Heritage Railway May 2017

FREE! END OF SOUTHERN STEAM 50TH ANNIVERSARY GUIDE

ISSUE 227

April 7, 2017 – May 4, 2017

FLYING SCOTSMAN

in unique quadruple East Coast run

Green light for Kent & East Sussex

ROBERTSBRIDGE LINK

GREAT CENTRAL building the bridge has begun ■ PORTILLO UNVEILS £30M MANCHESTER SHIP CANAL STEAM PLAN ■ CLAN LINE BACK ‘WITHIN WEEKS’ ■ ROYAL SCOT WOWS MOORS

OPINION

LMS Royal Scot 4-6-0 No. 46115 Scots Guardsman crosses Eskmeals viaduct with the Railway Touring Company’s ‘Cumbrian Coast Express’ on March 25. BRIAN SHARPE EDITORIAL

Editor Robin Jones 01507 529305 rjones@mortons.co.uk Deputy editor Brian Sharpe bsharpe@mortons.co.uk Senior contributing writers Geoff Courtney, Cedric Johns 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

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The blockbusters are here!

“I

T will never happen in my lifetime.” Now where have I heard that sentence before, in the lifetime of this magazine?The rebuilding of the Welsh Highland Railway... the completion of A1 Pacific No. 60163 Tornado... the repatriation of two A4s from North America….

British railway preservation, however, has proved itself time and time again to have mastered the art of the possible, and now we have two Mission Impossible sequels underway.

After decades of postulation, the physical building of the missing bridge over the Midland Main Line to connect the two heritage-era Great Central railways has started.

Coupled with the new national-standard railway museum to be built at Leicester North and the lines’ position near the centre of the motorway network, the bridge will be the key ingredient into making the unique inter-city heritage railway not only a major visitor destination but potentially a hub for the whole sector.

In this issue, there is an even more astonishing news item: not only have two other heritage lines which also once formed part of the same route – the Kent & East Sussex and the Rother Valley railways – been given the green light by planners to reinstate the missing link between the two – yes, including that level crossing over the A21 Robertsbridge bypass – but we are told that there is the necessary funding in place to make it happen.

I eagerly await the day when I can board a train at Peterborough and travel all the way by train to Tenterden, just as I don’t have to take the car to reach the Bluebell Railway.

By all accounts, this project will now happen sooner rather than later, and undoubtedly, as with the reconnected Great Central Railway, bring a major boost for the local tourist economy, if only for the potential for incoming charters to places such as the atmospheric 14th century Bodiam Castle.

It is a beautiful part of the world, and best seen

from the elevated heights of a carriage window. If Colonel Stephens is looking down on us, he would be delighted beyond measure.

Who, when the Swanage Railway operated over a few hundred feet of track back in 1979, would ever have dreamed that once day public trains would again run from the resort to Wareham, with the restoration of the entire branch?

However, enough people did dream, and in June, their vision will become reality, when DMU services will offer‘real’as opposed to tourist or enthusiast services between the towns, with the potential for steam to follow on later.

I recall the sceptics who often said that Tornado would never run anywhere, let alone on the main line... and yet now 90mph tests are planned for the near future. Not only that, but its builders are making steady progress with the construction of a new Gresley P2 2-8-2, No. 2007 Prince of Wales, a type which nobody ever expected to see again.

Now a bold and ambitious plan for a new standard gauge heritage line crossing the Manchester Ship Canal, drawn up by an enterpreneur who has a track record of making things happen, has been unveiled by none other than Michael Portillo.

Spring is here, the heritage railway movement is in full blossom again, and not only am I longing to taste the first fruits of summer, but what is now happening – yes, in my lifetime – makes me feel truly proud to be part of it all.

However, it's not just the preservation sector that has excelled against the odds.

Network Rail must be congraultated for the pioneering work on rebuilding the section of the Settle and Carlisle line that was hit by a landslip, the opening of which on March 31saw no less than Flying Scotsman rostered, helping to elevate this magnificent feat of enginering to the attention of the world’s media.

