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CONTENTS ISSUE 220
September 22 –October 19, 2016
News
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Headline News
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Green Goddess overturned in Romney; Hythe & Dymchurch Railway tractor crash; new man at the top for Great Central as managing director retires; monobloc cylinder casting designed for new P2 and Steam on the Met weekend called off over strike action fears.
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News
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Best viewpoints for Flying Scotsman and Tornado’s Severn Valley visits; Britain’s newest steam locomotive appears on Somerset & Dorset; newly-restored BR Standard to debut in Great Central gala; referendum on future of Totnes Brunel pumping station; Decauville tank engines batch planned; share issue for air-smoothed Merchant Navy project; derailments disrupt two narrow gauge lines; 120 years of the Snowdon Mountain Railway and last hurdle removed for new Corwen station.
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CONTENTS: LMS 4-6-0 No. 46100 Royal Scot passes Crawford in the Clyde Valley with a Scottish Railway Preservation Society tour from Edinburgh to Carlisle on August 29. NEVILLE WELLINGS COVER: BR Standard 4MT 2-6-4T No. 80072 running as S&D-based No. 80041 is seen at Midsomer Norton South on September 9. JACK BOSKETT
Regulars Railwayana
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Geoff Courtney’s regular column.
Centre
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‘Black Five’ No. 44871 on ‘The Jacobite’ by Karl Heath.
Main Line News
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Oliver Cromwell returns for Railway Touring Company; Princess Elizabeth comeback dogged by delays; Tornado rededicated; Ferryhill turntable lifted for repair; fire brigade saves Scots Guardsman’s day and Dover road reopens three months early.
With Full Regulator
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Don Benn reports on an epic run by Tornado from King’s Cross.
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Off the Shelf
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Main Line Itinerary
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Platform
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Up & Running
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Latest book and DVD releases.
Steam and heritage diesel railtours.
Where your views matter most.
Features The LMS after Stanier
Charles Fairburn took over the reins as the chief mechanical engineer of the LMS from Sir William Stanier in 1944 before being quickly succeeded by George Ivatt. Brian Sharpe examines the contributions made by these two engineers to British locomotive development in a short time.
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Guide to railways running in the autumn.
The Month Ahead
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A visit to a dump
Many pre-Grouping steam engines soldiered on until the end of the 1950s but were then withdrawn faster than the locomotive works were able to scrap them. Robert Anderson recalls a trip to see some vintage steam power dumped in a remote corner of Lancashire in 1959.
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GER No. 229 – A born survivor
An eagerly-awaited return to steam is the 0-4-0ST sold by the Great Eastern Railway in 1917. Mark Smithers reports on the overhaul being carried out at the Flour Mill.
Fairbourne goes to Kirklees
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The 15in gauge Kirklees Light Railway’s September steam and diesel gala had a Fairbourne Railway theme.
Not to be: The end of the Corris Railway
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Joint line visitor
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The Corris Railway was one of the first lines to be closed by BR and it was a very long time before a part of it was reopened. Dan Quine presents a series of views of the railway in the period immediately following closure.
A Somerset & Dorset Joint 7F visits the Midland & Great Northern Joint.
Write to us: Heritage Railway, Mortons Media Ltd, PO Box 43, Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6LZ.
