ANGLO-SCOTTISH EXPRESSES: WEST HIGHLAND AUTUMN STEAM
ISSUE 195
October 23 – November 19, 2014
STEAM BONANZA PLANS BY NEW SCOTRAIL OPERATOR
STAR-STUDDED STAR-STUDDED DAD’S ARMY ARMY DAD’S REMAKE REMAKE FILMING ON ON FILMING MOORSLINE MOORSLINE
GALA ACTION FROM WEST SOMERSET, GREAT CENTRAL, KWVR, EPPING, NYMR, LYNTON, AND SEVERN VALLEY
DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER NUMBERPLATE FOR SALE
CONTENTS ISSUE 195
October 23-November 19, 2014
News
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HEADLINE NEWS
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New ScotRail franchise holder plans regular steam on eight routes: starstudded big-screen remake of Dad’s Army to be filmed on North Yorkshire Moors Railway; repatriated Turkish Stanier 8F bought for Bo’ness & Kinneil Railway; A4 Dwight D. Eisenhower numberplate to be auctioned and the Dartmouth Steam Railway runs a freight train.
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NEWS
First three engines booked for Steel, Steam & Stars IV; new parts made for A3 No. 4472 Flying Scotsman; Timken sponsors new P2 No. 2007 Prince of Wales as all 20 wheels cast or ordered; work begins on Great Central bridge embankment; North Yorkshire Moors Railway rejects new Pickering main line link proposal; action from Keighley & Worth Valley, Great Central, Epping, Ffestiniog, Lynton & Barnstaple and North Gloucestershire galas; Brunel artefacts rediscovered at Paddington; South Tynedale Barber steams at last; Bluebell Railway EMU restored by Bombardier; first trains to Corwen East, Severn Valley plans a year of events to celebrate 50th anniversary; and Taff Vale tank back in Durham.
Regulars
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MAIN LINE NEWS
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WITH FULL REGULATOR 65
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John Storer’s view of Tangmere on the Dawlish sea wall takes centre stage.
Centre spread
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Capitals united by steam
Main Line Tours
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Railwayana
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Platform
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If Scotland had voted ‘yes’ to independence, we could be seeing truly international expresses between the English and Scottish capitals. Brian Sharpe examines the history of steam running on the AngloScottish main lines, which has seen a revival in recent years after a very long gap.
Steam and heritage diesel railtours.
B1 Mayflower could make passenger debut in February; West Coast steam ban is lifted for the moment, Bittern in Birmingham New Street first, and two ‘Black Fives’ for ‘Cathedrals Express’ Christmas specials. Don Benn looks at the ‘Scottish Lowlander’ trip to compare performances today with those in the steam era.
Features
Auction news and events.
Where your views matter most.
Scale Heritage Railway 94 Toddington’s No. 2807 released by Hornby.
Up & Running
Museums and heritage lines.
The Month Ahead
Upcoming galas and events.
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The Great Western comes to the Moors The North Yorkshire Moors Railway’s autumn steam gala on September 26-28 had an unusual theme – the Great Western. Brian Sharpe reports on the event with three visiting engines from that railway, all from classes which have never been seen on the line before.
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CONTENTS: LMS Princess Coronation Pacific No. 46233 Duchess ofSutherland crosses the Forth Bridge with an SRPS ‘Forth Circle’ working on September 14. DEREK PHILLIPS COVER: LNER D49 4-4-0 No. 62712 Morayshire departs from Loughborough Central with a TPO working. JULIE RODGERS
The Vulcan story
Black Morayshire boosts Great Central crowds 70 The only appearance of LNER D49 4-4-0 No. 62712 Morayshire south of the Scottish border in British Railways black livery was the icing on the cake of a stupendous Great Central Railway autumn steam gala, writes Robin Jones.
Taunton shed reborn! 72 The theme for this year’s West Somerset Railway October 2-5 autumn steam gala was the 50th anniversary of the closure of Taunton shed – with forgotten locomotives from those distant days coming back to life as the crowds flocked to Minehead.
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Visitors to Barrow Hill roundhouse will be aware that there is a new steam locomotive in action there now. Martyn Ashworth recounts the story of the black 0-4-0ST called Vulcan and owned by the Vulcan Locomotive Trust.
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Severn Valley gala variety
Anglo-Scottish steam workings have become almost commonplace. Brian Sharpe reports on a four day steam tour of the West Highlands in glorious autumn weather.