Robin Jones Editor Heritagerailway.co.uk 3

CONTENTS ISSUE 227

April 7, 2017 – May 4, 2017

News

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Headline News

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Flying Scotsman to appear in unique quadruple running event on East Coast Main Line; Kent & East Sussex and Rother Valley railways given green light to link up; building of Great Central’s new Loughborough bridge now under way and £30 million plans for new heritage railway over Manchester Ship Canal unveiled.

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News

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Royal Scot takes North Yorkshire Moors by storm; Severn Valley to hold 30th anniversary diesel ‘mega gala’; Swanage remembers last BR steam train; Cambrian Heritage Railways gets Transport and Work Act Order for Oswestry line; Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway £1.25 million share issue target nearly there; gala action from Severn Valley, Llangollen and Worth Valley; Tyseley ‘Bloomer’ “may go main line”; Lincolnshire Coast founder dies at 91; Britain’s longest serving railwayman retires and two new heritage lines in London taking shape with a third on the way.

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Regulars

Features

Railwayana

52

Geoff Courtney’s regular column.

Centre

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Scots Guardsman on the Cumbrian Coast by Alan Weaver

Main Line News

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Clan Line may be back by the end of April; Tyseley Locomotive Works announces multi-million-pound plans for new tourist attraction; two Class 50s to run to Glasgow and latest on ‘Great Britain X’ railtour locomotive roster.

Main Line Itinerary

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Steam and heritage diesel

A meeting of minds

The renaming of Flying Scotsman twice; the re-creation of a complete early 1950s KESR mixed train and the clearing and operation of the ‘Last Severn & Wye byway’ back to Parkend. In his 100th article written over three decades, Geoff Silcock charts the early years of the photo charter operations that he christened ‘Sentimental Journeys’.

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railtours.

Platform

84

Where your views matter most.

Up & Running

94

Guide to railways running in the

With Full Regulator

Don Benn reports on Tornado’s St David’s Day trip.

4 Heritagerailway.co.uk

64

coming months.

The Month Ahead

106 Find us on www.facebook.com/heritagerailway

CONTENTS: BR Standard 4MT 4-6-0 No. 75014 Braveheart crosses the viaduct at Hookhills with a photo charter on the Dartmouth Steam Railway on March 13. It was officially relaunched into traffic on March 22. ROBERT FALCONER COVER: LMS 4-6-0 No. 46100 Royal Scot climbs away from Goathland on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway on March 26. MICHAEL ANDERSON

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On to Coalbrookdale: Plans

to extend to the birthplace of the industrial revolution The Telford Steam Railway has taken a long time to get to where it has, but after opening one extension, it is developing much more ambitious plans. Allan George outlines the railway’s aims to extend to Coalbrookdale, the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution, and hopefully beyond.

Czech and Slovakian winter steam In some European countries, main line steam trains can occasionally be operated for the benefit of photographers as opposed to passengers. David Rodgers witnessed one such operation in one-time communist territory.

Wight heritage projects

The Isle of Wight Steam Railway stands out among standard gauge heritage railways for the use of historic locomotives and rolling stock in their original setting. IOWSR trustee Simon Futcher tells the story of how two current projects are set to continue this tradition.

Write to us: Heritage Railway, Mortons Media Ltd, PO Box 43, Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6LZ.

Heritagerailway.co.uk 5

HEADLINE NEWS

Scotsman for quadruple parallel running on East Coast Main Line

More than 30,000 people visited the National Railway Museum during the February half-term week when Flying Scotsman steamed on the demonstration line . NRM

By Robin Jones FLYING Scotsman is to take part in a world first – when four trains will be run in parallel along the East Coast Main Line.

The unique showpiece event on the morning of Sunday, April 23, has been organised byVirginTrains to mark the launch of its new Class 800 Azuma electric trains.

The four trains will be lined up at Tollerton Junction, six miles north ofYork.

One of them will be headed by Flying Scotsman, whichVirgin Group founder Richard Branson helped buy for the National Railway Museum for £2.31 million in 2004.

