Seymour Distribution Ltd, 2East PoultryAvenue,London EC1A 9PT.Tel: 020 7429 4000
Printing
William Gibbons &Sons, Wolverhampton
KELSEYmedia
KELSEYMEDIA LTD
Sales and distribution manager
Carl Smith
Head of marketing
CharlottePark
Commercial director Nigel Hole
Publishing director Dan Savage
ARCHIVE
Enquiries Jane Skayman 01507 529423 jskayman@mortons.co.uk
SUBSCRIPTION
Full subscription rates(but see page30for ofer): (12months 13 issues,inc post and packing) –UK£67.60. Exportrates arealso available –see page30for moredetails. UK subscriptions arezero-ratedfor the purposes of Value Added Tax. Enquires: subscriptions@mortons.co.uk
Published Everyfourweeks on aFriday. Advertising deadline June 18, 2025
Next issue on sale July 4, 2025
On May23, No.70000 Britannia passes throughthe site of theformerWestHoathleystation as it approaches SharpthorneTunnelonthe Bluebell Railway. TheBRStandardClass 7had arrivedfromLondon Victoria with aprivate weddingcharter.After detachingfromthe stockatHorsted Keynes,itcontinued with itssupport coachtoSheffield Park.Bothlocomotiveand stockwerestabled on therailway until Sunday morning, with resident SR Battle of Britain4 -6 -2 No.34059 SirArchibald Sinclair transporting the guests aboard aprivate ‘GoldenArrow’charter betweenSheffield Park andEastGrinstead on May24. The next morning, theconsist departed behind Class57No. 57002 WinstonChurchill towardsLondon, where the‘Brit ’tookoverfor arun to PaddockWood.See also picture, News,page12. LUKE GOVUS
Celebratingt he fir st –andlast– of thesteam age
INthis year of Railway 200, we arecelebrating the marvellous transportphenomenon thatoriginated hereinBritain and changed the worldforever.Yet those wheels of change have never stopped turning, long afterthe end of thesteam age whichmade it all possible
Not only aretheremajor developments in public rail transport, butthe heritage sectorcontinues to defy all odds
On September 27, we will celebratethe bicentenaryofthatkeynotefirst steam-hauled passenger trip on the Stockton &Darlington Railway behind Locomotion No.1.However, months beforethe climax to thebicentenary, we areapplauding the efforts of the BR Class 8Steam LocomotiveTrust and its predecessors.For more than half acentury, they have foughttopreserve the locomotive that represents the other end of the steam erafromthatStephenson masterpiece of 1825, BR Standard8 Pacific No.71000 Duke of Gloucester, which in 1954 became the sole member of thelast steam class to be designed forBritish Railways, rendered unique in thatthe planned production line wasstopped in its tracks by the progress to dieseland electric traction. Bookends of the steam age indeed!
As highlightedinour featurein Heritage Railway issue 329, the saviours of theDuke overcame seemingly insurmountable obstacles,from
manufacturingreplacementmissing parts to the Everest-like fundraising mountain thatneeded to be climbed to rebuildittomain linestandard. We aredelightedtoreportinthis issue’s Headline Newsthatthe Duke has successful undergone light and loaded test runs on the Severn Valley Railway after13years of inaction, before undergoing fine -tuning and main line testingatits next base of Crewe.
Heritage venues big and small arejustifiably proud to attach the Railway200 logototheir current events;tosee afeatofthe magnitude of the restoration of the Duke become hardreality again morethan anything captures thespirit of our unsurpassablerailwaylegacybeforeour eyes
Just like the worldofrailways as awhole,the heritage sectorcontinuestomoveforward as time rolls on. Bulleid West Countrylight Pacific Eddystone is about to debut on the main line for the first time in preservation and,asfeatured elsewhere in this issue,the projecttobuild areplica of Mountaineer,the first Ffestiniog locomotive, is making headway in its drivetofill another major gap in our heritage fleet
Yes, ourmovementmay lack the facilities of a Big Four locomotivebuildingworks or an endless supplyofready cash, butour achievements have come thick and fast –and will continue to do so Robin Jones Editor
Headline News
■ Duke of Gloucester under takes frst trial runs and loaded tests on Severn Valley following overhaul
■ Locomotion No.1 joins TheGreatest Gathering line -up
■ West Somerset Railway ’s Taunton ser vicelink bid stalls
■ Tornado visit St Blazey roundhouse and boostz training centre appeal
■ Tributes to photographer Mike Esau
News
■ Rivals reunited: A3 and Castle come together again at Didcot
■ Chinnor openingdatefor independentPrinces Risborough line
■ LNWR coal tank booked forNene Valley ’s autumn Rail 200 gala
■ D-DayPullman returns to ser viceas lines celebrateVEDay 80th
■ Bullock locomotives assemble for Eastleigh Miniature’suniquegala
■ New Lincolnshirestation wins award–beforeevenseeingatrain
■ £300k appeal launched to help connectBala Lake to namesake town
Main Line News
■ Eddystone depar ts Herston Works as main line debut drawsnear
■ Tornado debut success on Railway Touring’s ‘Great Britain XVII’
■ Modellers showsuppor tfor main line 4VEPplans with model auction
With Full Regulator60
DonBenn recounts aday out with Clan Line in 2024 and twoofhis best runs with the 100mph Pacifc
CONTENTS: TheBluebellRailway of Cornwall:acarpetof flowersaddsa splash of varietytothe otherwisegreen hues at Colesloggett Halt on theBodminRailway.VisitingGWR 0- 4-2T No.1450awaitsdeparture to Bodmin GeneralonMay 17 as part of thespringsteam gala;see feature, pages66- 68. OWEN HAYWARD
COVER: Driver IanWalkerand firemanTom Millssmile forthe camera as newly-overhauled BR Standard 8P PacificNo. 71000 Duke of Gloucester exitsBewdley Tunnelwithits firstloadedtest runonthe Severn Valley RailwayonMay 23. JOHN TITLOW
SubscribeToday 30 Centre
LSWR T3 No.563 at Chawton Heights on the Mid-HantsRailway during aphotographic char ter.
JOHN TITLOW
Main Line Itinerar y59 Steam and heritage diesel railtours Railwayana 70 Geof Cour tney ’s regularcolumn Railway 200 Events 81
Featur es
300 to 1: Tanfeld’s threecenturiesofrail histor y While Railway 200ishemajor media focus of 2025, butthe historyof the Tanfeld Railway,inCounty Durham, goesback acenturybeforethe opening of the Stockton &Darlington Railway.DaveWilson shares the storyofits origins
Cotswold Festival celebrates Railway 200
THE GloucestershireWarwickshire
Railway ’s popular annual Cotswold Festival of Steam on May24-26 proved another big success,this year marking Railway 200 with amix of locomotives,reports John Titlow.
Bodmin’s 66
quintessential Great Western Gala
TheBodmin Railway ’s spring steam galarecreatedscenes synonymous with the GWR in Cornwall.Owen Haywardspoke to the line’s general manager David Nelson-Brownto fndout whynow wasthe time to dip toes back into these waters.
Picture: Perfec t? 76
With each of our heritage lines ofering unique photographic vantages,OwenHayward invited some of Heritage Railway’s regular contributors to suggest howyou mightwalk away with an image that stands out from the rest
Anew Mountaineer 73 on the climb!
With the gala marking the 70th anniversaryofthe volunteer-led Ffestiniog Railway revival running its initial passenger trains approaching on June 19-22, Mark Smithers updatesusonthe current progress of the project to recreate theline’s frst steam locomotive
Steaming through 82 the ages at the West Somerset
TheRailway 200-themed annual West SomersetRailway steam gala,had guest locomotives brought in to representabroad chapterin the development of steam traction
Models
Model News 88
Rapido launches new 009 models range,while Heljan rejoinsthe TT:120 scale with diesel oferings
PRE- ORDER ISSUE 334
No need to poptothe shopsinfour weeks’ time...simplyorder your next HR from mrtns.uk /pre-orderhr or call 01507529529.
NEWS HE ADLINE NEWS
FiremanTom Millsbringsthe tail lamp to thefront of No.71000 at Highleyafter itsfirst successful lightenginerun from BewdleyonMay 22 JOHN TITLOW
Afterrunning roundatHampton Loade, No.71000 is readytoleave with a loaded test runonMay 23 JOHN TITLOW
Duke ofGloucester setfor comeback af ter13yea rs
By John Titlowand Robin Jones
FOLLOWINGa 13-year absencefrom the main line,unique BR 8P Pacific No.71000 Duke of Gloucester is poised foracomeback,having successfully undergone initial running-in trials on the Severn Valley Railway following its latest rebuild
Theoverhaul included new wheel bearings,anew centre crank axle, aboiler retube,new fireboxtube plate and Caprotti boxesreturned to their original cams,plusthe
improvementsthe BR Class 8Steam LocomotiveTrust believed that RobertRiddles, BR’s executivefor mechanical engineering,would have carried out had he been given the time aftertwo years of running of the national networkand before the proposed building of aclass of 50 Dukes,blocked by the 1955 BR Modernisation Plan, wascompleted at Tyseley Locomotive Worksunder the guidanceofAlastair Meanley. Invaluable help wasprovided throughout this latest overall/rebuild
by thetrust’s supportcrewmembers, led by Dave Oliver
Ready fortesting No.71000 Duke of Gloucester and itssuppor tcoacharrivedat the SVR on May1minus smoke deflectors,cabside numberplates and nameplates, and offloaded at Kidderminster facing south. The locomotivearrivednot fully painted, but it still looked very good.The following day, its tender arrived. At theSVR, the Duke underwent
shakedown and running-in trials by the LocomotiveServices Ltd engineers ledbyIan Walker,who will be taking careofitboth in termsof main line running and his ongoing maintenance.