The Severn Valley autumn steam gala is always a highlight of the steam enthusiasts’ calendar, with one of the most complex and intensive steam timetables to be seen on any heritage line and trains operating continuously from Friday morning until Sunday night.
Steam across the border 2014
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Heritage Railway 5
NEWS
Timken joins sponsors as P2 heads to rolling chassis By Robin Jones
MANUFACTURER Timken has agreed to sponsor the roller bearings for Britain’s fastest-ever new-build steam locomotive project – the £5 million P2 2-8-2 No. 2007 Prince of Wales. The Timken Company, which engineers, manufactures and markets Timken bearings, will provide all the axle bearings for the new locomotive and tender on advantageous terms as well as the essential engineering support to fit them. Timken was a sponsor of No. 60163 Tornado which was built by The A1 Steam Locomotive Trust. The company provided all of the roller bearings which have performed faultlessly. The trust estimates that the roller bearings would normally have cost in excess of £40,000. Following the success and reliability that Tornado has demonstrated – in no small part due to the use of roller bearings – the decision was made to use the A1’s roller bearing axle design for No. 2007, instead of the original plain white metal bearings fitted to Gresley’s original P2s. A1 Trust chairman Mark Allatt said: “Thanks to the help that such a world leading and technologically advanced company as Timken is giving us in providing the roller bearings for No. 2007, we are hopeful that we will have completed the rolling chassis for the new Gresley class P2 towards the end of next year and that we are on track for completing the locomotive in 2021. No one can now doubt that we really mean business.” Timken regional sales manager Paul Sanders said: “This is a sponsorship arrangement that will enable us to demonstrate again the variety of uses to which Timken roller bearings can be put and one that demonstrates that the Timken Company is still the world’s leading authority on tapered roller bearings.” Since the P2 product was launched a year ago, 360 members of The Founders Club have each given £1000 and more than 600 people have signed up as covenantors, paying £10 per month.
Skating the P2 frames sideways using a forklift truck on September 24 to make way for Tornado. A1SLT
The components for the P2 whistle. A1SLT
Hotel metal being poured into the mould for the seventh driving wheel at William Cook on October 1. A1SLT
Progress continues on the 3D model of the locomotive with work on the cladding to ensure that there are no clashes with the Diagram 118A boiler used on Tornado. Since the frame plates have been set up at Darlington in July, work has continued with riveting the frame doubler plates to the main frames – one of the few places where hot riveting is used on Prince of Wales. The doubler plates also share bolts with frame stays and brackets and are welded at the top and bottom edges to prevent water entering between the plates, as this could cause rust and force the plates apart. With Tornado’s frames due to arrive at Darlington at the end of October for its intermediate overhaul due to be completed in May, No. 2007’s frames have moved along the works and across to one side. (see photo) William Cook Cast Products has cast a total of 24 frame stays and brackets which will be machined as soon as fettling and non-destructive testing is complete. Orders have been placed with William Cook for all 20 wheels and almost all the wheels have been cast. The first coupled wheel has
successfully completed fettling and non-destructive testing and is ready for proof machining.
Valve gear drawings in South Africa
The search for the original drawings of the Lentz valve gear fitted to No. 2001 Cocko’theNorth has yet to turn up detailed drawings. The manufacturer Associated Locomotive Equipment (ALE) supplied installation drawings only to the LNER, and while the ALE archive has been located and examined, there are virtually no P2 drawings in that collection. However, further research has found detailed South Africa Railways drawings for the Lentz valve gear fitted to the SAR 15E and 16E locomotives, which are of a size similar to the P2 and which were built in 1934/5 – so are the correct period. This discovery should enable production of detailed drawings for the Lentz gear fitted to No. 2001 which will form the basis of the developed valve gear to be fitted to No. 2007. A promising lead is being followed up in the USA for drawings for the Franklin type B poppet valve gear which was a 1940s development of the
Lentz rotary cam gear which appears to have resolved some of the problems experienced with the original equipment.
The whistle bought
The recently-launched dedicated donation scheme, where supporters are encouraged to fund the manufacture of specific components, has seen more than £70,000 pledged to date. One item which has been funded in full is the whistle. Cock o’ the North was the first LNER locomotive to be fitted with a Crosby three-note chime whistle of the type subsequently fitted to the A4 Pacifics. The three notes produced by the whistle were tuned to C, F and A flat. Following the success of the prewar whistle made for No. 4464 Bittern’s 90mph-plus runs last year, the same fabricated design will be used, except that the stops in the whistle bell chambers will initially be made adjustable so that the notes can be set precisely using 250psi steam on Tornado’s chime whistle valve. The stops will then be silver soldered into place. An order has been placed with M Machine in Darlington which made the Bittern whistle.