The A3 will be towed to the starting point by a Class 55 Deltic, further reinforcing the heritage of the ECML. The other trains, representing stateof-the-art East Coast transport over four generations, will include aVirgin trio – a Class 125 High SpeedTrain, an Intercity 225 set and aVirgin Azuma, representing the class being built by Hitachi in the North East, and will come into service in 2018.

In a once-in-a-lifetime event, the four trains will set off together, each on their own track, and run in parallel in a staggered formation toYork at speeds between 20-25mph, highlighting the

6 Heritagerailway.co.uk

past, present and future of rail travel.

The rail spectacular comes days before the cycling‘Tour deYorkshire’begins.The feat has been organised byVirginTrains, Welcome toYorkshire, Network Rail and the National Railway Museum.

Speed and style

NRM director Paul Kirkman said:“The ECML has long been famed for speed and style. In the 19th century elegant locomotives were designed to haul trains on this route cementing its reputation as a railway racing stretch operated by thoroughbred engines.The four-train line-up epitomises the evolution of the later generation of fast, elegant and stylish trains – all with a shared bloodline – that epitomise the history of the route from the 1850s to today.

“The NRM is proud that Flying Scotsman, a symbol of engineering excellence, the first steam locomotive to achieve an authenticated speed of 100mph and the first to undertake a non-stop run between London King’s Cross and EdinburghWaverley, is taking its place alongside such worthy successors to its speed and style mantle.”

David Horne, managing director for VirginTrains on the east coast, said: “Just one year on from unveiling our brand newVirgin Azuma trains, we’re

delighted to present this unique event that showcases the past, present and future of rail travel in the UK, with Azuma travelling alongside Flying Scotsman and trains from our current fleet.

“With our Azuma trains entering service next year, this is an opportunity to celebrate the icons of the railways and look forward to 2018 when we’ll usher in a new era for travel on the East Coast route.”

Rob McIntosh, managing director for Network Rail on the London North Eastern and East Midlands route, said: “I am delighted we have been able to create such a prestigious and unique event for the people ofYorkshire.The area has a very proud rail heritage and by working closely with our industry partners we’ve been able to turn what has been a logistically challenging vision – to create an iconic railway moment on the ECML without impacting on regular passengers - into what will be a truly special occasion.”

Timings for the event, being billed as the‘FourTrains’, will be released nearer the date. No passengers or media will be allowed on the trains but specific designated media viewing locations will available with details also to be confirmed.

Karen Boswell, managing director for Hitachi Rail Europe, said:“We believe our

new British built Azuma trains will inspire the next generation of rail enthusiasts and show how investment in new trains will transform passenger experiences on this iconic route.”

Mindful of the problems caused by lineside trespass when Flying Scotsman returned to the tracks last year, the public are being urged to stay safe behind boundary fences and keep off the tracks and private land.

Trespassers would be ‘risk’

A spokesman for the organisers said: “Trespassers will cause the trains to stop and put at risk the completion of both this event and any future plans to showcase the route and its iconic locos.”

The first Azuma set was unveiled by Richard Branson at King’s Cross on March 18, 2016 They can accelerate from 0-125mph a minute quicker than their InterCity predecessors, and yet have lower emissions. Also, they hold out the prospect of running 140mph along the ECML, a possibility being investigated by an industry working party.

With 65 Azuma sets providing an extra 12,200 seats for a new and expanded timetable once they are introduced next year, the fleet will increase capacity into King’s Cross by 28% during peak time.

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A halt to proceedings: A petrol railmotor of the type that operated on the Kent & East Sussex Railway alongside steam locomotives from 1923 to 1937, calls at the railway’s Junction Road Halt in 1930. This site is currently the western extremity of the restored KESR, but plans are well advanced for extending beyond to the Rother Valley Railway at Robertsbridge.

HARDING COLLECTION/COLONEL STEPHENS RAILWAY MUSEUM

Old and new: A restored former Shropshire & Montgomeryshire Railway water crane dominates the Robertsbridge Junction station development on March 25, while in the background the new station’s toilet block, to which a booking hall will be attached, is taking shape. The work is being carried out as part of a major project to link the Rother Valley Railway with the Kent & East Sussex Railway.