On May7,aLSL crew wasbusy working in the yard at Kidderminster, preparingNo. 71000 fortestruns It wasinsteam, blowing off having its safetyvalves adjusted and being weighed.Later inthe dayitwas turned to face north and one smoke deflectorwas fitted.Eventually,the second smoke deflectorwas fitted, followedbythe nameplates.
Engineers from Creweand the SVR worked all dayonMay 8completing fine -tuning.The locomotivemoved up and down the siding but ventured no further.
No.71000, the supportcoach and twoballast wagonsdeparted Kidderminster at about 1pm on May9 behind Class 33 No.33108 to Bewdley,where the 8P enteredthe siding formorefine -tuning
Abooked timetable forlight engine test runs from Kidderminster to HamptonLoade wasprepared,but theDuke wasnot quiteready
Work continued in earnest in the week beginning May12, but with the Spring Diesel Gala (see News, pages 14/15) looming,time wastoo shortto completeeverything
Immediately afterthe gala, work continued on No.71000 with the setting up of the valvegear.Clearly visible belowthe smokeboxdoor with the coverremovedwas the centre cambox of the Caprotti valves, normally hidden by apanel.Bob and Alistair Meanley,fromTyseley,
Watering is doneasNo. 71000 is nearly readyfor itsfirst loaded test runat Kidderminster on May23. JOHN TITLOW
attended with an LSL team to adjust the Caprotti valves on May21, working outside in heavy rain. Finally,thatafternoon the locomotivemade several runs through Bewdley station, sounding superb–especially when the regulatorwas opened.The following afternoon, engineers were happy forthe Duke to run lightengine to Highley,with Ian Walker driving and LSL’s TomMills firing.The locomotive completed tworeturnruns
Setbacks
Allwentwell and so May23saw loaded test runs to Hampton Loade with the six-coach air-braked sleeper set stored at Kidderminster, plus its suppor tcoach. On the first run, theleft-hand crosshead ran warm,soremedial work wascarried out beforeits second run, which took placeinthe afternoon.
An amended timetable wasput in placeatshortnoticefor May24/25, enabling No.71000 to continue loaded testing in between service trains.Itcame as asurprise for passengers,who were treatedto the sightofNo. 71000 out on the line running in. Severalreturnlight engine trips took placeduring
HS2reaches theBluebell!
By Robin Jones
THE companybuilding Britain’s newest railway,HighSpeed 2, has donated4000 tons of ballast to the Bluebell Railway as part of Railway 200.
Theballast,enough to fill an Olympic-sized swimming pool, wasused by HS2 Ltdinspecially constructedsidings while work on the nowcompletefive-mile Nor tholt Tunnel West wascarried out at West Ruislip
Thedonation wasorganised by Sk ansk aCostain STRABAGjoint venture(SCSJV),the company responsible forbuilding tunnels beneath London forHS2 and officially handed over to the Bluebell on April29.
Such donations eliminate the need forunnecessary treatmentand transpor tation of the material for wastedisposal
It will be used to reopen Horsted Keynes station’s Platform 1, which has been out of use since1914, and
which afterbeing bought back into ser vicelater this year will give the station four operational platforms at Horsted Keynes
Thenewly reopened Platform 1 will host the Railway 200National Exhibition Train Inspiration,which will visit the Bluebell at theend of July,as previously repor ted.
Theballast will also be used to relayanadjacentsiding,which will be used as adisplayareafor railway vehicles during the line’s Railway 200 event, which runs from June to September,and also part of the running line this autumn.
Until July 2, visitors to theBluebell can visit amarquee to find outmore about the HS2 project.
Arlo Dew, senior projectmanager at HS2 Ltd, said: “While we arebusy constructing Britain’s modernhighspeed rail line,weare pleased to be playing apar tinhelping to the Bluebell Railway,whichhas aproud track record as atourist destination showcasing howtrain travel used to be back in the day.”
Vale of Rheidolempowered to runBreconMountainservices
THE Vale of Rheidol Railway has been givenapproval by the Welsh Assembly to operateBrecon Mountain Railway ser vices onceithas bought the line
the weekend to accrue mileage afterrepairs to theair pump were completed.
These testsmarkedthe endof the Duke’s overhaul/rebuild, which began at Tyseley in October 2015, and finally completesthe ‘impossible dream’thatoriginatedin1954, with itsconstruction, its returntothe mainline in itsoriginal configuration in 1974 following its resurrection from Barry scrapyard condition, and its final rebuild during 2024, thelattertwo datesbeingthe locomotive’s 50th and 70th birthdays
On May27, No.71000 with its supportcoach, wasdiesel-hauled from the SVR to Crewefor final adjustments and arepaintintoits 1954 livery. Main line test runs will take place, possibly on the CreweShrewsbury-Staffordcircuit. It will be fully repaintedatCrewe beforeits anticipatedinaugural main line run
As reportedin Heritage Railway issue 317, No. 71000 will be operated by LSL underaninitial 10-year agreementthatthe trustsigned with the RoyalScotLocomotive and General Trust,which is based on 12,000 miles/12 trips peryear.
*HRH PrinceRichard, TheDuke of Gloucester, is patron of the SVR.
TheVoRR began talkstoacquire the BMR in 2023, and on Januar y20 this year it submitted aTranspor tand WorksAct Order application.
On May19, the VoRR said it was delightedtoannounced thatithad been notified by Rebecca Evans, Cabinet Secretar yfor Economy, Energy and Planning,thatithad been successful,subjecttothe completion of the intended sale of the BMR to the VoRR.
Thetwo railwayswill continue as separateentities but will work together to sharefinancial benefits Theamalgamation is intended to preser ve the legacy of business
par tners Tony Hills and Peter Rampton, who built the BMR while boosting economic benefits from shared resources.
This summer,the BMR celebrates 45 years sinceits first passenger train raninJune 1980. To mark this anniversar y, acelebration will be held on June 7/8. Therewill be aspecial guest from the VoRR in the form of quarry Hunslet 0-4-0STNo. 605 of 1894 Margaret
In addition, Pendyffr yn,the De Winton vertical boiler locomotive thatTonyHills restored,will return to the line afterbeing loaned for displayinthe VoRR’s new museum at Aber ystwyth.
Therewill be workshop tours highlighting progress of the BMR’s new-build replicaofthe Baldwin 2-4-4T Forney locomotive.
West Somerset’s Taunton servicelinkbid stalls
ABID to attractGovernmentfunding to connectWest Somerset Railway ser vices with the main line at Tauntonhas failed
TheWSR and Somerset Council had requested £137,000 from the Depar tmentfor Transpor t, which has nowannounced it will not be providing funding forthe project but will hold discussions to see what improvements can be made locally Rachel Gilmour,the Liberal DemocratMPfor Tiverton and
Minehead,raised the issue in the House of Commons on May15, saying thatresidents of both towns faced “manychallenges when it comes to transpor tconnectivity” and thatthe connection would boost tourism.
Acouncil spokesman said: “Weare disappointedthis link is not being considered,having worked closely with WSR on the businesscase “Welook forwardtothe DfT reaching out to discussthis fur ther.”
Driver IanWalkeroilsupNo. 71000 at HamptonLoade on May23. JOHN TITLOW
LOCOMOTION No.1 –which kickstartedaworld transportrevolution andisthe focal pointofthe Railway 200 celebrations –istojoin thelineup of Alstom’s sold-out TheGreatest Gathering,the biggest-everexhibition of historic andmodernrolling stock, at its Litchurch Lane plantinDerby on August 1-3.
It wasthe world’sfirst locomotive to haul apassenger train, when the Stockton &Darlington Railway opened on September 27, 1825, and pavedthe wayfor other lines to followaround the globe,and is on loan forthe eventfromthe National Collection.
Locomotion No.1, currentlybased at the Locomotion museum in Shildon, wasbuilt in Newcastle by Robert Stephenson &Co,the first company in the worldcreated specifically to build railway engines and which later manufactured several of the first locomotives forother countries. Through successivemergers, the business became partofAlstom in 1989, giving the present-daycompany adirectlink to the dawn of the railwaysand making it the custodian of aunique legacy.
As previously reported, the replica of Locomotion No.1,built at Beamish Museum in 1975, will haul facsimilies
of the pioneerpassenger carriage Experiment and three chaldron wagons,all built by Northern Heritage Engineering LtdofDarlington, over the S&DR routefromShildon via Darlington to Stockton-on-Tees on September 26, 27 and 28 at the height of the S&DR200 festival
RobWhyte,managing directorat Alstom UKand Ireland,said: “Weare very excitedthat Locomotion No.1 will be joining an already unprecedented roster of historicand modernrolling stock at TheGreatest Gathering
“Thereissomething poetic thatone of Britain’soldest steam locomotives will take pride of placewithin the factory where theUK’snewest trains aredesigned, engineered, manufacturedand tested.
“I want to thank the National Railway Museum –and indeedcountless other partners within the UK rail industry–forsupporting our mammoth event forRailway 200.”
Thefirst steam locomotive to be deliveredfor TheGreatestGathering wasDerby 1902-built Midland Railway compound 4-4-0 No.1000, previously on static displayinBarrowHill Roundhouse,onMay 22.
