ inch gauge. We will look at the people who are building model railway layouts and we will also take a look at people and companies who are servicing the needs of the model railway enthusiast. If you would like to feature your own layout, your own locomotive, carriage or wagon that you would like to show, then please get in touch.

Equally, if you know of a layout, locomotive, carriage or wagon that has impressed you, again, please get in touch.

The Clergy and The Railway - Part 2 Revd Roger Farnworth

Team Rector, Parish of the Good Shepherd Ashton-under-Lyne, Borough Dean of Tameside In the January issue of Great Western Star, we had the pleasure of publishing Roger’s wideranging tribute to fellow members of the clergy who have been known to a greater or lesser extent for their love of railways. In this second contribution, Roger describes his own model railway layout which continues to grow, rather like his love of all things railway - Ed My own interest in railways and railway modelling stems, I believe, from a childhood fascination with trains and from a pre-ordination career in civil engineering. My interest in railways is pretty eclectic, but I accept that for many people it will be perceived as a niche interest.

If you were to read my blog you would find that I have a particular interest in Secondary French railways and tramways, many of which fell into

disuse soon after the Second World War but whose routes can still be followed through the French countryside by car and bicycle. Jo and I have done just that in a variety of contexts in Southern France on regular Autumn visits.

You will find that I have developed a childhood interest in the 3ft Gauge railways of Ireland into a series of narratives following the routes of those old lines which disappeared in the early second-half of the 20th Century.

You will see that one seminal moment for me was travelling on the ‘Lunatic Express’ in East Africa, and you can, if you wish, follow a full journey along the line from Mombasa to Kampala and beyond.

You will, I hope, be delighted to follow the story of the building of an N-Gauge model railway in the vicarage loft. At times these interests have been allconsuming, they certainly have allowed me to escape

(Above Left) Building the baseboards (Above Right) Laying the track (Below Left) Hand-made, Card Coaling Stage - Hereford MPD (Below Right) Hereford Barrscourt Station Footbridge under construction

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(Above Left) Hereford Barrscourt Station in place on the layout (Above Right) The Station Approach (Below Left) One of Hereford Station’s two signal boxes also of a card construction. Beyond are the two large goods sheds which framed the station approach from the North – these are also of card construction (Below Right) view from the station yard across the allotments to Aylestone Hill

(Above Left) The view across the station yard to Aylestone Hill and bridge.

(Above Right) Aylestone Hill Signal Box and carriage sidings.

from times when ministry has been particularly stressful.

A few pictures of my own layout in the vicarage loft bring the main narrative of this article to a close.

The layout focuses on the railways in and around the city of Hereford. Sadly, the ‘day job’ has meant little progress on the layout in the past few years. as retirement beckons there will be a significant effort involved in deconstructing what has been built …

Building the Baseboards! Laying the track! Handmade, card Coaling Stage – Hereford MPD Hereford, Barrscourt Station Footbridge under construction.

Hereford, Barrscourt Railway Station in its location on the layout. The station approach, showing the footbridge in position. One of Hereford Station’s two

signal boxes also of a card construction. Beyond are the two large goods sheds which framed the station approach from the North – these are also of card constriction. The view from the station yard across the allotments to Aylestone Hill. The view across the station yard to Aylestone Hill and bridge. Aylestone Hill Signal Box and carriage sidings.

It seems that whether a cleric’s interest in railways comes from a past outside the church, or is borne in the midst of theological formation, it has some significant things going for it. In particular, like many other interests, it forms an alternative world to the world of work.

I’m not sure that, ultimately, any further justification is required.

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LLanbourne - An OO Gauge Layout set on the North Wales Coast Peter Mantle

47106 works a short van train to Bangor

Llanbourne is my OO gauge layout based on the North Wales Coast in the mid-80s. My time period is set from mid-85 to mid-87. It’s not a wide time range but there was plenty going on during this time. Locos and stock were being repainted into new liveries along with the class 25s being withdrawn and the few remaining class 40s eking out their last days on ballast work.

Something else that drew me to modelling the North Wales Coast was the use of class 33’s on some trains from Cardiff and Crewe. Being from Hampshire, the class 33s had to feature on any layout that I was going to build!

The layout started life in my parents loft quite some time ago and has had many changes over the years, it’s currently in my garage in Australia and even after all these years still isn’t quite finished.

But hey are they ever?

The original boards are Sundeala on 2inch by 1inch pine frames; the newer sections are on MDF as Sundeala is not available here in Oz. Track is Peco code 100 with Peco point motors powering the points. Scenics are pretty standard with the use of polystyrene Modroc flock and some static grass with carpet underlay used as a ground cover on the embankments.

31323 leaving Llanbourne on a flask train to Valley near Holyhead

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A couple of DMUs in platform 3 And 4

25109 comes off the branch with a trip working of explosives from Maentwrog Road 47613 leaves the station on an inter-city service to Euston.

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47613 leaves the station on an inter city service to Euston.

Buildings are from kits or built from scratch; the station and platform are Hornby, covered with Slaters brick. The Signals are non-working Ratio kits changed to suit my needs.The layout was built DC but I converted to DCC some years ago, and currently use an NCE powercab; various decoders are used in my loco’s and some have sound.

The layout is 20 ft by 9ft terminus to fiddleyard which allows me to run a loco plus seven coaches with room to add a loco at the station, or to run round a 5-coach set.

Operation

As most of you may have noticed, Llanbourne is not an actual place in North Wales. In my mind, I have imagined that Llandudno and Llandudno Junction did not exist but Llanbourne did, acting

as a through terminus for trains travelling along the coast. Trains from Holyhead, Crewe and beyond arrive at Llanbourne and either run round or have a loco change.

On Llanbourne, I try to run trains that were running on the North Wales Coast in my mid-80s time period, these include Inter-City services from Euston to Holyhead class 47/4 hauled; Trans– Pennine from Newcastle, York and Manchester to Bangor and Holyhead class 45/1 or 47/4 hauled; Provincial services from Cardiff and Crewe to Holyhead and Bangor, which are formed of DMUs and class 33s hauling stock.

Van and Freight Traffic Van trains were a daily sight on the coast, so they appear at Llanbourne too; they often drop off or pick

33010 sweeps round the curve past the carriage sidings on a Bangor to Cardiff service

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45111 heads to Bangor while 97406 ex 40135 heads to Llanbourne on a ballast working

up vans left in platform 4. They are normally class 31 hauled but other motive power often turns up.

Freight traffic was quite busy on the Coast during the 80s and some of these can be seen on Llanbourne. I run a daily Speedlink, some trip workings, a nuclear flask and some ballast trains that come out of Penmeanwar quarry. I also run a Fly ash train which actually finished in 1984 but I don’t have room for freightliner trains, so have made an excuse to run this service. I also run an oil train with a pair of class 20s which was a regular working on the central Wales line. My train arrives at the station and is tripped to the oil sidings.

Locomotives and Rolling Stock

Loco’s and stock are pretty much RTR but all loco’s have had extra detailing work and are weathered by

copying pictures of the actual locomotives. Most of the loco’s I have weathered were actually seen on the North Wales Coast and, hence, were possible I have also done a loco of which I actually have a picture.

Coaches are also weathered and renumbered and run in as near as possible correct formations to those seen on the Coast.

Wagons are mostly RTR with some kit built ones adding to the variety these are also weathered.

I generally run the layout to a timetable similar to how it would have worked in the mid-80s and I nearly have enough stock to run it how I would like.

I still have a few projects on the workbench and in the cupboard. I also have a few more buildings to finish for the layout, the biggest one is an overall roof for the station!

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