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NEWS
Rocket steams at HS2 terminus By Robin Jones
A PECKETT saddle tank, which once had the name Rocket painted on its sides, has appeared at the future northern terminus of HS2 Tyseley LocomotiveWorks-basedW7 0-4-0ST No. 1 was taken by haulier Moveright International to Curzon Street station especially for the launch, conducted by Lord Mayor Carl Rice, during the September 8-18 Birmingham HeritageWeek 2016. The week saw many of the city’s’parks, streets, architecture, and its culture, history and people celebrated in more than 170 events across the locality, and ended with theTyseley appearance of Flying Scotsman. No.1 was built by Bristol-based Peckett & Sons at AtlasWorks in 1941 as works number 2004 and spent most of its revenue-earning keep at the General
Peckett 0-4-0ST No. 1 becomes the first engine in steam at Curzon Street station in half a century. MOVERIGHT INTERNATIONAL Electric Co (GEC) factory inWitton as No. 6. It is owned by Birmingham City Museum and kept in the care of VintageTrains. For the event at Curzon Street station on September 7, it was in light steam and therefore the first official steam train to return to the landmarkVictorian station in 50 years. The station was opened in 1838 by the London & Birmingham Railway, with the first train arriving on September 17 that year.The following year, the station also became the terminus of the Grand Junction Railway, and is therefore of international heritage significance as it connected two of the first three
NYMR problems with Standard tank overhaul
Standard 5 on the way at Loughborough THE boiler of ex-Barry BR Standard 5MT 4-6-0 No. 73156 has now passed its full steam test at the Great Central Railway. No.73156 was built at Doncaster in December 1956 and was first allocated to Neasden depot (34E) at the London end of the Great Central main line. It was also allocated to Leicester Central from June 1962 until March 1963 and finally, Woodford Halse, up to May 1963. It was withdrawn from Tyseley in April 1966. It was bought from Dai Woodham by the North West Locomotive Action Group in 1985 and first moved to the East Lancashire Railway. In 2001, the Loughborough Standard Locomotives Group Ltd agreed for it to be relocated to Loughborough. As reported last month, the boiler passed its cold hydraulic
inter-city railways, the first being the Liverpool & Manchester. When the London & Birmingham Railway and Grand Junction railway were amalgamated into the LNWR in 1846, and what became the more conveniently New Street station opened in 1854, Curzon Street was quickly downgraded, eventually becoming a freight terminal, which closed in 1966. Dating from 1838, Curzon Street is the world’s oldest surviving piece of monumental railway architecture. The site is proposed to be the Birmingham terminus of the new HS2 from London.
By Roger Melton
Ready to roll: The boiler of No. 73156 outside Loughborough shed. ROBIN JONES test on August 8, and after the first fire in 49 years was lit in the grate; a steam test at 225psi was successfully carried out on August 26. Restorers are now working on fitting the insulation and cladding panels so that the boiler can be lifted into the frames, complete with the fitted ash pan. In return for the assistance and facilities at Loughborough, the owning group, the Bolton Steam Locomotive Company Ltd, has committed to a running agreement whereby No.73156 will be based at the GCR for the majority of the decade following restoration.
THE NorthYorkshire Moors Railway’s popular BR Standard 4MT 2-6-4T 80135 has been under overhaul for several years, but has now run into problems. A statement issued by the railway’s general manager Chris Price said: “Unfortunately, the NYMR is in dispute with another contractor over copper components for No. 80135’s inner firebox. It has concluded that the only reasonable way left of resolving that dispute is independent expert arbitration as provided for by the contract conditions. “That dispute has already delayed No. 80135’s long-awaited return to service. Arbitration adds further regrettable delay, cost and uncertainty. “In these circumstances the charity cannot sensibly authorise spend on No. 80135’s boiler barrel, currently in store at Riley & Sons engineers.The NYMR will develop urgently plans to return No. 80135 to service once the impact on funds of the arbitration process is known. In the meantime the boiler barrel will be stored temporarily at Grosmont. “The NYMR continues to have
confidence in, and respect for, Rileys’ locomotive engineering expertise which may well be part of the post-arbitration plan”. Withdrawn in 2009 for 10-yearly overhaul after 10 years of running with a steel firebox fitted at its previous overhaul, it was planned to revert to fitting No. 80135 with a brand-new copper firebox, as the steel one had only lasted a decade with careful nursing, whereas a copper one would be expected to last 30-40 years or more. Fabrication of the new copper firebox had been awarded to one contractor, and the remaining repairs to the outer steel firebox plus fitting of the new copper firebox were to have been undertaken by Riley & Sons. A considerable amount of money towards this overhaul has been raised by the NYMR’s Bridges andWheels appeal, some of which may be at risk if the railway’s case is not upheld by the arbitrator. In the meantime, work is continuing on the chassis and superstructure of the locomotive, with new cylinder liners being fitted.
North Yorkshire Moors Railway’s Schools class set for ‘special’ return THE overhaul of SR Schools 4-4-0 No. 926 Repton looks to be on course in time for it to make its return to service on NorthYorkshire Moors Railway‘Santa’ specials at the end of the year.
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In early September a start had been made on tapping the tubeplate holes that the superheater flue tubes screw into, suggesting the fitting of these tubes would take place not long after.