Another legacyAlstom locomotive, the first Class 37, 1959-builtD6700, is confirmed as attending TheGreatest Gathering.Partofthe National Collection, it remains operational and
is based at the GreatCentral Railway under the custodianship of the Heavy TractorGroup.
NRM directorCraig Bentley said: “Weare delightedtoshowcasethese historically significantvehicles from threedistincterasoflocomotive design–fromthe early days of passenger travel to the golden age of steam, through to theswitchoverfrom steam to diesel.”
Other additions to the line -up include BR Standard9F2-10-0 No.92214, from the GreatCentral Railway,Derby-builtBRStandard5MT 4-6-0 No.73129, from the Midland Railway –Butterley,and three Class 50s from the SVR-based Class 50 Alliance,expected to be Nos.50035 ArkRoyal,50044 Exeter and 50049 Defiance.OnMay 23, Class 83 No.83012 arrivedatLitchurch Lane courtesy of the AC LocomotiveGroup.
One heritage locomotivebooked to attend,the BarrowHillRoundhousebased BabyDelticProject’sClass 23 D5910, has yettorun. Thelast of the 10-strongEnglish Electric class was scrapped in 1977, and the project to build areplica to fill the gapwas officially launched in 2010, based on ashortened Class 37chassis with Class 20 bodies and using the soleremaining Napier Deltic type T9-29 engine and generator set bought from theNRM in 2001 and restarted in 2008. Aprojectstatementsaid: “We arehonoured to have been invited to take D5910 to TheGreatestGathering. Thelocowill not be finished,but it will be visually almost indistinguishable from thefinished product.”
➜ Afull list of exhibits planned forThe Greatest Gathering can be found at www.alstom.com/greatestgathering
Weardale Railway volunteers honoured with medal presentation
AMAJOR civichonour in County Durham hasbeen bestowed on the volunteer trustwhich helped restore the Weardale Railway and afounder of theWeardale Museum
TheWeardale Railway Trust and David Heatherington have been presentedwith Chairman’s Medals by Durham County Council
Thetrust,which is celebrating 30 years of operation, has helped restorea 16-mile section of the line between BishopAuckland and Stanhope forpassenger and freightuse.Aswell asoperating some ofthe trains,volunteer effortshavehelped to bring main line excursion trains and rail tours
to theline. Working alongside Weardale Railway Limited,the trust has also helped to introduceanew timetabled stop at Kingfisher Halt, close to the WeardaleWay longdistancefootpath, offering the publicthe opportunitytocombine atrip on the railway with awalk in the Weardale countryside
Theaward giventoMr Heatherington recognises his longstanding voluntaryserviceand also his dedication to the museum sincethe attraction opened 40 years ago.
Theawardswerepresentedby Joan Nicholson, the outgoing chair of Durham County Council
Locomotion No.1,the firstlocomotivetorun on theStockton& Darlington Railway, at theLocomotion museum in Shildon SCIENCEMUSEUMGROUP COLLECTION
Tornado visitboostsStBlazeycentre£75kappeal
A1 Pacific No.60163 Tornado steamed into St Blazey depot on Sunday, May25toboost fundraising effor ts fora new engineering training centre at the hear tofCornwall’s rail network,easily accessible via public
transpor tfor people from around the duchyand beyond MPower Cornwall CIC,an innovativesocial enterprise dedicatedtoteaching practical engineering and construction sk ills,
is expectedtoopen its doors to under-18s in September.Toenable MPower to completethe work by then, afur ther £75,000 is needed, so acrowdfunding appealhas been launched.Althoughthe MPower
Farewell to topphotographerMikeEsau
By Robin Jones
THE heritage sectorhas been in mourning foralineside photographer widely regarded as one of its most accomplished.
Mike Esau,aged88, the author of nine books –two in conjunction with his lifelong friend,the late Gerald Siviour –and acontributorto several magazines including Heritage Railway,died in acarehome in Richmond,Surrey, on May11, after suffering from Park inson’s disease for anumber of years.
Mike grew up in New Malden, Surrey, which influenced his interest in railways, aconnection thatis evidentinhis book Steam Into Wessex, in which he statedthathe wasbroughtupwithin earshot of the railway line thatinspired his early fascination with trains.Atthe outbreak of the Second WorldWar, Mike and his mother were evacuated to Newcastle Emlyn, in south-west Wales.While they werestaying there, his mother took Mike to the station to see the trains,was captivatedby steam, and neverlooked back
Hisfavouritelocomotivewas SECR WainwrightE class4-4-0 No.31166, and he took his first railway photograph in 1950.
David,his brother of eightyears younger,who followedin Mike’s footsteps and took his first railway photograph in 1955, said: “He wasa herotome. Iwas indeed fortunate thathewas happytotakehis little brother withhim on manyof his railway trips –asfar back as the 1950s –and so my owninterest in railwaysand eventuallyrailway photographydeveloped.”
Mike’s son Richardtook him to railwayswhen he becametoo ill to travel on his own.
Mike’s collec tion of BR erasteam railway photographs amounts to about 16,000 negatives
Heritage Railway senior contributor
John Titlowsaid: “M ike was the Bluebell Railway ’s regular photographer in its early days.I met him manytimes on the lineside when Iwas star ting my journey into railway photographyinthe 1970s.
“H is work wasalwaysinspirational, and he wasaregular contributor to
facilities will be financially selfsustaining oncecomplete, further capital investmentisrequired, initially to deliversecurefencing and safetyupgrades to thesite.
Tornado called into thedepot, wherethe Grade II*-listedturntable formsthe magnificentcentrepiece of the new training facilities,soit could be turned midway through Railway Touring Company’s‘Royal Duchy’ excursion from Bristol to Par(as repor tedinMain Line News, page 54).
MPower ’s initiativewas launched in 2021 to address the chronic technical sk ills shor tage nationally,while empowering local communities and passing on hundreds of yearsof technical experience. It expects to focus on children and young people from disadvantaged backgrounds To contributetothe appeal,visit www.mpowerkernow.org.uk and donate throughits crowdfunding platform, or contactthe team for sponsorship oppor tunities via communityadmin@mpowerkernow. org.uk
Adrone view of St Blazey roundhouse and Tornado on theturntable during itsMay 25 visit. During its90-minute stay,teasand coffeeswereservedto visitors,withdonationsbeing collected specificallyonthisoccasiontoraise money foracommunity defibrillator to be locatedinnearbyStBlazeyRoad. JONHIRD
Bluebell News.Hewas aver ygentle man and he alwayshad time for achat.
“I have the pleasureofhaving a personally inscribed signedcopyof his excellentbook Thanks ForThe Memory :British RailwaysWorking Steam. Thebooktitleaptly describes my memor yofM ike.Rest in peace, Mike.”
Swanage Railway pressofficer and official photographer Andrew PM Wrightoffered his condolences, saying: “I first invited Mike to photograph the rebuiltSwanage Railway in 1987, when we were only running 1.5 miles from Swanage, and laterIhad the pleasureand privilege of being with him on the lineside many timesinthe successiveyears.
“Mike’s fellowrailway photographers called him, quiterightly,LeGod of railway photography, because he was.
“Mike wasalwaysfantastic companyonthe lineside,while waiting fortrains,with adry and very amusing sense of humour.I treasure asigned first edition copy of his
Mike first photographed the Swanage branch line in the late 1950s and visited the line to captureiton its last dayofoperationonSaturday, Januar y, 1, 1972.
Mike leaveshis wife Alison and children Richardand Elena.
Ian Allan book Steam Into Wessex from 1971.”
Mike Esau at CorfeCastleonJanuary 11,2013. ANDREWPMWRIGHT
Riva ls reunited:A3a nd Ca st le together at la ndma rk annivers ar yoffirstunion
Wordsand pictures by
Owen Hayward
ACENTURYafter theirfirst meeting in London, twoglobe -trotting flagship locomotives from rival regions came together forpossibly just the four th time ever
In 1924 the British Government opened the British Empire Exhibition at Wembley Park in hopes of strengthening the bonds with its dissipating empire, having committed in 1917 to eventually pulling outofIndiawhile also sensing navalchallenges of its position on the worldstage following victory in the First World War. Despitethe local districtcouncil opposing theproposition, the exhibition wasopenedthereinApril 1924following a10-month world tour to promoteitand encourage par ticipation, which washeadedby its assistantgeneral manager Major Ernest Bletcher(former wartime directorofvegetablesupplies for the Ministr yofFood), along with otherpar ticipants which included renowned author Agatha Christie It washoped thatthe exhibition would strengthenBritain’s bonds
with its allies,stimulate trade,and demonstratethe nation’sstrengths not only abroad but also at home, whereitwas felt thatthe public was becoming increasingly uninterested in the empire.
Apurpose -built venue called the EmpireStadium wasconstructed and Wembley Park station was rebuilt ahead of the exhibition’s opening; anew station wasalso built on aloop thatbranched off of the Chilternmain line between Neasden Junction and Wembley Hill
Theexhibition comprised displays from the majority of the territories thatmade up the empireatthe time,with one of the goals of the endeavour having been to enable acommon ground forthem all to meet and to learnmoreabout one another.
Engineering greats
ThePalaceofEngineering wasthe largest building in thevenue and even contained acrane capable of moving 25 tons –a practical necessityrather than an exhibit, with displays of assets under this theme including shipbuilding, telegraphs and wireless and,of
course,locomotives.Manyofthe companies supplied examples for display, with the SouthernRailway sending No.866, an example of its Nclass 2-6-0s whichwould not enterser viceuntil November 1925. It wasamong those exhibits thatA3 Pacific No.4472 Flying Scotsman was situated, cited as “the most powerful express locomotive” by the LNER.