PETER BROWN

Go-ahead given for RVR and KESR link-up

By Geoff Courtney REVIVALISTS planning to restore a link between two heritage lines are celebrating a major step forward in their project, following a local council decision to grant approval for the £4½ million scheme and the decision of Highways England to agree in principle to the installation of a level crossing over a major A-road.

The privately-funded project will see the RotherValley Railway link up with the Kent & East Sussex Railway, resulting in a 14 mile heritage steam line over former trackbed between the RVR’s Robertsbridge base and the KESR at Tenterden.

The RVR’s half-mile line currently ends at Northbridge Street and the KESR’s 11½-mile line at Junction Road, leaving a gap of two miles between them.The decision of Rother District Council’s planning committee to unanimously approve the application on March 16 means that gap will be plugged, possibly by as early as 2020.

RVR chairman Gardner Crawley told Heritage Railway that the project was being funded by the railway through private benefactors without the use of public funds, and would benefit the local economy by more than £2 million per year.

The decision by Rother District Council to give permission to the project followed the railway meeting three key criteria – that the scheme did not compromise the integrity of the floodplain and flood protection measures at Robertsbridge, that

the impact on the HighWeald area of outstanding natural beauty was acceptable, and that it incorporated appropriate arrangements for crossing the A21 Robertsbridge bypass, two other minor roads, and the River Rother.

Many locals and opponents of the project doubted whether the railway would gain approval for a level crossing on the A21, but Highways England – formerly the Highways Agency – told the council’s planning committee that while it would have preferred consideration of other options such as a bridge, it appreciated a heritage railway level crossing would have less of an impact than one for a main line. It did impose a set of conditions, including no trains using the crossing between 7am-9am and 5pm-7pm, and traffic queue monitoring.

The new line would also require two other crossings, in Northbridge Street close to the RVR’s eastern end, and on the B2244 beside the KESR’s current western extremity at Junction Road, both of which have been agreed in principle by East Sussex County Council, the relevant highways authority for such roads, and by the Office of Rail Regulation.

While expressing his delight that the planning application to build the twomile link had been approved, Gardner said the RVR was aware that, despite overwhelming support for the plan, there were local people who had concerns about the level crossings and parking in Robertsbridge itself.“Their fears will be addressed as the scheme progresses,” he pledged, adding:“It is to be hoped the economic benefits will become apparent.”

Engage with landowners

Further concerns, he said, had been expressed by owners of land between Northbridge Street and Junction Road.“We fully appreciate that a railway crossing their farms represents some disruption.We have met three landowners and will continue to engage with them with a view to acquiring the original trackbed by agreement. It will be protracted, but we believe it will be successful.”

Of the timescale, Gardner said that preparing for aTransport &Works Order, which would provide the statutory powers to build and operate the railway, could take up to two years, indicating a completion of the link by 2020.“We

Cross here: The location of the planned level crossing on the A21 Robertsbridge bypass that will be used by steam trains when the link between the RVR and KESR is completed, possibly by 2020.

GEOFF COURTNEY

look forward to Rother District Council’s continuing support to complete the project.”

Although the two-mile link is being paid for by the RVR through private benefactors, once it is completed the 14 mile line will be operated by the KESR, using its staff, rolling stock, and procedures.

Part of the project is the transformation of the RVR’s Robertsbridge base, on which work is already well advanced.This development includes the construction of a station, to be called Robertsbridge Junction, a five-coach platform, a carriage shed, two-road locomotive depot, and a former Shropshire & Montgomeryshire Railway water crane relocated from the KESR’s Rolvenden site.

Another major part of this development is a connection to the Charing Cross-Hastings main line that serves the adjacent Robertsbridge station, thus giving the KESR the huge boost of a link with the national rail network when the current two-mile gap is bridged.This connection, which was installed in conjunction with Network Rail, was completed two years ago.

The line from Robertsbridge to within 1½ miles ofTenterden opened in 1900 under the name RotherValley Railway, was extended intoTenterden itself in 1903, renamed the Kent & East Sussex Railway a year later, and in 1905 was further extended to Headcorn.

A part of the Colonel Stephens light railway empire for much of its life, it was closed by BR to passengers in 1954 and to freight in 1961, and the revived KESR was opened by preservationists in 1974.

