Heritage Railway magazine - Issue 260

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PA GE

RETURNING CAN PAC TO THE ALPS

ISSUE 260

October 25 – November 21, 2019

LEEK FULL STEAM AHEAD!

Churnet Valley lays first stretch in 48 hours!

BELLES OF ST TRINIAN’S

INVASION OF GLOUCESTERSHIRE WARWICKSHIRE GOVERNMENT £18.5m GRANT FOR

NRM EXPANSION

SECRET UNDERGROUND

UNMASKED IN COVENT GARDEN

■ DUKE OF GLOUCESTER SET FOR 2020 RETURN ■ NEW SEVERN VALLEY GENERAL MANAGER ■ STEVE DAVIES JOINS A1 TRUST

PRINTED IN THE UK

No. 260 UK Off-sale date: 22/11/2019 £4.40

AUTUMN GALAS SOUVENIR SPECTACULAR

A1 Pacific No. 60163 Tornado hauls the 7.02am ‘The Pennine Explorer’ from Leicester to Carlisle via Doncaster at Gorse Lane, South Milford on Saturday, October 5. The excursion was organised by Tornado Railtours.

IAN DIXON

OPINION

We’re going to

EDITORIAL

Editor Robin Jones rjones@mortons.co.uk Deputy editor Gareth Evans gevans@mortons.co.uk Senior contributing writers Geoff Courtney, Cedric Johns, Brian Sharpe Contributors Fred Kerr, Roger Melton Designer Tim Pipes Reprographics Paul Fincham, Jonathan Schofield Production editor Sarah Wilkinson Publisher Tim Hartley Editorial address Heritage Railway magazine, Mortons Media Ltd, PO Box 99, Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6LZ Website www.heritagerailway.co.uk

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ISSN No 1466-3560

Published Every four weeks on a Friday.

Advertising deadline November 7, 2019 Next issue on sale November 22, 2019

Having trouble finding a copy of this magazine?

C

t town!

HAMPAGNE corks are popping not just in the Staffordshire Moorlands but across the entire heritage railway sector, after the Churnet Valley not only laid the first section of its long-awaited extension into Leek within 48 hours, but then ran a steam-hauled passenger train over it.

We are celebrating the fact that not only is another of our heritage lines joining the growing set of those with a town centre presence – and therefore a‘somewhere to somewhere’purpose – but also the excellent support that is being given by the local district council, and which can never be praised highly enough.

The opening of the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway’s extension into Broadway reinforced the message loud and clear that such schemes generate benefits that are a big win-win for all – not just us railway enthusiasts but also local traders, shopkeepers, hoteliers and council tax payers.

The south-western side of the White Peak is indeed a beautiful landscape, and the completion of the Leek extension cannot but reinforce its position as a major tourist draw, not only in the summer months but all the year round.

Elsewhere, the Llangollen Railway is completing its new Corwen Central station, and in a brilliant example of co-operation between lines, the East Lancashire Railway has just supplied its Bala Lake counterparts with half of the track materials needed to build its green field extension into Bala, again with regeneration the name of the game. I long for the day, hopefully sooner rather than later, when we will be able to take a vintage bus from Corwen to Bala and enjoy the stunning scenery on both of these railways in one visit.

Also, as we have just seen at the line’s autumn gala, Swanage Railway steam-hauled passenger services are inching their way ever closer to

Wareham, another purposeful destination.

There are lessons to be learned and blueprints for local economy revivals here aplenty, and we should now be asking the powers that be to match the example being set by the Churnet Valley’s local council and do everything to connect the Bodmin & Wenford Railway to Wadebridge and the South Devon Railway to Ashburton. Neither deserves any less.

On another tack, just as one ground-breaking and thoroughly-recommended landmark exhibition has opened, in the form of the National Railway Museum’s Brass, Steel and Fire to welcome Stephenson’s Rocket to York, so we have a second, in Hidden London: The Exhibition, at the London Transport Museum in Covent Garden.

This superbly-executed series of displays, drawing on a wealth of rarely-seen contemporary material from the museum’s archives, unlocks the secrets below the city streets that are the forgotten tube stations, several of which played an essential role in protecting the capital and defending the nation in Britain’s darkest hour and yet were to afterwards remain unseen and unvisited by the millions of daily commuters who pass by only yards away.

Finally, I must extend a big thanks to all of our supportive lineside photographers who have submitted material for this issue, and not just those whose pictures have been published. The autumn gala season is a jewel in the crown, not only of the sector but of the British tourism market as a whole, and it grieves me that space forces me to make very difficult and heart-wrenching decisions when choosing one submission above another.

We have received countless stunning views from the galas this year, sufficient to fill several editions. Keep them coming!

Robin Jones Editor

“The autumn gala season is a jewel in the crown, not only of the sector but of the British tourism market as a whole, and it grieves me that space forces me to make very difficult and heartwrenching decisions ...”