TheGWR sent4-6-0 No.4073 Caerphilly Castle,the first example of its ownnew powerful express fleet to enterser viceinAugust 1923. TheGWR claimed its locomotive
wasmorepower fulthan its Eastern region rival’s, and so it wasproposed and agreed thata trial of the two types should takeplacevia an exchange
In April1925, No.4079 Pendennis Castle took to the East Coast Main Line,while A3 No.4474 Wild Victor crossed over to Westernmetals During these trials theCastle proved thatdespitebeing smaller, it could acceleratefromstanding much quicker on the same load the Gresley Pacifics were used to,railway writer Cecil JAllen noting that No.4079 “made afaster star tfrom King’s Cross to Finsbur yParkthan anyLNER Pacific ”hehad recorded up to thattime.The Castle continued to proveits worth, keeping well within adver tised schedules andusing less coal to do so.The A3, meanwhile, wasable to keep to thetimings set by Castles on the ‘Cornish Riviera Express’between Paddington and Penzance, but the longer wheelbase proved unsuitable forthe numerous curves along the route.
With Pendennis Castle having dentedthe LNER’s pride,the GWR sentittoreplace Caerphilly Castle at Wembley,whereitstood alongside Flying Scotsman forthe first time on May18, 1925, with anote proclaiming it to be more powerful than the neighbouring Pacific
Globe -trottingadventure
Following the closureofthe exhibition thatautumn, the two locomotives returned to their regions and went about their work ing lives.Yet the end of steam resulted in them coming together; in 1967, three years afterbeing bought by enthusiastMike Higson, Pendennis Castle wassold to John Gretton and Sir William McAlpine, the latter also owning Flying Scotsman from 1973. Thetwo came together at Carnforthduring that
Above: Crowds gather to enjoya demonstrationofthe turntablewith PendennisCastle,completewithits smaller3500-gallontender, which wasborrowedfrom GWRmogul No.5322and repaintedespeciallyfor the occasion.Itwould have been in asimilar appearance that No.4079had at Wembleyin1925.
Left: Flying Scotsman and PendennisCastle rubshoulders as they swap duties on themaindemonstration line.
time,beforeNo. 4079 wassold again, this time to the Hamersley Iron CompanyofAustralia,towhere it wasexpor tedin1977.
More thanadecade later, Flying Scotsman wasalso sent to Australia forthe countr y’s bicentenar ycelebrations,and the twolocomotives met onceagain in Sydney in 1989 afterthe A3 had completed atour to AliceSprings in the nor th of the countr y. On September 9thatyear,No. 4472 commenced atour of the southern half,travelling in the region of 2700 miles from Sydney down to the WesternAustralian capitalof Perth. Eightdayslater in EastPer th, theA3and its GreatWesternrival once again met,with huge crowds gathering to witness the spectacle.
Thefollowing day, both locomotives worked –solo and in tandem –anumber of railtours beforepar ting ways
Pendennis Castle would not be repatriateduntil April2000, when it wasoffered by HamersleyIron to the GreatWestern Society and shipped around the globe –making it the first 4-6-0 steam locomotive to circumnavigate the world, and only the second steam locomotive to do so after Flying Scotsman to take upresidenceatthe Didcot Railway Centre.Workbegan to restoreit; somethingwhich took morethan twodecades to achieve.
Today
On May12, the long-standing rivals met forthe first time on British soilinnearly half acentur ywhen Flying Scotsman arrivedatthe museum at the star tofathreeweek visit,with static viewing days commencing twodayslater,while operational days began on May 24. Furthermore, in anod to howit would have been presentedattheir firstmeetinginWembley, Pendennis
No.4247shows of itsnew livery at Cranmore on May23ahead of itsappearance at theEastSomersetRailway’s steamgala. STEVEMASTERS/CRANMORETRAINCARE SERVICES
Heritageera firstis unveiled at Cranmore
Castle sawthe larger 4000-gallon tender it is normally coupled to swapped fora3500-gallon version, borrowedfromGWR 4300 2-6-0 No.5322. With acosmetic refresh of the mogul planned anyway,the oppor tunitywas taken to repaint the tender first to allowthe swap to take place.The repainthas seen it fully lined out and giventhe company’sGar tercrest,complete with gold leaf lettering.
Good turnout
ADidcot spokesman told Heritage Railway thatwhile booking had initially beenalittle slow, it picked up following the arrivalofthe A3, with manysteaming days selling out in advance. Thetenderswap on Pendennis Castle had also been well-received; while it wasunlikely to be apermanentswap, future appearanceswith the smaller tender were not being completely ruled out Sadly,one locomotivethatmissed out on proceedings wasHudswell
Clarke 0-6-0ST No.1026, which was built in1913 forthe contract firm of Sir RobertMcAlpine &Sonsand involved inthe constructionof the Empire Exhibition centre at Wembley in1923/24.
Normally based at Fawley Hill on the McAlpine estate, it arrived at Didcot in 2024 foroverhaul.It washoped thatworkwould be far enough advancedtosee it assembled and on staticdisplay to presentatrioofMcAlpine locomotives lined up together Unfortunately,the extent of work required ultimately meantthis was not to be and so it remained in the workshops
TheA3’sfinal publicappearance at Didcot wasdue to occuronJune 1, with its next booked outing set to take place at the West Somerset Railway between June 28 and July 14.
GWR 2-8-0T No.4247has made preservation historybybecomingthe first locomotivetoadopt the unusual liveryofBRblack with GillSans lettered tanks in the place of both early andlateBRcrests,with afurther unusual featurebeingthe depot allocation code applied to the cylinder covers rather than the frames Last operational at the Bodmin Railway in 2018, it has been undergoingoverhaul at Cranmore Traincare& Maintenance Services on the EastSomerset Railway,the line having developed astrong relationship with the Dartmouth
Steam Railway,whichowns No.4247. Thelocomotivewas set to make its comeback at the ESR’s May31/June 1steam gala, where it wasbooked to work alongside largeprairie No.4110 and small prairie No.4555, both also owned by the DSR. Following a photographic charteronJune 2, it was scheduled to returntothe DSR and enterregular service there.
Theliveryoffers aglimpse of whatis to come forthe Llangollen Railway ’s small prairie No.5532, which is also due to carrythis liverywhen it makes its heritage eradebut in the next few years,asreportedinissue 331.
Hugh Shipton’sout-of-ticket GWR0 -6 -0PT No.6430was takenbylorry from itscurrent home on theSouth DevonRailway to theMay 15-17Devon County Show at West PointArena andshowground, ClystStMary, near Exeter,aspartof theheritageline’spromotionaldisplay at thepredominantlyagriculturalshow whichattractsmorethan90,000 visitors each year. JAMESHAMILTON
Nighttrainsset forbrief Severn Valley autumn gala comeback
AONCE-POPULAR fixtureofits
autumnal steam weekends,the Severn Valley Railwaywill be bringing its overnighttrainsback forthis year ’s October 18-21steam gala. In recent years,rising base costs have seen off the added attraction of moonlit travel through the Shropshire and Worcestershirecountryside, much to the dismayofboth visitors and railway volunteers.Recognising thedemand forthis,however,gala planners have negotiatedfor abrief reprise of these services
Announcingthe initial plans,a spokesperson said: “With rising costs and so on, our group reached adecision with the railway managementwhichwill see overnight running happen in anniversaryyears everyfiveyears,with this year being our 60th anniversary.”
Up to four visiting locomotives arebeingsought, which will be announced onceconfirmed Services will include goods workings and the nighttrains,with auto-trains worked by GWR0-4-2T No.1450.
S160 makeshistory at Chinnoras opening date setfor independentline
By Owen Hayward
THE arrivalofUSATC 2-8-0 No.6046
sawitbecome the largeststeam locomotivetoeveroperateover the Chinnor &Princes Risborough Railway –and it is set to make another momentofhistor ywhen it opens the 3½-mile railway ’s new independentline into Princes Risborough station this July Afterseveral false star ts –which included astar tedmovementbeing abor tedafter alorry breakdown –Churnet Valley Railway-based No.6046 finally arrivedatthe C&PRR on May16, under tak ing agauging run along the line four days later. During this,itbecame the first steam locomotivetotraverse the railway ’s newly-laidindependent line, which runs parallel to the Network Rail- owned engineering siding on which heritage ser vices currently operateinorder to access Princes Risborough station
With access to thisstretch of line reliantonNetwork Rail mak ing it available,the C&PRR has long held an ambition to layits ownrailstoensure thatits services arenot disrupted by anyneedbyNRtooccupythe siding This situation has been ongoing in recent years,with the recent winter months having seen ahuge amount of work takeplace,including the realignmentofexisting rails and laying ballast over new ones
Theculmination of allthis means thatthe railway is nowina position to confirmthatthe first public work ings over this will take placeon July 5/6, the weekend featuring both steam and diesel traction
Steam gala bookings
Furthermore, following the success of its first steam gala in 2024, which sawWRManor No.7820 Dinmore Manor and Caledonian Railway 439 class 0-4-4T No. 55189 appear alongside Small PrairieNo. 4555, the railway confirmed thatithad booked GWR Castle No.4079 Pendennis Castle (see picture, page 10) forthis year ’s autumn event, whichruns from October 31 to November 2, during which it will become the first example of its class to run over the GWR branch.