First three booked for Steel, Steam & Stars IV at Llangollen in 2015
THE first three guest locomotives for the Steel, Steam & Stars IV mega gala at the Llangollen Railway have been announced. They are SR West Country light Pacific No. 34092 City of Wells from the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway (running as Wells), GWR Collett 2251 0-6-0 No. 3205 from the South Devon Railway and BR Standard 9F 2-10-0 No. 92212 from the Mid Hants Railway. No. 34092’s original name as selected by the Southern was
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simply Wells as with other West Country namers, but following representation from the bishop of the Somerset city’s cathedral, it was subsequently augmented to be City of Wells. As the owners are waiting for an opportunity to rededicate No. 34092 as City of Wells and therefore do not wish it to run carrying the nameplates until that has happened, they are running it carrying plates showing its original intended name instead, as
happened at the KWVR gala on October 10-12 (see News, pages 12-13). Talks are taking place with two other locomotive owners. The guest engines will run alongside the Llangollen Railway’s home fleet. The event is over two three-day weekends, March 6-8 and 13-15, with an intensive timetable running into the evening on both Fridays and Saturdays when there will also be a real ale beer festival at
Llangollen station. Trains will top and tail along the newly opened extension to Corwen East on all six days, and it is hoped to have auto trains running, for which a suitable locomotive is to be sourced. Other features will include goods trains carrying a limited number of passengers. Single day and multiple day tickets are available via the 6880 Betton Grange Society’s website at www.6880.co.uk
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Visiting LNER A4 Pacific No. 60009 UnionofSouthAfrica heads a 3P20 Parcels Group parcels train photo charter at Burrs on the East Lancashire Railway on October 14. It is believed that this was the first time an A4 has hauled a parcels train since March 1967 when sister engine No. 4498 SirNigelGresleyhauled one from Crewe to Wigan as a test run following its overhaul at Crewe works after its purchase for preservation. PHIL JONES
Canadian Pacific ‘back by 2017’ THE Mid Hants Railway aims to have Bulleid Merchant Navy 4-6-2 No. 35005 Canadian Pacific back in steam by 2017, with the aid of the Heritage Lottery Fund. In July, the Lottery gave stage one approval for its £894,700 application for 90% of the funds towards the return to steam of No. 35005 and two Bulleid coaches. The pass came with a £44,700 grant to assist development of the scheme. Mid Hants Railway Ltd and Mid Hants Railway Preservation Society Ltd now aims to submit the application for the full funding later this year. If approved, work should begin at Ropley and Eastleigh early in 2015 aimed at completion by the end of 2017. No. 35005 last steamed in 2008. The project will provide employment for 11 new members of staff, including six apprentices.
Fleet exhibition FLEET and Crookham Local History Group is staging an exhibition on the history of Fleet station in the town’s library until the end of November.
Support growing for West Somerset reform group A GROUP of West Somerset Railway Association members who are seeking to reform the supporting organisation following its controversial bid to buy the freehold of the line have passed the halfway mark in the goal to force an extraordinary general meeting. The WSRA Reform Group, which is calling for root-and-branch reform of the WSRA, the supporters’ association for the Taunton to Minehead line, is seeking the support of 311 members to call an EGM and is confident that it will reach the target. The group has been formed following the mass walkout at two association meetings in July and August. There has been discontent over the association lodging a rival bid to buy the freehold of the line from Somerset County Council – competing against the railway plc itself. Following the widely-reported differences of opinion between the two bodies, the council decided not to sell. The group has published a vision statement on its www.wsra-action.org website: “For the West Somerset Railway Association to be the principal supporters’ organisation for the Taunton to Minehead line, working in open, constructive co-operation with all other bodies and organisations on the railway for the good of the railway
as a whole. For the WSRA to be so relevant and well thought of that all WSR volunteers, staff and supporters would wish to be members of the WSRA.” Reform Group spokesman Mike Sherwood, a volunteer fireman on the WSR, said: “We have to change the WSRA which has become increasingly divorced from the rest of the railway in recent years. “Over the WSR gala weekend in early October we held two very successful consultation meetings to explain the need for and process leading to an EGM. More than 150 WSR folk came along to listen to us and the present trustees were so worried that they turned up to leaflet attendees outside the meetings. “We are holding a further meeting on November 1, and we would urge all those with the best interests of the WSRA and the railway at heart to come along, listen to us and have their say.” The association itself is to hold an official consultation for WSRA members on Saturday, November 1 at Bishops Lydeard village hall at 10.30am. The reform group meeting follows on at the same venue on the same day at 2.30pm, and from 6pm at the Bird-in-Hand public house nearby.