With the re-whitemetalling of the driving axleboxes and motion complete, the chassis has now been moved into the fitting bay at Grosmont shed, where various smaller components such as the
sander valve and vacuum brake cylinder are being overhauled. Next year, Bulleid West Country light Pacific No. 34101 Hartland is expected to return.
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RAILWAYANA
BY GEOFF COURTNEY
King dethrones opposition in Stoneleigh auction triumph p IT wasn’t even a close-run thing, but few in the room at Stoneleigh on September 3 would have been surprised. Nameplate King Edward VI from GWR No. 6012 overwhelmed the competition by selling for £25,000, its top estimate and not far short of double that achieved by the next highest realisation of £13,500. That was achieved by Loch Eil from LNER K2 No. 61782, which in turn was just ahead of a clutch of four nameplates that also broke through the five-figure barrier.This group comprised Auld Reekie (LNER A1 Pacific No. 60160 – £12,600), Canada (LMS Jubilee No. 45553 – £11,800), River Plym (GWR Bulldog No. 3376 – £11,600), and Crynant Grange from GWR No. 6861, which went for £10,500. Hotspur from Britannia No. 70011 sold for £9500 – its smokebox numberplate selling immediately after to the same bidder for £1500 – while Lady Margaret Hall from GWR No. 7911 wasn’t far behind at £8800, nor Kimbolton Castle NER B17 No No. 61633) at (LNER
£8500 and Shamrock from LNWR Precursor No. 1309/LMS No. 5302 at £8000. A genuine ‘shed find’in the form of Tockenham Court (GWR Saint Class No. 2954) made £7000 and Tangley Hall (GWR No. 5939) £5000. A set comprising a nameplate, cabside numberplate and the smokebox numberplate from GWR No. 7824 Iford Manor, all being sold separately in successive lots, proved to be something of a curate’s egg. First up was the nameplate, which failed to sell, next the cabside numberplate, which achieved £2500, and finally the smokebox; that realised £2450, amazingly just £50 shy of the cabside. With two of the three having sold, auctioneer Mike Soden returned to the nameplate, and that then found a new home for £6000. Industrial nameplate Pitsford from a preserved 0-6-0ST, built in 1923 by Avonside Engine Co for quarry work, deserves a mention for its £3000 realisation, and so too a set comprising nameplate, cabside
numberplates and tender letters from East African Railways 1955-built Class 59 Beyer-Garratt No. 5909 Mount Mgahinga (£2200). Away from the nameplate stratosphere, the leading realisation was £4300 for smokebox numberplate 30586 from an LSWR 0298 class 2-4-0WT built by Beyer Peacock in 1875, which survived on the Wenford Bridge line in Cornwall until December 1962. A vibrant totem station signs category was headed by Flamborough from the Scarborough-Bridlington route (£3800), and headboards by‘The Aberdonian’ carrying the arms of London and Aberdeen (£3400). A tussle for supremacy among the worksplates ended in a dead-heat at £3300 between two locomotives at either end of the steam spectrum.They were a Kitson & Co example from a 3ft
9in gauge 4-6-0T built in 1873 for the Bilbao Iron Ore Co in northern Spain that was in service until the mid-1960s, and an LNER Doncaster plate from 1948-built Class A2 Pacific No. 60535 Hornet’s Beauty. A BR direction sign to London Fields station on the Liverpool StreetCambridge line went for £2300, and other cabside numberplate realisations in addition to the £2500 for 7824 included £1900 for 2935 from GWR Saint 4-6-0 Caynham Court and £1800 for 2072 from a GWR 0-6-0PT built at Wolverhampton in 1899. Prices exclude buyer’s premium of 15% (+ VAT). Auctioneer Mike Soden was a contented man at close of play.“I thought it ever so buoyant, with very few unsolds.Totem prices were high across the board, and the number of new faces was very heartening.”