Theline -up will also feature 0-4-0VBGT Sentinel No.7109 Joyce, which arrivedon May27totakeup residenceonthe line.Built in 1927, it wasdeliverednew to the Croydon Gasworks and named afterthe company’schairman; its impressive per formanceled to the Somerset & Dorset JointRailway alsopurchasing twosimilar locomotives, with Joyce being privately owned but based at Midsomer Nor tonprior to its move to Oxfordshire.Although unable to work regular passenger ser vices,it will be employedonmoresuited duties at times throughout the year
On May25, BR Standard Class7 PacificNo. 70000 Britannia emergesfrom thetunnelatShakespeare Cliffs as it approaches DoverPriorywiththe privatewedding chartertrain,as describedonpage3ofthisissue,bound for Paddock Wood. ROBINCOOMBES
On May20, S160 No.6046becamethe firststeam locomotive to runoverthe C&PRR’snewly laid independentline, whichwillallowthe railwaytocontinue running into PrincesRisboroughstation withoutrelying on theadjacentNetwork Rail-owned siding it currentlyleases. JAMIEGOODMAN/C&PRR
Afur ther visiting locomotivefor the gala wasbeing soughtand will be announced onceconfirmed
TheCastle will remain on theline for afew days following thegala, taking partindaytime driver experiencesand an evening photographic charteron November 8.
Meanwhile,London Underground’s 4TCstock will be spending much
of the year based at therailway inbetween booked railtourworkings. It made its first appearanceon May24when Class 50 No.50008 Thunderer returned to therailway to work with it; fur ther running days were still to be announced Fordetails of planned ser vices, events,and more, visit www. chinnorrailway.co.uk
VandalsstrikeatIsfield
THE Lavender Line hasbecome the latest victim in arecentspate of vandalism in the heritage sector, following similar instances repor ted at the Spa Valley and East Lancashire railways(HeritageRailway issue 332).
During the evening of May4,a group of youngsters were caught having gained access to the site, but by thattime it wastoo late.Intotal, about £5000 of damage had been inflictedonrolling stock, including one of the tworesidentClass 205 ‘Thumper ’DEMUs, on which alarge number of windows were smashed
Trustee Amanda Matthewssaid: “We’ve experienced vandalism beforebut nothing as bad as this.To repair this damage will notonly take material and money, but also many volunteer hours.
“Wehavevideo surveillancethat will be passed onto the police. If anyone has anyinformation regarding this mindless ac t, please let us know.Unfor tunately,this incidentmeans manyimpor tant
projects will nowhavetobeput on hold as both volunteer hours and funds areredirectedtowardrepairing the damage.”
Amanada’s online appeal for funds forthe repairs,online at www gofundme.com/f/restoration-aftervandalism-and-additional-security, had raised nearly £800 this issue of Heritage Railway magazine closed forpress
Class69tobenamed NorthNorfolk Railway
AGBRailfreightClass 69 is to be named Nor th Nor folk Railway as par tofthe line’s 50th anniversar ycelebrations
Thelocomotive, unidentified as we closed forpress,will join the steam and diesel line -up at the PoppyLine’s June 13-15 annual Rails &Ales event. It will be one thatentered ser vice withinthe last 12 months,mak ing its first-evervisit to aheritage line, and the occasion will also be the first time it has hauled timetabled public passenger trains.
At the event, the 69 will join GBRfstablemateNo. 66714 Cromer Lifeboat,Class 40 D213 Andania, from LocomotiveSer vices Limited, and returning Waggon and Maschinenbau railbus E79960, which has been on loan to the Ribble Steam Railway.Mak ing its first gala appearanceisBRStandard 2-6-4T No.80080, which has just arrived from the Midland Railway –Butterley as par tofan initial five-year loan deal with its owner,the Princess Royal
Class Locomotive Trust, as repor tedin Heritage Railway issue 331.
Theevent will see the launch of Golden PoppyAle,abeer brewed specially by Nor folk ’s Wolf Brewer y to celebratethe line’s fivedecades of progress.Itwill be available from the real ale bar at Weybourne,where livemusic will boost the festive atmosphere.
Meanwhile,the NNR hasreleased early birdtickets,giving visitors extradiscounts of up to 25% on advancebook ings forsome of its most popular special events forthe remainder of the year
One of the new additions for2025 is TheGolden Years,aweekend of classic vehicles and livemusic forming aspecial anniversary celebration on July 26/27. Theevent will recreate theatmosphereofthe 1960s,1970s and 1980s on and off the tracks,and those who book beforeJune 30 will receive20% off the cost of tickets.Visitors canalso receive20% off fares to the line’s
summer time steam events,including the August 23-28 Festival on Rails,the August 29-31 Summer Steam Gala and the September 20/21 Steam Back
Y7 pulled from bigbicentenary bash
THE visit of LNER Y7 0-4-0T No.985 to Kirk by Stephen East planned forthis summer has beenpostponed afterit wasconfirmed thatthe locomotive would not be ready in time
Withdrawnfromser viceatthe MidSuffolkLightR ailway in December 2020, overhaul has been tak ing placethereand the locomotive is nearing the end of this lengthy projec t. However, while it was expec tedtobecompleted in time forits appearanceatthe event, which celebrates 200 years of the Stockton &Darlington Railway, delays relatedtothe hydraulic and steam tests of the boiler nowmean this is not possible
Arailway statementsaid: “Weare very sorry to have to announcethat
we have recently been informed by our colleaguesonthe MSLR thatY7 No.985 will nownot becompleted intime to attend our S&DR 200 Steam Gala in August
“Wehad originally agreed that Peckett 0-4-0ST No.2111 Lytham St Anne’s would go down to the MSLR in exchange forthe Y7, butwith this nownot tak ing place, Lytham will remain at KSE andsubstitute for No.985 at the gala.
“However, thegood newsisthat we have verbally agreed thatthe Y7 will nowvisit as par tofthe Coming Home gala forNER Class CNo. 876 (BR J21 No.65033) when thatreturns to traffic.
“Hopefully,therefore,itshould not be toolong beforeweare all able
Coal Tank headsfor Nene Valley
JUST over twoyearsafter LNWR 0-6-2T Webb Coal Tank No.1054’s last booked appearancetherehad to be cancelled,itwill be heading to the Nene Valley Railway fora Railway 200-themed celebration this autumn
Having had to forgoaplanned visit in March2023, the visit of No.1054 on September 13/14will see the veteranlocomotive run on the line bet ween Yarwell and Peterborough adecade af terits last successful appearancetherefor the 2015 autumn steam gala of 2015 This time it will help celebrate Railway 200, with the heritage line
occupying arouteonceoperated by the LNWR. Thegalawill celebrate the railway ’s preand postpreser vation histor y, with up to four locomotives in steam including Hudswell Clarke 0-6-0T No.1800 Thomas and visiting GWR large prairie 2-6-2T No.4144,along with diesel trac tion.
On September 13,No. 1054 will work one of the NVR’spopular ‘Jolly Fisherman’fish and chip supper trains,while daytime services across the weekend will include freight trains offering brake vanrides, real ale offerings and more. Full details will be shared nearer to the event.
to enjoythe sightsand soundsof No.985 at work at KSE.”
Thegala, on the summer bank holidayweekend of August 23-25, will still featureLNER P3 No.2392, BR 2MT2-6-0 No.78018, andNER inspection saloon No.1661, all of which have connections to Kirk by Stephen and the SDR it waspar tof. No.2392 will be heading to the Embsay&Bolton Abbey Steam Railway forthe summer prior to its appearanceatKirkbyStephen East forthe SDR200 gala. On May20, the unique 0-6-0 arrivedatLocomotion in Shildon forthe May24-June 1 Railways:Past exhibition, which also celebrated the big bicentenary event. It wasdue to move from there directly to the EBASR in earlyJune
to the Forties festivities.For fur ther information about each eventand to book,visit www.nnrailway.co.uk/ special- events
Accompanying the P3 at Shildon wasfellowNor th EasternLocomotive Group-owned 0-8-0 Q6 No.63395, which has had anew cylinder fitted, replacing thatwhich wasdamaged following afailureonMay 16, 2023. It will then returntothe Moorsline for testing and returntoser vice.
Newplans for Minfford station
ALISTED building planning application to extend the stationmaster ’s houseatMinfford on the Ffestiniog Railway has been submitted to Cyngor Gwynedd by general manager Paul Lewin. Theplan involves thereplacement of an existing ‘poor quality,’flatroofed single storey extension with a‘better qualitybuilding’extending over twostoreys,designed to ensure the ‘long-termviability’ of the Grade II-listed station house, which has changed little sinceitwas built in 1873.
Therolling chassisfor No.985 in the MSLR’s workshopsonApril 21 as its overhaul progresses OWEN HAYWARD
LNWR coal tank No.1054departs Duffield on theEcclesbourneValley Railwaywithits firstservice trainof May11. Upcoming heritage railway visits include Peak Rail andnow the Nene ValleyRailway ROBERT FALCONER
Newlyarrived from itslong-term home at theMidland Railway– Butterley, BR Standard 4MT2-6 -4TNo. 80080 is seen here in action on theNorth Norfolk RailwayonMay 25 ANDREW ROTHE
Ra re mixsuccess forSever n Va lley’s bigspr ingdieselgala
Wordsand pictures by John Titlow
THE Severn Valley Railway ’s 2024 Spring Diesel Gala on May15-18 must have had one of themost diverse selection of motivepower ever contrivedonaheritage line
Locomotives ranged from early BR types to state -ofthe -ar t, powerful andmodernfreightexamples from the national network –all hauling vintage passenger carriages.The sightofthe Class 58 pulling out of the siding at Hampton Loade,about to couple up to Gresley ’s teak set,was certainly incongruous
Freightliner sentClass 66 No.66509 and Class 70 No.70020 in strik ing yellowand orange liver y. No.66509 wasnamed Freightliner Retirement Association in aceremony at Kidderminster on May16.