Write to us: Heritage Railway, Mortons Media Ltd, PO Box 43, Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6LZ.
IN BRIEF ➜ AN AppeAl has been launched to raise £1 million to restore Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s “forgotten bridge” in Bristol. The Grade II* listed first large wrought iron swing bridge installed in 1849 as a dockside crossing in Cumberland Basin was replaced by plimsoll Bridge in the Sixties. Standing in the shadow of the GWR engineer’s iconic Clifton Suspension Bridge, it is the city’s only abandoned Brunel structure, according to the Swivel Bridge Group. ➜ THE Aln Valley Railway’s members’ day at Lionheart on October 11 was attended by Patti Lomax, widow of ‘The Railway Man’, Eric Lomax, who was the first honorary member of the line. The Second World War film, The Railway Man – with Colin Firth playing the part of Eric, and Nicole Kidman playing the part of Patti – is currently enjoying box office success in cinemas all over the world. ➜ ABBeY pumping Station volunteer Tony Kendall, 60, who maintains the venue’s 2ft gauge steam railway, has been honoured by the lord Mayor of leicester for nearly 40 years of work. The retired chemist is the chairman of the volunteers at the pumping station. He collected an Honoured Citizen award from Coun John Thomas on September 25. Heritage Railway 11
News
Bombardier restores Bluebell slam-door EMU By Robin Jones
Class 423 4VEP unit, No. 3417 Gordon Pettitt at the Eastleigh Works open weekend in May 2009. ROBIN JONES
BOMBARDIER Transportation has begun restoring the Bluebell Railway’s main line-registered 4VEP unit, No. 3417 Gordon Pettitt. On October 4, the unit was taken to the Bombardier rail depot in Ilford for renovation. A four month refurbishment, to be undertaken as part of Bombardier’s apprenticeship programme, will include corrosion repair and a highquality repaint. However, the Bluebell Railway sees the refurbishment as a first step towards returning the unit to running order. In theory, it could one day run over the national network to East Grinstead, the heritage line’s northern terminus.
Beginning of a new life
No. 3417 Gordon Pettitt is one of the Class 423 units which served Southern London, Kent and Sussex from 1967. After being taken out of service in 2005, No. 3417 was handed over by South West Trains to the Bluebell Railway Society in January 2009 for preservation and then stored at Clapham yard, under the care of the Southern Electric Traction Group (SETG). Bluebell chairman Roy Watts said: “Moving No. 3417 from Clapham yard to Bombardier’s Ilford depot marks the beginning of a new life for this unique unit and we are thrilled that Bombardier’s apprenticeship programme ensures
Vandals hit 20 cars at Severn Valley VANDALS targeted 20 cars and vans parked in the Severn Valley Railway’s Bridgnorth station car park, smashing windows and stealing personal possessions. West Mercia Police, said the vandals struck sometime between midnight on Friday, October 10 and 6am. Many of the vehicles belonged to volunteers. A window was also smashed in the station’s buffet restaurant, showering glass across the tables. Police called in forensic experts in a hunt for clues.
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that traditional railway skills will be passed on to the next generation of railway technical staff. “Now, after a year of storage, it is time to restore No. 3417 to its former glory so that, in time, its English Electric motors will be heard roaring once again!” No. 3417 is the only 400-series unit able to move on the national network and the only preserved EMU of any type capable of moving under its own power.
The unit was named by Gordon Pettitt, former Southern Region general manager, at a ceremony in June 2004.
Fantastic news
SETG spokesman Steve Upton said: “This is fantastic news for No. 3417. The SETG, which is now legal guardian of the unit on behalf of the Bluebell Railway, has put in months of hard work to bring this sponsorship deal to fruition.
“No. 3417 is unique, being the last operational unit of its class and the only mainline registered 400-series slam-door unit in the country. We look forward to working closely with the Bluebell Railway and Bombardier to ensure a long and productive preservation career for the unit.” The SETG was founded in 2009 by staff members of South West Trains, based at Wimbledon Park depot. Its stated aim is to return No. 3417 to main line operation.