LMS and Britannia nameplates go under the hammer on home ground NAMEPLATES from two locomotives that ended their days at Carlisle’s Kingmoor depot will headline David Lewis’s Crewe auction on October 15.The elder of the pair is The Life Guardsman from LMS Royal Scot 4-6-0 No. 46150, which emerged from Derby in June 1930 and was withdrawn in November 1963. Of more modern vintage is The Territorial Army 1908-1958, an aluminium plate carried by Britannia Pacific No. 70048, one of the batch in the class that was not named from new. Built at Crewe in July 1954, it the D Duke was named byy th k off e eremony Norfolk at a ce in July 1958, and was withdrawn from
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Kingmoor in May 1967 after a service life of fewer than 13 years. A third nameplate in the sale, which is being sold with its cabside numberplate as a single lot, is Cherwell Hall from GWR No. 4989, built in February 1931 and withdrawn from SevernTunnel Junction (86E) in November 1964. There are also two Cambrian-plated handlamps from theVale of Rheidol andWelshpool & Llanfair Railways – two narrow-gauge lines inherited by BR – an LMS art deco frontage board, a collection of seven clocks, and a carriage board o the London i b d ffro om Victoria-Pariss ‘Night Ferry’. F From Peak Forest station – opened by the M Midland Railway
in 1867 and closed to passengers exactly 100 years later – comes an LMS hawkeye and from Peak Forest Junction signalbox a nameboard. Making its auction debut is a Southern Region totem sign from Itchen Abbas, a station between Alton andWinchester that opened in October 1865 and survived until
February 1973. As at all David’s auctions at Crewe Heritage Centre, there are other activities to keep the punters happy, including locomotives in steam or on display, brakevan rides, all three signalboxes open, and a free Routemaster bus service from Crewe station. Proceedings start at 10.30am.
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MAIN LINE NEWS
COMPILED BY CEDRIC JOHNS
After the Flying Scotsman show…
GWR 4-6-0 No. 5043 Earl of Mount Edgcumbe passes Droitwich with Vintage Trains’ ‘Summer at the Palace’ excursion from Tyseley to Oxford on August 27. ALAN WEAVER NOW that the excitement of the visit of A3 4-6-2 No. 60103 Flying Scotsman toTyseley LocomotiveWorks is over, it is a case of business as usual again for VintageTrains. Its next outing is the‘Cotswold Explorer’ which, departingTyseleyWarwick Road on October 8 and picking up at Snow Hill, Stourbridge Junction andWorcester Shrub Hill, edges the Cotswolds running via Cheltenham, Stroud, up Sapperton Bank, passing though Kemble, Swindon to Didcot for Oxford. The train returns by way of the ’new’
Cotswold Line via Evesham toWorcester behind GWR 4-6-0 No. 5043 Earlof Mount Edgcumbe, which may be given diesel assistance up Old Hill bank. On October 22,VintageTrains heads for Chester andWrexham.This trip will see the Castle speed along the West Coast Main Line fon its way from Wolverhampton to Crewe and heading for Chester. Making pick-up stops after departing Warwick Road atWalsall (return to New Street) andWolverhampton, the 4-6-0 returns via Shrewsbury and the former
Oswestry and Chester Railway route towards Crewe. VintageTrains’‘Pannier Rambler IV’, dated for November 12, will seeWR 0-6-0PT No. 9466 working with either or Tyseley’s panniers, No. 7752 or 9600. DepartingWarwick Road only, the pair will head to Stratford-upon-Avon returning via the NorthWarwickshire Line before heading through Birmingham Snow Hill’s tunnels toWorcester Shrub Hill via Kidderminster. Following a‘gricer’s break’, the duo head for home via the newly-refurbished
Bromsgrove station before hitting the Lickey incline.The panniers will make for Tyseley either through Birmingham New Street or Moseley, reversing at the Landor Street Junction. VintageTrains concludes its year with a visit to Lincoln and the Lindum Fayre behind GWR 4-6-0 No. 4965 RoodAshton Hall on December 3. Its final excursion is its annual ‘ChristmasWhite Rose’trip toYork on December 10, picking up at Coleshill Parkway,Tamworth High Level and Burton-on-Trent.