From Colas Rail came heavy freight Class 56s No.56113 and56094.
TheClass 58 LocomotiveGroup’s No.58023 Leicester Depot made its second appearancefollowingits debut at the autumn gala of 2024. GBRfsentClass 69 No.69014 EMD Longpor t, and Rail Adventure powercars Nos.43468 and 43480 also attended
From Carnforth, the West Coast Railway Companywas represented by Class 37 No.37706, plus six Mk.1 carriages which arrivedemptystock LocomotiveSer vices sentClass 57 No.57003.
Thehome fleet wasrepresented by Class 17 D8568,Class 20s Nos.20142 Sir John Betjeman (in London Transpor tliver y), 20189 and 20048, Class 33 No.33108, Class 37 No.37263, Class 40 No.40106 Atlantic Conveyor,Class 42 D821 Greyhound and Class 46 Peak No.46045.
ThreeClass 50s joined the par ty, Nos.50049 Defiance,50035 Ark Royal and 50033 Glorious, the latter rededicatedinaceremony on May 17.
Not to be leftout,atcurrently isolatedBridgnor th station, Class 08 D3586 gave cab rides for£10.
An adventurous timetable went awry due to several issues.OnMay 15, delays were varied but generally about an hour late.The following day, timings star tedtoslip,not helped by apoints failureatKidderminster, which wasrepaired by the signaland telegraph depar tment.
At one point, delays were about 80 minutes,but time wasslowly made up,with the last trainarrivinginto Kidderminster 60 late.
Saturdayfared much betterwith only minor delays.However,Sunday
Class69No. 69014runsintoHighley with arakeofWestCoast Railways Mk.1 stockonMay 18
As West CoastRailways’ class37No. 37706arrives at Highley Valley,crewmemberDaveMcFallpreparestoexchange tokenwiththe signaller.
morning star tedwithNo. 50033 not wantingtostar t. It waseventually coaxed into life, but the first ser vice out of Kidderminster wasdelayedby 26 minutes as aresult.The last light engine rolled intoKidderminster 70 late
When delays occur,itisextremely difficult to recovertime; often, the easiest wayistoremove aworking However, theSVR soldiered on and
Above: Class50No. 50049pulls itstrain into thesidingat Highley.
Left:Class 52 D1062 WesternCourier abouttoexchange tokens at HighleyonMay 15
An unusualscene at HamptonLoade as Class33No. 33108 runs in with Class37No. 37706, readytoreturnthe trainand No.66509 in thesiding.
all adver tised trains ran. These delays did not dampen people’s enjoyment over the four days.Travelling between Highley and Hampton Loade,not asingle complaintwas heard, so the gala canbeconsidered atotal success
Visitor feedback online and in person has also been positive, and the weather wask ind too, being hot, dr yand sunnymost days.
Kidderminster diesel depot and carriage shed wasopen for tours,booked through TheFifty Fund sales stand situatedon Kidderminster concourse
Loadings were good on Thursday and Friday, and Saturdaywas extremely busy.Sundaytrains are generally morelightly loaded,normal foragala. Forease of journeys, this is abetter daytotravelinfuture.
DUE to the landslip at MorBrook bridge on the Severn Valley Railway, anew set of rules have been enacted at Hampton Loade station to facilitate trains to run round.
Thesituation is complicated because thereisnostartersignalin the Up direction from the down main on Platform 1, by the station building
Under normal conditions,when the line is fully open, trains travelling in theDowndirection to Bridgnorth departfromPlatform1alongside the station building and trains in the Up towardsKidderminster depart from Platform 2. Both directions are signalled normally forthis
Incidentally,Hampton Loade signalboxcan be switched out, creating along section between Highley and Bridgnorth. Thereare no bi-directionally signalled lines when the boxisswitched in hencethe Up and Down designations
Thesection between Hampton Loade and Bridgnorth is now physically disconnectedbecause the signal cable running alongside the line at MorBrook is removed.
Presently,atrain in the Down direction pulls into Hampton Loade station and stops at the starter signal locatedatthe end of the platform
After, uncoupling verbal permission is givenfromthe signalman, authorising amovetopass the signal at danger.The locomotive can proceed onto the closed section only far enough to clear the points north of the station.
Mixed signals
When clear signals can takeoverfor the runningroundvia the Up main, thelocomotivecan back down onto its train fully signalled.
Upon departure, the signalman has to yellowflag the departureeither from the signalboxortrackside dueto the absenceofastarting signal Although afirmstartdatefor repairs to the January29landslip had not
Over theearly Maybankholiday weekend, GWR4 -6 -0 No.7802 BradleyManor enteredregulartraffic followingrestoration, afterfirst appearing in theSpringSteam Gala,asreportedinissue 332. It continuedservice over thespringbankholiday then coveredmid-weekdutieswhich includedthe following weekend. On May7,the signalmanlooks back while waitingto flag offNo. 7802 at HamptonLoade.Duringthe diesel gala,No. 7802 wasstopped fora routinewashout exam JOHN TITLOW
been announced as thisissueclosed forpress,sizeable progress has been made inrecentweeks.OnMay 1, theSVR signed acontractwith civil engineering contractor CML, which has nowalmost completed thedesign work.Workwillbegin very soon to remove trackaround the site, ready to forthe contractor to start. However, the SVR saidthatitmust resolve several outstanding approval issues beforeworkcan begin.
“The mainissue is gettingapproval forworks inMor Brook itself,” said Antony Bartlam, the SVR’s consultant civiland structural engineer.
“Shropshire County Council manages this,and the approval
process requires substantial documentation,includingecological reports and flood risk analysis.There is no set timescale forthe approval; it could take weeks or months.
“ShropshireSouthMPStuart Anderson visited thesiterecently. He has urged thecouncil to resolvethe approvals quickly,and we arevery grateful forhis help with this “Weare in thefinal stages of getting approval forlandaccess across the field andfromthe National Grid for access under its high-voltage cables.”
Complexchallenges
Meanwhile,CML’s designers have been work ing on the solution. “It’sa very complexengineering problem,” said Antony.“CMLtell us it ’s one of the most difficult reinstatements they have had to deal with. The brick arch has to have abalanced load applied,soinorder to reinstate the collapsed side,the earthonthe oppositeside must be removed, then putbackequally.The new wing wall will be formed of Legato blocks with ageotextile membrane to anchor the blocks into the embank ment. Therewilll be concretepanels over the bridgeand landslip to spread the load evenly oncethe worksare completed.CML’s designers have produced some impressive3D models of the works, which we hope to shareindue course.”
SVR’s managing director, Jonathan
‘Gus’Dunster,said: “CML is already procuring the materials,and as soon as we getthe approvals in place, they will star tonsite. Iappreciate it has taken along time to gettothis stage, but it wasessential thatwewaited for insuranceapprovals.
“Had we made astar twithout the insuranceagreement, then the claim would have been invalidated immediately.Our insurers have gone through due diligencetoensureour claim wasvalid, carr ying outtheir ownstructural sur veys.
“Naturally,the SVR must payan excess,and also payfor worksthat arenot coveredunder theinsurance polic y. However, we areconfident the monies raised so far will coverthis
“Weurgemembers of the public to keep away from the area, which is aconstruction site. Only authorised personnel can visit,and we don’t want the contractor or our own permanentway team distractedby dealing with sightseers.
“Wewill post regular updates on our websiteand social media platforms to keep ever yone informed
“Beassured thatweare doing ever ything possible to getthe SVR fully reopened as soon as possible.”
Until it can reopen the nor thernmost section of its line,the SVR will continue to operate on the 12-mile routebetween Kidderminster and Hampton Loade
Brook bridge. GARY ESSE X
Tr ibutes pa id to Swanagea nd Sout hern stea msaviour Bill Tr ite
By Robin Jones
THE Swanage Railway has beenin mourning following the unexpected death of long-time former direc tor and volunteer trustee and Southern preser vation powerhouse Bill Trite. He was77.
In 1991 it wasBill who led the fight to save the IsleofPurbeck line from collapse in afinancial crisis that threatened the existenceofthe then fledgling heritage railway
Bill died at his home in Swanage, which overlooks the railway.The line’svolunteers received the sad newsonSunday,May 11.
Work ing as amarketing consultant in London, Bill joined the SR ’s team of dedicatedvolunteers in the late 1980s when its two-mile ex tension from Herston to Harman’sCross was nearing completion.
Avolunteer director of the Swanage Railway Trust for22 years and avolunteer direc torof the trust ’s trading subsidiar y, the Swanage Railway Company, for15 years,Bill wasalso chairman of both organisations formanyyears.
Aformer three -times mayorof Swanage and chairman of Purbeck Distric tCouncil, Bill wasalso alongtime Swanage,Purbeckand Dorset councillor who ser vedasatown councillor forSwanage formore than 34 years and aDorsetCouncil councillor forSwanage at thetime of hisdeath. He waselec tedas vice- chairman of Dorset Council in 2023/24.