Y14 rebuild needs final £13,000 AN APPEAL aiming to raise £100,000 for the overhaul of GER J15 0-6-0 No. 65462 and its back-conversion to a Y14 is nearing its target. At the Midland & Great Northern Joint Railway Society’s October 4 members’ day, it was announced that the appeal as just £13,000 short of the target. The 102-year-old locomotive is now in the advanced stages of overhaul at Ian Riley’s works in Bury. The locomotive has been successfully steam tested and several intricate and complex components which have had to be made from scratch using traditional techniques have now been completed. These include parts of the locomotive’s motion and traditionally forged chains and drawhooks between the locomotive and tender. The locomotive is now being reassembled so that further works to repaint it in the GER blue that it carried when built as new can continue. The livery is complemented by works which will replicate original pattern components to retrofit the locomotive into its original 1912 appearance.
The Midland & Great Northern Joint Railway Society’s 1938-built Hudswell Clarke 0-6-0ST Wissington, which in 1978 was the last steam locomotive in commercial use in East Anglia, in steam at the members’ open day on October 4. M&GNJRS Society chairman Neil Sharpe said: “The most important thing for us to do now is to reach the appeal target so we know we’re home and dry”. Subject to funding, the rebuild could be completed at the end of November, with running-in trials taking place on
the East Lancashire Railway. The engine will then be transported back to Norfolk for final painting to transform the locomotive. It will then be officially launched back into traffic at a special VIP day for members and supporters.
➜ Anyone wishing to donate to the appeal is invited to visit the society website www.mandgn.co.uk for further details. Find us on www.facebook.com/heritagerailway
The Locomotion museum at Shildon has just completed the refurbishment of GWR 0-6-0PT No. 5775 back into the fictitious Great Northern & Southern Railway colours which it carried in the 1970 EMI big-screen version of The Railway Children. On loan from the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway, it will be placed on static display in the museum. ANTHONY COULLS
The Railway Children: new performances at King’s Cross A STAGE version of Edith A Nesbit’s classic The Railway Children is returning to London – but will be arriving at a different platform. The production, which previously ran on a disused Eurostar platform at Waterloo with the National Railway Museum’s GNR Stirling single No. 1 as the centrepiece, will instead be performed in a 1000-seat purposebuilt theatre complete with track at King’s Cross. The show had enjoyed two sixmonth runs in London in 2010 and 2011 after a premiere at the National Railway Museum in York. It won an Olivier Award for best entertainment. The King’s Cross Theatre will be built on land owned by Google, which is to construct its new headquarters there. Google’s director of real estate Joe Borrett said: “Working with this
production will be a great way to engage with the local community while we continue to plan our new UK headquarters.” Play director Damian Cruden said it was “absolutely fantastic” to be reviving the show, and creating its own theatre would provide the chance to transform the space and offer the audience a sense of going back in time. The Railway Children at King’s Cross previews from December 16. Tickets are available at http://bit.ly/ZAN2wC Meanwhile, York Theatre Royal will be working with the NRM to bring back the production, which enjoyed sell out runs in York in 2008 and 2009, next July. Tickets went on sale from York Theatre Royal’s Box Office on October 15. Telephone 01904 623568 or email boxoffice@yorktheatreroyal.co.uk
Class 121 ‘bubblecar’ DMU No. 977975 – waiting to be rescued! EVR
Rescue train to be rescued! THE Ecclesbourne Valley Railway has launched an appeal to help restore a unique train. Network Rail Class 121 ‘bubblecar’ DMU No. 977975 spent many years in BR passenger service before being converted into a special rescue train for Network Rail. The train was fully equipped to respond to a major emergency in the Severn Tunnel and represents an unusual example of this type of vehicle. The Wirksworth line’s restoration team aims to refurbish the vehicle with some modifications to enable it to be used by the permanent
way team who look after its nine miles of track. One big problem is that a large number of the ‘bubblecar’s’ components have been stripped from it making the restoration a difficult and expensive project. The team is appealing for members of the public to sponsor a component. EVR general manager Martin Miller said: “There is no time scale for the project, but raising money to buy the components will speed up the process. We have the skills and expertise to undertake such a task and will be grateful for the public’s support.”
Write to us: Heritage Railway, Mortons Media Ltd, PO Box 43, Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6LZ.