Camping coaches still on line Severn Valley the best in county

DAWLISH Warren’s railway carriage holiday park will open again this season under new ownership.

As reported in issue 222, the Brunel Railway Camping Park in Beach Road, which was set up by the GWR in 1935 and which comprises eight converted railway carriages, sold at auction in November for £261,000.

It was widely expected that the park would close after the Great Western Railway Staff Association, which ran it as a not-for-profit operation, offered it for sale.

However, the park and its coaches will open again for this season, but a major refurbishment is planned for the winter months.

THE Severn Valley Railway has been crowned Best Visitor Attraction in Worcestershire in the What’s On Readers Awards 2017.

Out of 45,000 votes cast, the railway beat the West Midland Safari Park which came second.

Write to us: Heritage Railway, Mortons Media Ltd, PO Box 43, Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6LZ.

It is believed that last September Pacific Power event staring Flying Scotsman and Tornado played a significant part in the voting.

Other finalists included Avoncroft Museum, Elgar’s Birthplace and Hanbury Hall & Gardens.

Heritagerailway.co.uk 7

HEADLINE NEWS Government refuses to save Wolverton Works THE Government has refused to step in and stop the demolition ofWolvertonWorks, the world’s oldest, longest continually open, standard gauge railway workshops.

In a letter, Dave Jones, a senior planning manager at the Department for Communities and Local Government, said:“The Government remains committed to giving more power to councils and communities to make their own decisions on planning issues, and believe that planning decisions should be made at the local level wherever possible.

“The Secretary of State has decided, having had regard to this policy, not to call in this application. He is satisfied that the application should be determined at a local level.

“It is, however, now for the council to determine this application.”

As reported in issue 223, on November 17, Milton Keynes Council’s development control committee approved the property developer and owners of the works St Modwen’s outline planning application for the demolition of structures and development of up to 375 dwellings, a food store and employment floorspace.

Historic England objected to the application but decided not to list the remainingWolverton buildings saying that the Conservation area status would afford enough protection.

The RoyalTrain has been constructed and based at Wolverton since 1869 and is now likely to be relocating, or retired in its 150th anniversary year, 2019.

The existing RoyalTrain Shed, which is under 30 years old, will also be demolished to make way for housing overlooking the canal.

Builders start work bridging that gap!

By Robin Jones AFTER decades of speculation, wishful thinking and hard fundraising, what is widely considered to be the biggest obstacle in the heritage railway sector is now being removed.

In March, building work began on the bridge which will link the two heritage era Great Central railways at Loughborough.

Contractors have been preparing the ground for the footings of the new bridge over the Midland Main Line at Loughborough.

The work will then move off site as metal is cut and prefabricated sections of concrete are prepared.

The 100ft bridge itself will be craned into place in late summer, with the installation of the structure completed by early autumn. Eventually track will be laid across it to join the Great Central Railway and its northern counterpart the Great Central Railway (Nottingham), creating a unique 18-mile inter-city heritage trunk railway.

Great Central Railway chief executive Andy Munro said:“Our supporters have waited a long time to see the Victorian link between the two lines restored.

“Rebuilding this bridge is a bold statement of intent which secures a vision for the future, where heritage trains can run between Leicester and the south of Nottingham.To see our supportive contractors MPB in action on site is very exciting and we look forward to‘bridging the gap’.

“I would like to thank everyone who has supported our appeal or worked hard behind the scenes so this project can proceed.That includes Network Rail, Charnwood Borough Council, Leicestershire and Leicester City Councils and our immediate neighbours next to the bridge Preci Spark.

“Much midnight oil has been burnt and there is doubtless more to come.

Seeing the physical work begin is a

With a BBC radio van in the foreground, this clear view from the top of the northern embankment extends all the way to the Loughborough Central locomotive shed, as work gets underway on building the bridge. ANDY MUNRO

Plant and machinery on site in late March at the start of building work on the bridge.

GCR

rewarding moment and the whole community can be proud.”

A £1 million public appeal to help fund the Bridge the Gap project exceeded its total when the local community and enthusiasts from across the country rallied to support the scheme.