Class 7s and 8s for‘Cathedrals Express’after earlier steam shortage COMMENTING on the regular appearance of larger than usual locomotives on his‘Cathedrals Express’, Steam Dreams’chairman Marcus Robertson said:“After what has been a poor year for the availability of planned locomotives – Flying Scotsman excepted – class 7s and 8s are suddenly turning up like No.11 buses! “Following the return of‘Lizzie’with a great run down to theWest Somerset Railway at the end of August, we have also been able use the Duchess toYork and theWest Country.” As it is, No. 6201 PrincessElizabethhas the lion’s share of the action. Having been booked way back in March, the delay in completing its overhaul means that the owning society has committed itself to Steam Dreams for the rest of this year. On September 28, No. 6201 makes
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a‘first’visit to Swanage running from London via Southampton, the New Forest and Bournemouth. Other forays include visits from Horsham to Gloucester on October 5 and North Kent toWorcester on October 29. ‘Lizzie’s’final autumn season trip runs from LondonVictoria to the former Fighter Command base at Duxford, now a museum, or on to Norwich, the train running as an‘Armistice Day Special’, on November 11. The autumn programme is completed with a Cumbrian coast trip from Euston, steam in the shape of No. 46115 ScotsGuardsman joining the train at Carnforth for Carlisle via Shap and the Cumbrian coast. During the Christmas season No. 6201 is booked to run to Lincoln market on December 1, Horsham to Ely on December 6, Ashford toWinchester
on December 1, and Minehead on December 17. Bulleid 4-6-2LordDowding takes charge for a‘Cathedrals’trip from LondonVictoria to Salisbury on November 29. Its final appearance this year will be heading the annual ‘White Cliffs Christmas Luncheon’trip on December 22, travelling along the newly-opened Dover cliffs line (see separate story). BR Britannia Pacific No. 70013 Oliver Cromwell,which recently returned to action on the Great Central Railway, will make a solitary appearance heading a‘Cathedrals Express’from Southend East toWinchester Market on December 3, and No. 46100 Royal Scotmakes its‘Cathedrals’debut by working a Christmas special to Bath and Bristol from Paddington on December 10. Marcus said he is pleased to have
some fire power back on the front end! “It has been a funny year with Flying Scotsman being a major highlight and overall there has been a locomotive shortfall but‘Lizzie’s return has been fantastic. “It is easy to forget just what a powerful engine it is and I’m delighted it is the lead engine for the remainder of the year”. “It’s also great to have old favourites like Cromwell and Braunton making appearances as well. It’s strange that this is the first time that RoyalScot has been out with us despite a few near-misses in the past. “With Christmas Carol services in Ely Cathedral and Dunster parish church, plus Christmas market specials to everywhere else, this should be another memorable year end for Steam Dreams despite the lack of steam earlier this year.”
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MAIN LINE NEWS
WITH FULL
TABLE ONE: KING’S CROSS TO POTTERS BAR Date Train Loco Load Driver Fireman Inspector Recorder Weather
Saturday, August 13, 2016 The Robin Hood A1 Class 4-6-2 No. 60163 Tornado 11 coaches, 402 tons tare 430 tons gross Paul Major Graham Ward Tom Rees Don Benn, 4th coach of 11 Sunny spells, sw wind
miles King’s Cross 0.00 Copenhagen Jct 0.71 Holloway South Jct 1.50 Finsbury Park 2.43 Harringay 3.33 Hornsey 4.00 Alexandra Palace 4.91 New Southgate 6.38 Oakleigh Park 8.26 New Barnet 9.09 Hadley Wood 10.46 Potters Bar 12.65
sched 0.00 4.00 7.00 11.00
24.00
mins 00 03 04 06 07 08 09 11 13 14 16 19
secs 00 11 21 39 54 42 41 18 32 26 05 44
REGULATOR LOCOMOTIVE PERFORMANCE THEN AND NOW
speed
By Don Benn
slow line 30 39½ 49½ 53/57 56 53½ 51 52½ 51½
THIS time I am going to concentrate on one run, the UK Railtours’ ‘The Robin Hood’ from King’s Cross to Chesterfield on Saturday, August 13, which was hauled throughout by A1 Pacific No. 60163 Tornado.As DB Cargo is the operator and the stock used is almost always air-braked, it never takes a diesel in the consist unless it’s needed for train heating or operational purposes, which rarely happens, and so I had booked with confidence some time ago, knowing that it would be a day of pure steam. Of course, the Pacific has a very good reliability record helped by being fairly new and while it is sometimes difficult to understand why other tour promoters using West Coast Railways have a rear gunner on their trains for no apparent reason maybe the fact that the rest of the main line fleet is not exactly in the first flush of youth, coupled