Heritage Railway 21
News
Brunel pumping house sold for £1
By Robin Jones
A SITE containing an atmospheric pumping station built for Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s South Devon Railway has been sold to a local community group for a nominal £1. The former Dairy Crest processing plant next to Totnes station will become part of the local Atmos regeneration project, in a deal announced at the gates of the derelict site on September 25. The site has been vacant since the closure of the dairy plant in 2007. After roofing tiles were removed from the railway pumping house, local conservationists mounted a national campaign to save it. Culture Secretary Andy Burnham granted the pumping station Grade II listed building status the following year, in the wake of a campaign to save it from demolition championed by Jeremy Clarkson. The Top Gear presenter, whose support of the GWR engineer won him a close second to Sir Winston Churchill in the BBC’s Great Britons poll, became involved after Dairy Crest proposed to level the building and build houses on the site. The pumping house survives from the time of Brunel’s atmospheric railway scheme, which was intended to provide more powerful traction than steam for his South Devon Railway crossing of the gradients on the fringes of Dartmoor. The system used a 15in pipe with a slit along the top that was covered with a flap valve to maintain an internal vacuum, positioned between
the broad gauge rails. Pumping stations were built every three miles at Exeter St Davids (which later became a water tower), Countess Wear, Turf, Starcross (still intact/Grade I listed), Dawlish, Teignmouth, Bishopsteignton and Newton Abbot. Although further pumping stations were built at Torre (Grade II* listed) and Totnes, which still survive, none was ever brought into use. The South Devon Railway Company decided to end the use of the vacuum system on September 9, 1848, and replace it with conventional steam haulage after complaints that the vacuum could not be maintained in the pipes because rats gnawed the tallow-covered leather flaps of the valve. Sections of the atmospheric pipe were used to drain marshes at Goodrington for the Dartmouth & Torbay Railway Company, and a section is displayed at Didcot Railway Centre. The Totnes pumping station itself became part of a milk processing factory in 1934. In the citation letter issued in 2008, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport said that the pumping house was a rare survival among the small number of buildings associated with the railway and is a reminder of the dramatic changes in mid-19th century transport and science. It added that Brunel’s use of the rustic Italianate style reflects the Mediterranean qualities of the South Devon coast and contributes to its modern perception as part of the English Riviera.
The campaign for the site to be sold to the local community began in 2012 and was championed by chef Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall and broadcaster Jonathan Dimbleby. Totnes Community Development Society trustee Ed Vidler said that the site, “offers the potential to showcase a whole new approach to development, one based on community support, sustainability, a new economic model that builds and nurtures local economies, social justice, creativity, the arts and meeting the needs of this town rather than, as is so often the case, the needs of developers and distant investors.” The 2012 Localism Act gives communities a number of significant new powers, one of which is a Community Right to Build Order. Such legislation allows communities to design the development they want to see and offers a new route to planning. Dairy Crest accepted payment for the site in the local currency, the Totnes Pound – equivalent to £1 sterling – which was created to boost the local economy. Totnes residents will be invited to vote in a referendum on the order, with a yes vote allowing for work to begin in March 2016. A public meeting was held at St John’s church in Bridgetown on October 8. The use of the pumping station, a classic structure next to the main line and a short walk from the South Devon Railway’s Totnes (Littlehempston) terminus and the Totnes Rare Breeds Farm, has not been decided. Past suggestions have included a museum.
Safe at last: the magnificent surviving example of one of Brunel’s atmospheric railway pumping houses alongside the main line at Totnes. ROBIN JONES
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When railway loyalty was the norm By Geoff Courtney LOYALTY in business is, it seems, as obsolete as telexes, typewriters and briefcases. The younger generation – which to we 1950s trainspotters means anyone under 50 – seems terrified of staying with one employer for any length of time for fear, presumably, that they will be regarded as unambitious and staid. The railway industry is a case in point. TOCs running the various franchises are as transient as a cloud, and their employees are too. There are staff who stay the course, but early retirement, lay-offs and company restructuring, allied to modern thinking that encourages a wandering spirit, means long-service awards – how oldfashioned is that? – are more scarce than a popular politician. It wasn’t always this way. Working for the railways offered security, camaraderie, satisfaction, and even social status, with son following father and grandfather, learning from his elders until he, too, passed his wisdom on to his offspring. This permanence from an era long gone by was illustrated to me recently by a humble clock that went under the hammer at a GW Railwayana auction in Pershore. It was a decent enough timepiece, but what caught my eye was an attached brass plaque revealing that the clock had been presented to a Great Eastern Railway employee who had served the company at Ipswich for an astonishing 55 years, from 1866 to July 1921. This meant the recipient, Thomas Lester, had served the GER for all but 5½ years of its entire existence,