The final cost of building the bridge will be close to £3 million, with contributions from the Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership and the purchase of GCR shares by Leicestershire County Council.

The bridge will at a stroke transform the GCR. Via the GCR(N), it will have a main line connection for the first

time. Loughborough Central will again become a through station.

It will be possible for charter trains to visit the new Heritage Lottery Fundbacked railway museum to be built next to the southern terminus of Leicester North.

Once the bridge is in place, the next stage of the reunification project will be rebuilding the missing embankment between it and Loughborough Central. ➜ Missed our last issue 226, and the free cover-mounted Great Central Railway DVD Mainline to Marylebone?

Worry not – telephone 01507 529529 and order a back copy!

Coach from last train returns to the Somerset & Dorset

By Roger Melton THE NorthYorkshire Moors Railway has placed BR Mk.1 BSO No. 9267 on loan to the Somerset & Dorset Railway HeritageTrust at Midsomer Norton, the significance of this vehicle being that it was formed in the train that ran the last service over the S&D. The vehicle is approaching the point where it needs a major overhaul and with the NYMR’s carriage and wagon department having recently

8 Heritagerailway.co.uk

outshopped two BSOs in quick succession it was likely to have been placed in store to await overhaul.

It was felt better to place the coach on loan where it will be looked after rather than left uncared for.

It is the second Mk.1 to be loaned out by the NYMR, following on from TSO E3805, which has been at the DerwentValley Railway for several years.

The NYMR’s unrestored 1960-built Metro-Cammell Pullman Parlour

First Garnet been delivered to the Llangollen Railway’s workshops, where it is to be restored under contract to its as-built condition with 1+1 seating in traditional Pullman armchairs.

It will become the only such example of its type, the other running examples retaining the later rebuilt layout with 2+1 seating, as do the NYMR’s in-traffic examples Parlour First Opal and Kitchen First Robin. The 1+1 layout is expected to be popular

with couples and the £150,000 rebuild is being partly paid for by a DoT Grant awarded in 2016.

The remaining funding is being raised by public appeal and the NYMR is inviting donations to 12 Park Street, Pickering,YO18 7AJ.The NYMR is also still on the lookout to hire a Pullman car as a temporary replacement for its Brake 3rd/Parlour Car No. 79, which is expected to be out of traffic for a protracted period whilst its steel roof is renewed.

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IN BRIEF

Caledonian Railway 0-6-0 No. 828 has returned to service on the Strathspey Railway and is seen passing Aviemore Speyside signalbox on March 25. JONATHON GOURLAY

Portillo launches new Manchester Ship Canal steam line scheme

By Robin Jones

GREAT Railway Journeys presenter and former cabinet minister Michael Portillo has launched a £30 million project to set up a new heritage line over the Manchester Ship Canal.

Businessman and philanthropist Neil McArthur wants to reopen six miles of disused track between Irlam in Salford andTimperley inTrafford, while adding 8½ miles to the National Cycle Network.

The plans were unveiled by the pair at a press event at Irlam station on March 28, two years after the completion of the restoration of the station house in a scheme funded by Neil’s Hamilton Davies Trust.The trust gave £2 million for the derelict building to be turned into a cafe, heritage centre and community centre.

In total, the charity has already contributed more than £7 million to community facilities and activities in Irlam and Cadishead.

Neil’s plan for the railway is based on a report he has submitted to two local councils,Transport for Greater Manchester, Network Rail, and cycle network group Sustrans.

It calls for political support from the statutory bodies to reconnect communities along the line which lost the passenger service in 1964. Freight ended in 1984 with the closure of CadisheadViaduct over the Manchester Ship Canal.

The scheme is based around six miles of the former Cheshire Lines railway from Irlam toTimperley, near Altrincham and also involves the reopening of the mile-long branch line from Irlam station to Glazebrook East Junction, and the rebuilding of stations at Cadishead, Partington, andWestTimperley.

It would also involve the reopening of the viaduct along the route, which is closed off by shipping containers and known locally as an eyesore‘BerlinWall’

Michael Portillo and Neil McArthur with a computer-generated image of Cadishead Viaduct over the Manchester Ship Canal. HDT which cuts off the communities of Irlam and Partington.