with doubts about the efficiency of vacuumbraked stock perhaps offers some justification. Nevertheless, I sometimes feel that the line of least resistance is taken to the detriment of the enjoyment of the enthusiast fraternity.There is a growing feeling that tour promoters should be more honest about what they are selling and if a diesel is likely to be in the consist they should say so and if one is included then it should only be assisting if absolutely necessary. On August 13 I had the usual morning call to catch an early train from Southampton Airport Parkway, intending to be on the 5.41am Up. Fortunately I had allowed time to catch the 5.16 which was just as well as the 5.41 was cancelled. Reliability isn’t a hallmark of the modern railway in the south!This at least gave me plenty of time at King’s Cross to find that the stock of the ‘Robin Hood’was already in Platform 2, with No. 60163 simmering away at the front and my good acquaintance Graeme Bunker, the operations director of the A1 LocomotiveTrust in conversation with the enginemen and optimistic for a good day. With 11 on for 402 tons tare or about 430 tons full, I didn’t anticipate that driver, Paul Major, and fireman, GrahamWard, would have any trouble with this relatively
TABLE TWO: STEVENAGE TO PETERBOROUGH Date Train Loco Load Driver Fireman Inspector Recorder Weather
Saturday, August 13, 2016 The Robin Hood A1 Class 4-6-2 No. 60163 Tornado 11 coaches, 402 tons tare 430 tons gross Paul Major Graham Ward Tom Rees Don Benn, 4th coach of 11 Sunny spells, sw wind
Stevenage MP 30 Hitchin Three Counties Arlesey MP 38 Holme Green Xing Biggleswade Sandy Tempsford St Neots MP 55 Offord Xing MP 57 Huntingdon MP 60 Stukeley Leys Abbots Ripton Woodwalton Connington South
miles 0.00 2.40 4.35 8.05 9.40 10.40 12.48 13.59 16.53 19.88 24.10 27.40 28.30 29.40 31.24 32.40 33.40 34.40 35.60 38.40 39.75
sched 00.00 06.00
19.00
35.00
Connington North 41.15 Holme Xing Yaxley Fletton Jct
41.75 45.21 47.42
Viaduct
48.26
Peterborough
48.76
*brakes or speed restriction
51.00
64.00
mins secs 00 00 04 24 06 16 09 24 10 31 11 21 13 07 13 59 17 42 21 34 25 55 29 02 29 51 30 55 32 39 33 48 34 46 35 44 36 59 39 35 40 57 sigs stop 43 51 50 51 52 53 56 58 59 14 sigs stop 61 35 62 04 64 24
speed 62 70½ 73 72½ 68 73½ 72½ 25*sigs to SL 56½/60½ 59 66½ 63½ 61 63½ 61 61½ 61 66½ 67 58*
light load and an easy schedule for most of the journey to our alighting point of Alfreton. And so it proved as the first stretch to the Potters Bar stop shown inTable One was accomplished in less than 20 minutes, on the slow line all the way from Holloway. As another train timer commented to me“I thought it was uphill to Potters Bar!” Being nearly five minutes early there we had plenty of time for more passengers to board and leave on time for the next section to Stevenage, with nothing higher the 68½mph noted after Hatfield and a stop at Digswell to let a fast train pass. From Stevenage we were booked nonstop to Peterborough and with an easy allowance of 64 minutes for the 48.76 miles obviously No. 60163 was not going to be troubled. TableTwo shows the details with the only piece of locomotive performance of note being the decent climb up the 1-in-200 from Huntingdon, passed at 63.3mph to Leys, 61mph with speed holding 61-61.4mph throughout the climb. Even here no sound could be heard from the engine and that from only four coaches back. Despite the slowing to 25mph to go from fast to slow line at Sandy we were approaching even time from the start when inevitably we were stopped by signals at the north end of the Connington loop and then again outside Peterborough, so losing a few seconds on the booking.
Quite a stir
At Peterborough, Peter Sheridon took over the driving and we left on time for the old Midland line across to Stamford and Oakham, keeping time easily and with a nice lack of out of course checks. At Oakham we created quite a stir as the engine took water, pulled right forward to clear the crossing. I have fond memories of this place as it was a stopping point on my car journeys to and from Loughborough at the start and end of term for my daughter at the university there. We were away three minutes early making a good start to Ashwell before running fast down the 1-in261/260/296 grades to Melton Mowbray and getting inside even time before braking for the severe speed
0* 56½/61½ 40* 0*
net time 49 minutes
Right: No. 60163 Tornado awaits departure from King’s Cross with ‘The Robin Hood’ to Chesterfield on August 13. DON BENN
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WORKSHOP REPORT
GER No. 229
A born survivor
An eagerly awaited return to steam is the 0-4-0ST sold by the Great Eastern Railway in 1917. Mark Smithers reports on the overhaul being carried out at the Flour Mill.