Loyal servant: Thomas Lester, who served the GER from 1866-1921. The photograph appeared with a brief biography in the November 1921 issue of the GreatEasternMagazine. GER SOCIETY
Making tracks: Ipswich was Thomas Lester’s home – from both the personal and working points of view – for more than half a century. When this photograph of the GER upper yard was taken in May, 1911, Thomas was head goods guard, a position he held for no fewer than 49 years. It was taken from the London Road overline bridge, looking south-east towards Ipswich station. The shed in the background was for transhipment between wagons. Inset: The clock presented to Thomas by GER colleagues on his retirement in July 1921 recently sold at auction. Main picture: NRM/WINDWOOD COLLECTION. INSET: GWRA stretching from its early days in midVictorian times to within 18 months of its absorption into the LNER at the 1923 Grouping. I couldn’t resist this little piece of railway history, and for a hammer price of £200 it was mine. But it didn’t end there, for the plaque, which recorded that the clock had been presented to Thomas by his fellow workers on his retirement, haunted me, not least because it was accompanied by a photograph of him and a brief biography published in the November 1921 issue of the Great Eastern Magazine following his retirement. So, armed with only that magazine extract, I set about researching the details of an employee whose long service, while exceptional, typified the loyalty of those Victorian and Edwardian railway servants. Initially details were sketchy, but Geoff Ashton, editor of the GER Society Journal, came to my rescue with enormous enthusiasm. Thomas Lester was born in Harwich in 1850 and entered GER service in the goods department in June 1866 following a recommendation by Patrick Daniels, a 40-year-old local coal merchant who was obviously of high standing as he was a magistrate and had three servants. The question as to why this upstanding gentleman recommended Thomas to the GER is perhaps answered by the 1861 census, as one of Daniels’ three servants, a nursemaid, was Thomas’s older sister Sarah. By 1869 Thomas was a porter at Ipswich, becoming a pilotman in 1870, an acting guard later the same year, and under goods guard in 1871, reaching the heights of head goods guard in September 1872, a position he appears to have held
until his retirement 49 years later. According to the 1871 census, Thomas was lodging with a railway official in Bath Street, Ipswich. Ten years later he was a boarder in the town’s Felaw Street, and by 1891 he was married to Sarah with three daughters and living in Gower Street. Twenty years later he was recorded as still living with Sarah, his wife of 26 years, in a six-roomed property in Ranelagh Road, within sight, and doubtless sound, of Ipswich marshalling yard. Employees today expect a pay rise every year, but working for the GER in the 19th and early-20th centuries was rather different, for Thomas was paid 28s (£1.40) per week from 1876-1906, and 30s (£1.50) from 1906.
His role as heads good guard at Ipswich was undoubtedly busy, for Ipswich was a major railway and industrial centre, with a 14-road marshalling yard and a locomotive depot that was the third biggest on the GER system, behind Stratford and Cambridge. In 1922, a year after Thomas retired, the shed had an allocation of 131, of which 54 were either S69/LNER B12 class 4-6-0s or Y14/LNER J15 class 0-6-0s. According to the April 1940 issue of the LNER Magazine, Thomas died in January of that year at the age of 89. How appropriate it would be if, to the very end, his presentation clock took pride of place on his lounge mantelpiece as a reminder of a remarkable and loyal railway career.
London-bound: Standard Britannia No. 70010 OwenGlendower departs from Ipswich in 1953 with a Liverpool Street express. The Pacific, which is about to enter Stoke tunnel and was a long-time Norwich (32A) locomotive, was a far cry from the motive power Thomas Lester would have worked with during his 55-year GER career in Ipswich. NORMAN PREEDY ARCHIVE
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Heritage Railway 39
NEWS FOCUS SPECIAL
TaunTon shed
reborn! The theme for this year’s West Somerset Railway October 2-5 autumn steam gala was the 50th anniversary of the closure of Taunton shed – with forgotten locomotives from those days coming back to life as the crowds flocked to Minehead, reports Robin Jones.
Above: GWR large prairie No. 4160 running as No. 4131 and 4-6-0 No. 6960 Raveningham Hall running as No. 7909 HeveninghamHall depart from Minehead with the 5.45pm to Bishops Lydeard on October 4. NICK GILLIAM Left: GWR 4-6-0 No. 4936 KinletHall running as 4932 HathertonHall passes Castle Hill on October 4. NICK GILLIAM Below: SDJR 7F 2-8-0 No. 88 departs from Minehead on October 4. NICK GILLIAM
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I
t was in 1964 that Taunton shed, which supplied locomotives for the Minehead branch trains, closed. The anniversary was relived on the West Somerset railway as both visiting engines and members of the home fleet changed their identities to locomotives that were shedded there in the final years of BR steam. Three visitors taking new identities were GWR 4-6-0 No. 4936 Kinlet Hall as No. 4932 Hatherton Hall, GWR 0-6-0PT No. 4612 became No. 9670 and WR 4-6-0 No. 6960 Raveningham Hall became No. 7909 Heveningham Hall.