Volunteer Swanage Railway Companychairman Gavin Johns, who ser vedwith Bill as atrust direc tor, said:“ TheSRsends its condolences to Bill’s par tner Cher yl and as his friendsand colleagues, while we look forwardtocelebrating hislifeand recognising the
impor tantcontributions he made in manyareas of the communit yand especially to the railway
Rightman forthe job
“Facing the SR ’s financialcrisis in 1991, Bill wasthe rightman in the rightplace, at the righttime. He led the vital and challenging recovery plan by assuming the chairmanship of the trust,tak ing difficult but critical decisions with the trustees and the direc tors of the SRCtoreset trading expensesand income while also securing significantsuppor t from members,key creditors and business par tners
“Railway members and volunteers in 1991 will recall Bill knowing that the only wayfor the railway to sur vivewas to limit expenditureto just coal,water and the telephone Allother expenditurewas more or less banned– adetermined approach essential forsur vival.
“Following his strong leadership and inspiring calls to arms,the financial crisis turned to triumph in 1995 when the SR ex tended its heritage passenger train ser vicesto CorfeCastle and Norden.
“Thanks to diligentattention and professionalism, the Swanage Railway wassaved and is nowa thriving heritage line,inthe best British tradition, contributing more than £15 million ayeartothe Isle of Purbeck economy–a situation largely due to Bill’s determined and inspiring leadership
“Learning of Bill’s deathwas a shock at the SR and to the wider communit yinthe Isle of Purbeck and Dorset
“He lived and breathed the SR formanyyears,his dedicated contribution being vitaltothe sur vival and developmentofthe heritage line lovedand cherished by so manypeople.
“Bill per formed asignificant role on the Swanage Railway that has ensuredthe longevit yofthe heritage railway and its historic reconnec tion with the national rail net work near Wareham in 2007.”
In 2008, Bill retired as adirec tor of the SRCtofocusonhis other interests and remained adirec torof the trust until 2022.
“Eveninlater years,Bill brought rigour to Swanage Railway Trust meetings,ensuring as best he could the continued well-being and prosperit yofhis legacy,” Gavin added.
Bill wasalso the founder in 1983 of ThePor tLine LocomotiveProjec t, the predecessor to SLL Southern Locomotives Ltd, and the heritage
Above: Bill Triteand hispartner Cheryl Hobbsin2008. ANDREWPMWRIGHT
Left:BillTrite (right)and David Quarmby, theformerchairman of theStrategic Rail Authority, alongsideBRStandard4MT 2- 6- 4T No.80104 at theofficialopening of CorfeCastlefootbridgeonApril 28,2007. ANDREWPMWRIGHT
sec torpassed awatershed with his concept of selling shares in a llocoomtivefor restoration.
SLL chairman Simon Troy said: “When he adver tised forsuppor t in purchasing No.35027 Port Line from Barry,hewas acutely aware of the impor tanceofgetting the rightmix of people in engineering, financial andadministrativeposts if therewas to be anychanceofa successful restoration.
Clevermarketing ideas
“Following the suggestion by Willie Bath thatitmay be better for100 people to owna work ing locomotivethan half adozentoown anon-work ing one,Bill designed an adver tisementinviting like -minded people to become par t- owners in Port Line
“Until this time,ownership of a locomotivewas the preser ve of rich individuals,museums,orsocieties, so it wasanimmediate success –and the rest is histor y!
“Wehavemuchtothank Bill for. Without his vision andextraordinar y determination which changed manypeople’s lives,much of the above would never have happened, and the railway preser vation world would be the poorer forit.”
Bill’s funeral wasarrangedtotake placeStMar y’sChurch,Swanage, oppositethe station, on Thursday, June 5, at 11.30am.
➜ Explaining his vision, Bill Triteand Willie Bath both appeared in the ‘Sur vivors’instalmentofthe 1998 BBC programme TheTrain Now Depar ting,which can be viewed online on YouTube at ww w.youtube com/watch?v=15Tb9Dsh3XE
Churchill’sD -Day ca rr iage Lydia is runningaga in –a fter 50 year s
By Robin Jones
APULLMAN car used during crucial wartime strategy meetings between Winston Churchill and General Eisenhowerahead of D-Dayisback in action aftermorethan half acentury.
Built in 1924 by the Midland Railway Carriage &Wagon Company, CarNo. 246 Lydia,which wasalso used during Churchill’s state funeral in Januar y1965, has been meticulously returned to its original specification by askilled team at Buckfastleigh, on the South DevonRailway
In 1925, Lydia wasmoved by rail to Har wich, en routetoItaly via Paris, foroperation by the Compagnie Internationale des Wagon Litson ser vices between Milan, SanRemo, Nice and Cannes.InDecember 1929, it wasrepatriatedand rebuilt in Birmingham beforeentering ser vice on the‘Golden Arrow’ between London Victoria and Dover. During the Second WorldWar, it wasused by Churchill and Eisenhowerinthe lead-up to D-Day, repor tedtobekeptatWesterham, near the leader ’s home at Char twell
Afterthe warended, Lydia returned to the‘Golden Arrow’ and also ran in the ‘Bournemouth Belle,’ ‘Tyne Pullman,’‘ YorkshirePullman’ and ‘Queen of Scots’ser vices.In1959, the carriage wassignificantly damaged afterbeing hitbyanexcursion train outsideLeeds Centralstation, becoming derailed and blocking twolines into theterminus. Repairs were under taken at the Pullman Car Companyworkshops at Preston Park, Brighton, wherethe body wasplated with the aluminium sheeting it still carries today.
Heading Stateside
WithdrawnonNovember 5, 1966, Lydia wasdonatedtothe National Railroad Museum at Green Bay, Wisconsin, being shipped from Liverpool Docks inSeptember 1969 and then accompanying A3 Pacific Flying Scotsman on its ill-fatedtour of Nor th America.
Boughtprivately, Lydia was repatriatedoncemore, arriving at Newpor tDocks in November 2000 forrestoration at Carnforth. In 2015, it formed par tofadisplay marking the 50th anniversar yofChurchill’s
funeral train at the National Railway Museum in 2015.
Following another change of ownership,itand sister No.247 Isle of Thanet,which wasalsoused by Eisenhowerinhis CommandTrain and waspartofChurchill’sfuneral train, were movedtothe Kent & East SussexRailwayfor temporary accommodation In 2024, Lydia wasmoved to Buckfastleigh,while IsleofThanet became part of theKESR’s Wealden Pullman diningtrain. From this summer, Lydia will operateonthe heritage lineand is availablefor
ASDR statementsaid: “With its Art Deco eleganceand deep political and cultural resonance, the Pullman offers guests ajourney into the heart of British history.The returnof Lydia to activeservicerepresents morethan the restoration of arail carriage; it is therevivalofa legacythatshaped the course of the 20th century.
“The South DevonRailway ’s recommissioning of Lydia ensures that this unique pieceofglobal historyis notonlypreser ved, but also thatitis reanimatedfor anew generation.”
Swanagehonours military help as it signscovenantonVE80Day
By Robin Jones
AN Armed Forces Covenantwas signed by representatives from the Swanage Railway,Swanage Town Council and the RoyalCorps of Signals at BlandfordForum, in Dorset,onthe 80th anniversaryofVictory in Europe Day.
Thespecial tripartiteceremony took placeonSwanage station on Thursday, May8,and involved signatories Gavin Johns,Swanage Railway Companychairman, Swanage MayorCoun Tina Foster,and Major GrantPowell.Italso highlightedthe immense contribution made to the heritage line by the RoyalCorps of Signalsoverfour decades
Creating apromise
Hosting the specialevent was Swanage Railway Trust chairman Frank Rober ts,aformermember of the Corpsand adedicatedvolunteer on the Isle of Purbeck heritage line formorethan 40 years.
He said: “The Armed Forces Covenantwas createdin2022 and is apromise thatsignatories ack nowledge and commit to that those people who ser ve,orhave ser ved, in the Armed Forces,their
families,and the bereaved,should be treatedwith fairness and respectin their communities
“The covenantfocuses on helping members of the ArmedForces community have the same access to governmentand commercial services and products as anyother citizen.
“This supportisprovidedin healthcare, education andchildcare, housing and accommodation, employment, and financial services,”
Thecovenanthas been implementedbyawide range of organisations,including the United Kingdom and devolved administrations,the Army,Royal Navy and the RAF, business andcommerce, local government,the National Health Service, schools and charities.
Frank continued: “Members of the Armed Forces community bring awealth of transferable skills and experiencestoemployers around the UK.
“The RoyalCorps of Signalshas been associatedwith theSwanage Railway formorethan 40 yearswith theCorps being giventhe freedom of Swanage in 2005. Between 1984 and 2017, a total of 5000 servicemen andwomen from the RoyalCorps of Signals have taken partin65 exercises on the
Swanage Railway, as theheritage line has developed,with thetroops also helping thewider communityin Swanage
Railway links
“The RoyalCorps of Signals carried out its first exercise on the Swanage Railway during 1984 when the fledgling heritage line had only been running trains forfiveyears.In1984, its soldiers installed linesidetelephone poles and cables between Swanage
station and the one-mile markat the newly-built Herston Halt,which wasthen the limit of the Swanage Railway ’s steamtrain operations
“Asthe Swanage Railway has steadily extended its track and train operations –tothe three-mile pointatHarman’s Cross in 1988 and thefive-mile point to CorfeCastleand Norden in 1995 –so have members of the RoyalCorps of Signals carried out exercises to install lineside telephone poles,phone lines and telephone exchanges.”