T
he world of railway preservation is full of stories of tragic near-misses in terms of locomotives and other items that should have survived, but for one reason or another failed to do so. Fortunately, however, there are also those relics that somehow managed to survive against all the odds. The subject of this feature falls into this latter category and is currently undergoing restoration at the Flour Mill Workshops in Bream, Gloucestershire. From the 1850s onwards, Neilson of Glasgow was noted for its 0-4-0ST designs for light shunting, industrial or contractors’ use and the original specimens were characterised by their flat-sided ‘box tanks’ covering boiler barrel and smokebox, outside horizontal cylinders, cast-iron wheel centres with T-section spokes
and steam dome mounted on the firebox wrapper (a specification copied by Kilmarnock manufacturer Andrew Barclay for several of its early products).
The ‘Ogee’ tank
Not long after the introduction of the ‘box tanks’, another tank configuration began to appear as part of the Glasgow maker’s product policy, namely the ‘ogee’ tank in which the upper side portions of the tank had a ‘reverse curve’ profile (as opposed to the more conventional profile of the lower portions, while the flat top of the ‘box tanks’ was retained. The design that was adopted by the Great Eastern Railway was delineated by Neilson drawing 8476 of December 17,
This 7¼ in gauge model of ‘Coffee Pot’ 0-4-0ST No. 229 currently sits on the leading right-hand portion of the running board of the full-size locomotive, which is currently under restoration in the Flour Mill Workshops.
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1874 and the first two class members were delivered during the same year under order No. E429 and makers Nos. 1940/2, becoming GER Nos. 209-10. As built, the engines possessed many features derived from the ‘box tanks’, including the ‘back dome’ boiler with raised wrapper; the T-section wheel spokes; the horizontal cylinders (12in diameter and 20in stroke) and ‘lift-up’ smokebox door, but they also possessed later features such as the full-extent running boards and tapered stovepipe chimneys. The external motion bearings were all of the split cotter variety, while the brake blocks were of wood and the leading sandboxes were integral with the cylinders, sitting in the space between the steam passages.
NEWS FOCUS SPECIAL
FAIRBOURNE
goes to Kirklees The 15in gauge Kirklees Light Railway held a steam and diesel gala over the weekend of September 10/11. Dave Rodgers reports on the event which had a Fairbourne Railway theme.
The first pairing of the two Guest Engineering 2-4-2s. Sian from the Windmill Farm Railway pilots the Kirklees Light Railway’s own ex-Fairbourne Railway Katie away from Clayton West terminus with a train on September 11.
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NEWS FOCUS SPECIAL
Joint line
VIS VISITOR
By Brian Sharpe
S
tar visitor at the North Norfolk Railway for its September 2-4 grand steam gala was SDJR 7F 2-8-0 No. 53809. The NNR runs on five miles of the former Midland & Great Northern Joint Railway so it was a case of an engine from one joint line visiting another. The second guest was Great Central-based green-liveried LMS Ivatt 2MT 2-6-0 No. 46521. Representing the home fleet was newly-repaired LNER B12 4-6-0 No. 8572, BR
Standard 4MT 2-6-0 No. 76084, 9F 2-10-0 No. 92203 Black Prince and GER Y14 0-6-0 No. 564. LMS ‘Black Five’ 4-6-0 No. 45337 had unfortunately failed a couple of weeks earlier and although Hunslet 0-6-0ST Ring Haw had returned from its visit to the Northampton & Lamport Railway, it was also unavailable for traffic and Class 37 D6732 was pressed into service on a couple of trains.
A few days after the gala, the Standard 4MT worked another two-day series of dining trains over Network Rail metals to Cromer, after which it is expected to move under its own steam to the North Yorkshire Moors Railway. Meanwhile, the SDJR 7F had a further few days working in Norfolk before heading south to take part in gala events on the Swanage and Mid Hants railways.
LNER B12 4-6-0 No. 8572 and SDJR 7F 2-8-0 No. 53809 doublehead along the North Norfolk coast between Sheringham and Weybourne on September 3. ROBERT FALCONER
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