From the home fleet, GWR prairie No. 4160 became No. 4131, one of the last engines on Taunton shed, while 2-8-0 No. 3850 became No. 3863. There was no need for prairie No. 5542 to exchange identities, as it was an original Taunton shed engine. A last minute visitor was GWR 4-6-0 No. 7820 Dinmore Manor from the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway, which filled the place left by the non-availability of GWR 2-8-0 No. 3802 from the Llangollen Railway. Also in service was WR 4-6-0 No. 7828 Odney
GWR 2-8-0 No. 3850 running as No. 3863 at Woolston on the climb from Williton with the 3.45pm from Minehead. DON BENN
Manor, and making its last gala appearance before overhaul, Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway 7F 2-8-0 No. 88. A total of 4675 passengers rode on the line during the four days. General manager Paul Conibeare said the gala went exceptionally well and the attendance made up for the railway’s shortfall in passenger numbers caused by a bad start to the season when visitors were deterred from Somerset because of the flooding. Now the railway is in line to make a small profit this year, he said. Also, Kinlet Hall is to stay on for the whole of the 2015 operating season.
Visiting GWR 4-6-0 No. 7820 DinmoreManor passes Leigh Cottages Crossing with the 3.45pm from Bishops Lydeard. DON BENN Heritage Railway 73
THE MONTH AHEAD
LMS 8F 2-8-0 No. 48624 heads the Great Central Railway’s coal train past Woodthorpe on October 4. BRIAN SHARPE
Last hurrah at the end of the season As the autumn gala season draws to a close, with the Mid Hants Railway’s event the only major standard gauge steam gala on the last weekend of October, the heritage lines take a bit of a breather in November. Much will be happening behind the scenes though as all lines gear up for the very important festive season trains. November still sees a gala on the Romney Hythe & Dymchurch Railway and even the Great Central Railway just before the Santa trains start, and for something completely different there is always the industrial steamfest at Rocks by Rail in Rutland. As always, we will be bringing you the best of the action from across the heritage lines as autumn draws on.
SPECIAL EVENTS October
24-26: Mid Hants Railway: Autumn Steam Gala ■
This event will have a Great Western Railway theme, with an intensive timetable over the three days. Joining the resident fleet, guest locomotives will be GWR auro tank No. 1450 together with autocoach W231, joining 4-6-0s No. 5029 Nunney Castle, No. 6960 Raveningham Hall and GWR 2-8-0T No. 4270. There will be behind the scenes tours and demonstrations throughout the day, and BR Standard Pacific No. 70000 Britannia will not be running or renumbered during the event as had been hoped.
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24-26: Spa Valley Railway: Diesel Gala Weekend ■ October 26: Bredgar & Wormshill Railway: Steam Gala
November
1, 2: Bodmin & Wenford Railway: Half Price Weekend 2: Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway: End of Season Parade ■ Drawing the season to a close, the famous line on the Kent coast will have all available locomotives in service and a special timetable with an intensive service between Hythe and New Romney, featuring parallel and nonstop runs.
8: East Lancashire Railway: Diesel Theme Day ■ 8, 9: South Devon Railway: Diesel Gala ■ 15, 16: Kirklees Light Railway: Day Out With Thomas ■ 16: Rocks by Rail: Autumn Steam Gala ■ Rounding off the year in Rutland, this gala will see three locomotives in steam, both the resident Andrew Barclay 0-4-0STs plus a yetto-be-announced visitor.
KEY ■ Major or featured galas
The Bredgar and Wormshill Railway locomotive shed. BWR 16: West Lancashire Light Railway: BBC Children in Need 22, 23: Great Central Railway Last Hurrah of Season Steam Gala ■
With five steam locomotives working over 30 movements each day in and out of Loughborough station, this event will feature LMS 8F 2-8-0 No. 48624, 2MT 2-6-0 No. 46521, LMS 3F 0-6-0T No. 47406 and BR Standard 2MT 2-6-0 No. 78019.
■ Diesel and/or electric galas
RAILWAYANA October 25: Solent Railwayana, Wickham
November
1: GW Railwayana, Pershore 15: Talisman Railwayana, Newark Showground
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