VE Day80thanniversary celebrated by heritage railways
By Robin Jones
BRITAIN marked the 80th anniversar y of Victor yinEurope( VE) Daywith street par ties,concer ts,militar y flypasts,memorial ser vices, dedicatedcommunityactivities and extended pub and club opening hours.The activities commemorated the Allied victory over Nazi Germany officially announced by Winston Churchill on May8,1945 –and several heritage railwayslaid on their ownspecial events too, in the days before, during and afterwards
TheKent&East SussexRailway marked the VE Day80th and the Battle of Britain 85th anniversaries at its popular annual 1940s Weekend on May17/18,turning back the clock in style at Tenterden, Nor thiam andBodiamstations by recreating thesights,sounds,and fashions of the 1940ssovisitors immersed themselves in aweekend of history and nostalgia.
Thetwo -day eventincluded period re -enactors,authentic demonstrations,vintage stalls, militar yvehiclesand displays, and even aNAFFI van, plus music from the eraincluding special per formances from Britain’s Got Talentfinalists the D-DayDarlings.
KESR general manager Robin Coombes hailed this year ’s 1940s eventasone of the most successful of recent years,attracting morethan 1800 visitors
“Fromthe sound of vintage tunes to the sightofmilitar yuniforms and vehicles,itwas acommunity weekend to remember,” he said.“A huge thank-you to the authentic reenactors,musicians, stallholders and our wonder ful volunteers and staff who broughtthe wartimeera so vividly to life.
“O fcourse, this year ’s eventheld special significance, marking the anniversar yofVEDay,sowhile our eventwas filled with smiles and celebration, we were also reminded of the sacrifices made to securethe peacewhich wascelebrated on VE Dayand thereforethe importanceof continuing to remember the lessons of the past.”
At the Mid-Hants Railway on May8,visitorsenjoyedanostalgic celebration of 1940s music,vintage vehicles and heritage rail travel
One of the stars wasrecently restored Bulleid Battle of Britain 4-6-2 No.35005 Canadian Pacific, constructedduring the Second World Warbyaworkforce thatincluded manylocal women (Heritage Railway issue 33), offering visitors aglimpse into Britain’s railway heritage and wartime engineering excellence, while adiesel shuttle ser viceferried passengers to and from Alton’smain line station.
Cars from the1940s on show outside Alresfordstation on theMid-Hants Railway. MHR
At Alresfordstation,a displayof vintage 1940s vehicles,including two wartime jeeps,met guests as they arrived, with ukulele bandThe Ukes ofWallingtonper forming
At the Nene Valley Railway on May3/4, Wansford andOverton stationsweretransformedwith flags and 1940s vehicles to recreate the atmosphereofVEDay
Taking centre stage wasthe return of A1 Peppercorn Pacific No.60163 Tornado,which wasnamed in honour of the RAFPanavia Tornados air crews who flew in amuch later conflict, the GulfWar,and whichhad arrived straightfromits successfulmainline comeback with the Railway Touring
TheLakeside&HaverthwaiteRailway marked theAlliedtriumph on Victory in Europe DayonMay 8withBagnall 0- 6-0STNo. 2296 of 1953 No.403 Victor –named afterthe RAFbomber– runningservices. Atwo-minutesilence rememberingthose whodied80years agofightingfor ourfreedom washeldat noon. KIER AN MURR AY/LHR
DarlingtonRoyal BritishLegionStandardbearers at Hopetown,which includesGrade II*-listed North Road station, aSecond WorldWar departurepoint forthousands of localservice personnel. DARLINGTON BC
Membersofthe Home Guardgreet a very distinguishedguest on aKent& East Sussex Railwaystopping train. KESR
Companyonits ‘Great Britain XVII’ tour.
AVEDay cream teawas available to eatonthe train, as well as hot drinks from the buffet car.For visitors who wanted to remain at Wansford station, therewas livemusicfrom RawDivas,miniaturerailwayrides forchildren, and the oppor tunityto enjoya VE Sundayroast in the cafe.
At the multiple award-winning HopetownDarlington attraction, a special VE/VJ( Victor yoverJapan) dayofconnection, commemoration and remembrancewas staged, with the siteadorned with Union Jack bunting and flags.Astreet par ty washeld in the goods
Atrioofwartime servicewomen welcomes thearrival of LBSCRA1X ‘Terrier ’0 -6- 0T Knowle with aKent& East Sussex Railwayservice KESR
yard,which included music and danceper formances.During the celebrations,the Darlington branch of the RoyalBritish Legion placed its original cloth Standards on public displayfor the first time sincetheir rediscover ylast year.Awarded in 1921 to the branch and its women’s section, the Standards were carefully restored and framed with suppor t from Nor th East businesses Banks Group and Hellens Group Nowpar tofthe Stockton & Darlington Railway ’s bicentenar y exhibition, the framed Standards will be transferredtotheir permanent home in Darlington’s CentralLibrar y laterthis year
Would youliketosponsor acarriageseatinthe North Yorkshire MoorsRailway’s fleet? NYMR
Sponsor your ownMoorsline carriage seat
BRITAIN’S mostpopular heritage railway has launched anew fundraising initiative– the Sponsor aSeatcampaign.
Thescheme on the North YorkshireMoors Railway offers aper fect waytohonour a lovedone,commemorate a special memory, or simply show appreciation forthe line
Seatsare available in three of the Moorsline’s accessible Mk.1carriages,Nos.4597, 5001 and 3805, each with decades of rich historybehind them. While specific seating preferences such as windowor aislecannot be guaranteed,the NYMR team will do their best to accommodate such requests.
Forthose wishing to make an even greaterimpact, multipleseat sponsorships and bespoke packages arealso available. Sponsorship starts from just £300 peryear,with sponsors receiving acustom-made brass plaque mountedon the back of awooden seat, a commemorativecertificate, and aphotograph of their plaque onceinstalled
Allproceeds will directly supportvital conservation efforts in the railway’s carriage and wagon works, where historic coaches are restored,blending traditional craftsmanship with modern techniques to ensurethey continue to transportvisitors
KerryCarruthers, head of engagementatthe NYMR, said: “This is morethan just a plaque –it’sanopportunityfor ourpassengersand supporters to forgeapersonal connection with our heritage, support essential restoration work, and leave alasting mark on the railway they love.Every sponsored seathelps us secure the futureofthese magnificent carriages,and we areincredibly grateful forthe support.”
➜ More details areavailable at www.nymr.co.uk/sponsoraseat
Ea stleighgalagrabs the Bullocks by thehor ns
By Owen Hayward
MINIATURE Railwayshavebeen flourishinginrecentyears,with proposed revivals of ones such as Severn Beach making headlines in recent months alone.While commonly associated with one -off prototypes or scaled-down versions of main line locomotives, thereare also examples designedfor purpose,and during the weekend of May10/11 the Eastleigh Lakeside MiniatureRailway celebrated the designsofH.CS Bullock with athrowback to the1930s and the days of the SurreyBorder& Camberley Railway –witha spectacular finale of aseptuple -headed lap of the 1¼-mile circuit.
Although it operated forjust two years (1938/39), the SB&CR is often regarded as one of the mostelaborate miniaturerailwayseverbuilt. Theline offered a1½-mile ride alonga 10¼in gauge double -track routethatran between Frimley and Camberleyin Surrey.The idea wasdeveloped and funded by AlexanderKinloch,with construction at thetime costing him £16,000 –about £1 million today. Unfortunately,itwas ashortlived venture. In the first year it lost £2000, but at the outbreakofwar the following year itwas closed after Kinloch wascalled up formilitary service. Thecompanywas placed into receivership and the locomotives were subsequently sold off.
During its shortoperating stint, the railway wasworked by about adozensteam locomotives,the majority of which were designed andbuilt by H.CS Bullock,who had transitioned from employmentwith
Monarch and Coronation double-headaservice trainonMay 10,working together forthe firsttimeinpreservation. COURTENAYFORDER
the RoyalAircraftEstablishmentto build locomotives and equipmentfulltime out of his base in Farnborough Involved with several miniature lines,heprovided alarge number of locomotives to run them beforehis death in 1937 at theage of just 49. TheELMR is home to all six of his surviving UK-based Pacific locomotives,including the first of his 10¼in gauge examples,No. 1001 The Monarch,which wasbuiltin1932, while No.2005 Silver Jubilee (built in 1935) wasthe first of his second designofthe 4-6-2s. Also resident on the lineatNos.1002 TheEmpress and 1003 Western Queen (both built in 1933), 2006 Edward VIII (built 1936 and purportedtohavebeen Bullock’s personal favourite) and 2011 Coronation (alsobuilt1936).No. 2006 did work at the SB&CR, butafter the lineclosed,itwas laid up until moving to Dunley Hall, near Stourport.
Additionally,Bullock-designed 0-6-0 No.3007 Firefly also made its debut at therailway in time forthe gala, bringing the total of operating locomotives to seven. Originally built as an 0-6-0PT in 1936, it wasrebuilt in 1945 by engineers at the Romney, Hythe& Dymchurch Railway into its current configuration. Itsworking life sawitrun at the HastingsMiniature Railway and the Kerr’sMiniature Railway in Scotland,which closed indefinitelyonOctober 11, 2020.
Late addition
Firefly’s working appearancewas not something thathad been expected; having arrived15daysbeforethe event, it wasonlyintended to be on static display.However,the question wasasked as to whether it would be possible to steam it at the event. With theanswer very much reliantonthe question of the boiler,bythe end of
On May11, thefinaleofthe ELMR’s Surrey Border &Camberley
locomotivesworka20-carriage rake roundthe 1¼-mile circuitwithNo. 3007 Firefly,which wasreturnedtosteam just in time forthe event, taking primepositionatthe front. SIMONMULLIGAN/ELMR