Neil believes that the line would become a tourist attraction along the lines of the East Lancashire Railway, and would also improve links by rail, foot and cycle between the communities of Partington and Carrington inTrafford, and Irlam and Cadishead in Salford.

He estimated the total cost at between £25 million and £30 million.

His charity wants to establish a new body, the Cheshire Lines RailwayTrust, to deliver the project. In the meantime, the Hamilton DaviesTrust will continue to fund the feasibility study and is prepared to start the project if a funding partnership can be assembled working with the statutory bodies.

While the original line was double track, the viaduct and half of the route was created to carry four tracks, so it could accommodate both a railway and cycleway/footpath.

The report said that once the line, owned throughout by Network Rail, is revived as a heritage railway, it could pave the way for a modern‘heavy rail’ passenger service route, or even a future Metrolink extension from Altrincham.

Neil said:“We’re building on the success of what we’ve done here at Irlam station, which enjoyed a 17% rise in passenger figures in 2015, one of the highest in Greater Manchester,” said Neil McArthur.

“The economic, social and environmental benefits would be huge.

The East Lancashire Railway shows the demand with 200,000 passengers a year, so there is a local example to learn from.

“There are many steam train owners who don’t have anywhere to run them.

In fact there are more steam train owners than there are heritage railways to run them on.We will offer them the chance to do that.”

Former transport minister Mr Portillo said:“The building of Britain’s railways during the 19th century required vision, determination and entrepreneurial flair.

Today, the reopening of closed tracks requires the same qualities.

“I’m impressed by the zeal shown by the Hamilton DaviesTrust. Heritage lines run all over Britain thanks to that kind of enthusiasm, and they bring pleasure to many thousands, and greatly boost the economic health of the neighbouring communities.”

Write to us: Heritage Railway, Mortons Media Ltd, PO Box 43, Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6LZ.

➜ UP to six trams at Crich Tramway Village have sustained damage caused by winter mould. It was reported that the damage was caused by insulation problems at their depot, which needs a further £200,000 for improvements. Officials believed the mould had affected the trams because there had been a warm and damp winter and moisture had got into the 1960s depot. ➜ THE Talyllyn Railway experienced a record February half-term week, carrying nearly 33% more passengers than the same period last year, despite Storm Doris. Under the branding ‘Love It Local’ the railway encouraged residents in the area to take a ride on the train and see the line for themselves. More trains were run in anticipation of the greater demand. ➜ THE Heritage Lottery Fund has awarded £463,900 for the restoration of the Grade II listed Market Rasen station building, which was opened in 1848 by the Manchester, Sheffield & Lincolnshire Railway. The specially-formed Market Rasen Station Community Project Ltd can now transform the derelict building for the benefit of the local community, with interpretive works for visitors telling the story of the station and its importance to the town. ➜ THE Barry Tourist Railway has secured a full Red Arrows display for Sunday, August 6, centred on Whitmore Bay in conjunction with the ‘Barry at War’museum open day and the toy and train fair at nearby Barry Island station. Re-enactors will give the station a 1940s atmosphere and there will be steam-hauled brakevan rides. ➜ THE Epping Ongar Railway has gained an operational DMU with the release of Class 117 DMS No. 51384 which has been coupled to the Colne Valley Railway Class 121 railcar DTS No. 56287. The DTS has been hired as cover for the EOR’s resident Class 117 DMBS No. 51342 which is still under overhaul. ➜ CHICHESTER and District Society of Model Engineers will be holding their next Steam on Sunday open afternoon between 2-5pm on May 21, at its site in Blackberry Lane, off Bognor Road, in Chichester. ➜ THE steam-orientated Lakeside & Haverthwaite Railway provided a rare sight during the February half-term holiday when it operated its two-car Class 110 set on all services during the nineday holiday period. ➜ GWR 0-6-2T No. 5619, recently repainted into BR black livery, will be based at the Midland RailwayButterley during 2017.