Heritagerailway.co.uk 3

CONTENTS ISSUE 260

October 25, 2019 – November 21, 2019

News

9

Headline News

6

■ ‘Instant’ extension launches

Churnet Valley push to Leek ■ Government backs NRM expansion with £18.5 million grant ■ New managers appointed at Severn Valley and Isle of Wight ■ Steve Davies joins Tornado operator as a trustee ■ ‘Lost’ Underground secrets unveiled in major new exhibition

14

News

10

■ Romney incident had parallels with Abermule, says RAIB ■ Baldwin 4-6-0T joins Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railways fleet ■ Four panniers take centre stage at West Somerset gala ■ Hagley Hall set for big 2020 comeback at Severn Valley ■ NRM-owned Taff Vale 0-6-2T No. 28 to return to steam at Gwili ■ Southern cream makes Great Central dream gala ■ Calbourne bows out for overhaul at Isle of Wight Steam Railway ■ East Lancs help bring Bala Lake Railway extension 500 yards closer

CONTENTS: Celebrating the return of No. 7822 Foxcote Manor ‘home’ to the Dee Valley for the winter from the West Somerset Railway, the Llangollen Railway held a gala on October 12-13. The WR 4-6-0 double-heads with Large Prairie No. 5199 on the ‘Cambrian Coast Express’ at Berwyn station on October 12. MICHAEL ANDERSON COVER: North Yorkshire Moors Railway-based Schools class 4-4-0 Repton departs Loughborough on October 3 during the Great Central’s gala. ALAN WEAVER COVER INSET: USATC S160 2-8-0 No. 5197 is seen at the current end of the Churnet Valley Railway’s new extension. DAVE GIBSON

Regulars

Features

Subscribe Today Centre

30

‘Black Five’ 4-6-0 No. 45407 The Lancashire Fusilier is seen crossing Loch Eilt.

58

65 Railwayana

60

Main Line Itinerary

69

Geoff Courtney’s regular column.

Main Line News

64

■ Steams Dreams to celebrate 20th

anniversary in December

■ A1 Steam Locomotive Trust

Steam and heritage diesel railtours.

Platform

100

Off the Shelf

103

Up & Running

104

The Month Ahead

114

confirms its 2020 programme ■ Union of South Africa owner faces further wait for museum go-ahead

Where your views matter most.

With Full Regulator

Guide to the railways running in the autumn.

Don Benn examines the performances of Tornado, William Whitelaw and Sir Nigel Gresley.

4 Heritagerailway.co.uk

70

Latest book and DVD releases.

Returning Can Pac to the Alps!

Gareth Evans learns about the project to return to action the Mid-Hants Railway’s flagship locomotive, No. 35005 Canadian Pacific – a National Lottery Heritage Fund-supported scheme, which includes the restoration of two Southern Railway carriages and a package of engagement, interpretation and education, which will help secure the future of the line.

46

54

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See page 30 The spirit of St Trinian’s

Gareth Evans talks to well-known professional photographer Jack Boskett about how he attempted to capture the feel of the original 1966 Great St Trinian’s Train Robbery film in 2019 through a series of black and white photographs. All photographs

by Jack Boskett.

Steam’s Polish Indian summer

A Wolsztyn Experience – 1000 miles of main line steam in four days. Poland continues to make it happen but for how long? Rodney Towers gives an update in words and pictures on this acclaimed British-led venture.

Was this the best Moors autumn gala ever?

The long-awaited return of BR 9F No. 92134 and stunning displays by visiting and home fleet locomotives made the North Yorkshire Moors Railway’s showpiece September 26-29 event one of the finest events of its kind, writes Roger Melton.

92

Severn Valley gala success despite fires and failures

Superb weather and the first hints of seasonal colour changes, combined with crowd-pleasing visiting locomotives, ensured that the SVR’s September 19-22 steam gala was the perfect curtain-raiser for the autumn events season, writes Paul Appleton.

Giants win the day

98

Despite southern England being deluged by rain for much of the weekend, the Bluebell Railway’s October 13-15 Giants of Steam event saw crowds defy the weather to see and ride behind two illustrious main line visitors – Mayflower and Britannia, writes Robin Jones.

Find the latest news, images and discussion online only at: Like us facebook.com/ heritagerailway Follow us @HeritageRailMag Heritagerailway.co.uk 5

NEWS

‘Lew’ and Lyn return to Woody Bay with the original five carriages on the last train of the gala on September 29. TONY NICHOLSON

It’s 1935 all over again! g

Two L&B engines and five original coaches in service

Paul Lewin oiling round ‘Lew’ alongside Lyn at Woody Bay. TONY NICHOLSON

22 Heritagerailway.co.uk

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6Credit/debit issues FOR £15.99 card » 13 issues FOR £29.99 Credit/debit card » Preceding the Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railway’s successful October 5/6 Victorian weekend, the opportunity was taken to stage this four-locomotive line-up outside Porthmadog Harbour station.

England 0-4-0STT No. 1 Princess, which has never steamed in the heritage era, was taken out of storage at Minffordd station and towed to Porthmadog for the line-up on Friday, October 4. From left to right are Princess, No.2 Prince, double Fairlie Merddin Emrys and single Fairlie Taliesin. CHRIS PARRY/F&WHR

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