Heritagerailway.co.uk 9

NEWS

Royal Scot wows the Moors

By Roger Melton and Robin Jones THE eagerly-anticipated high-profile visit of LMS 4-6-0 No. 46100 Royal Scot to the NorthYorkshire Moors Railway saw near sell-out services as crowds thronged the lineside.

Royal Scot featured in a press launch for the visit on Friday, March 24, before hauling timetabled trains over the following weekend, and the following Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. Glorious early-spring sunshine welcomed the‘Scot’and visitors alike.

Witnesses said that at times it appeared that there were more people in attendance on the lineside and at stations than for last year’s visit of A3 No. 60103 Flying Scotsman.

The visit was one of the many events celebrating the 50th anniversary of the formation of the NYMR Preservation Society, the forerunner of the current charitable trust.

Its general manager, Chris Price, said: “It was great to see passengers back at the railway and travelling behind the iconic engine.

“Ticket sales have been very positive and based on the opening weekend we know it’s going to be a week to

remember and is the perfect way to start spring.”

After the first few days of Royal Scot’s visit, it was clear that the railway has had another major success on its hands with the majority of seats pre-sold and tour operators, that have purchased a high proportion of them already, inquiring about next year’s event.

When all the bills are in, the NYMR expects to make a profit approaching a six figure sum, in contrast to the 2016 spring gala, which made a loss of about £15,000.

The norm in future

It seems likely that this type of event will be the norm for the NYMR in the early part of the season in future years, being both far cheaper to stage and much easier on the crewing roster and locomotive availability, even though the NYMR has started the new season with twice as many steam locomotives available than in 2016, and against a less intensive timetable that requires only two steam engines for the off-peak timetable.

Meanwhile, the NYMR’s 2017 fleet has been bolstered for the early part of the season by the arrival of Ian Riley’s‘Black Fives’Nos. 45212 and 45407, although

these are expected to depart for Fort William when the service there extends to two trains per day.

While at the NYMR there has been a mini-reunion of Lostock Hall engines with Nos. 44806, 45407 and 45212, all ex-inhabitants of the famous shed.Their departure for Scotland will leave the NYMR short of Whitby capable engines, with just Nos. 61264 and 76079 of the currently operable fleet available to work there and No. 44806 and No. 80136 available to work between Grosmont and Pickering.The return to traffic of Schools class 926 Repton will be eagerly awaited for the summer season.

It is also hoped that‘Black Five’ No. 45428 Eric Treacy and Q60-8-0 No. 63395 will return by the end of the summer. No. 45428 is to revert to the 1930s LMS lined livery that it carried when it first arrived at the line from Tyseley in the mid-1970s, carrying its LMS number, 5428. It will be part of a mini-resurgence of pre-BR liveries on the NYMR, following the outshopping of Repton in 1930s SR green.

No. 5428 will be the only operational ‘Black Five’in LMS livery, all the others currently carrying BR mixed traffic black.

Indeed, the only other‘Black Five’likely to carry LMS livery in service in the near

future is the Strathspey Railway’s No. 5025, which is still under overhaul and some way from completion.

Also at Grosmont, work is expected to resume before too long on the rebuild of BR Standard 4MT 2-6-4T No. 80135’s boiler and new firebox, following the announcement that a dispute between the railway and the contractor forming the new copper platework of the firebox had been resolved.

Relatively quickly

With the chassis all but finished and painted ready to receive the boiler it is hoped that the locomotive will be completed relatively quickly once the boiler is available to fit.

On the diesel front, the NYMR’s Class 04 204hp 0-6-0 Drewry diesel shunter D2207 is to be returned to service on the line. A protracted overhaul had been abandoned when it was discovered that the locomotive’s engine was badly damaged, with a bent crankshaft.

However, a benefactor has provided the funds to purchase a replacement engine, which will be fitted and the overhaul completed as a project for apprentices and volunteers once their current project of resurrecting recently arrived Class 08 No. 08495 is completed.

LMS 4-6-0 No. 46100 Royal Scot rounds the curve at Darnholm with its first passenger train on the NYMR on March 25. CHRIS AUSTIN

10 Heritagerailway.co.uk

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