HR JAN 2017 Preview

BRITISH EMPIRE MEDAL FOR DIDCOT’S FIRST LADY OF STEAM

ISSUE 224

January 13 – February 9, 2017

Complete 2017

EVENTS GUIDE

SEPTEMBER STEAM

CO COMEBACK C

FOR UNDERGROUND

SAVING THE SETTLE AND CARLISLE

THE UNTOLD STORY!

■ IAN ALL AN QUITS R AILWAY PUBLISHING ■ MA JOR NATIONAL AWARD FOR LEIGHTON BUZZ ARD

CONTENTS ISSUE 224

January 13 – February 9, 2017

News

9

Headline News

6

Steam on London Underground to return for two weekends in September; Ian Allan quits railway publishing; British Empire Medal for Didcot Railway Centre lifelong volunteer; miniature live steam Flying Scotsman sells for £35K and money rolls in for new Patriot ‘Tenner for the tender’ appeal.

11

News

10

Top Heritage Railway Association award for Leighton Buzzard; Peckett Jurassic back after 32 years; ‘forgotten’ Darlington turntable moves to Kirkby Stephen East; Didcot prepares for a Saintly spring; Thomas the Tank Engine ‘banned’ from West Somerset; National Rail Heritage Awards 2016 winners; Lottery awards £1.1m for Bluebell exhibition project; fast-track overhaul for NER Q6; appeal launched for Blackmoor Vale inner firebox; enthusiasts vow to fight shock closure of railway museum and remembering the pioneer West Somerset-Taunton railbus.

65

CONTENTS: Prairie sunset: On its last day in service before overhaul, GWR 2-6-2T No. 4566 climbs towards Foley Park tunnel on the Severn Valley Railway on January 2, 2017. ALAN CORFIELD COVER: Fresh from overhaul at Bridgnorth, GWR 0-6-0PT No. 7714 made an unexpected appearance on Severn Valley Railway mince pie trains on December 28. ALAN CORFIELD

Regulars Centre

54

Duchess of Sutherland at speed by Andrew Southwell.

Main Line Itinerary

67

Steam and heritage diesel railtours.

Railwayana Main Line News

63

The political U-turns that saved the Settle and Carlisle line revealed for the first time; Mayflower back in March; ‘Cathedrals Express’ overcomes motive power shortage and Western diesel hydraulic 40th celebrations on hold.

With Full Regulator

Don Benn reports on steam performances in Kent.

4 Heritagerailway.co.uk

68

Features A Trip to the Unknown

Britain’s heritage railways may set out to re-create the experience of a bygone age, but still have to interact with the digital age. Peter Brown reports on how the use of social media now has potentially far-reaching implications for the steam movement.

72

Geoff Courtney’s regular column.

Platform

88

Where your views matter most.

Off the Shelf

100

Latest book and DVD releases.

Up & Running

101

Guide to railways running in January.

The Month Ahead

106

40 Find us on www.facebook.com/heritagerailway

Events Guide

47

The definitive list of all heritage line enthusiasts’ events in 2017.

Holidays by Steam 2017 Advertising feature.

SUBSCRIBE

80

FROM JUST £20* *THAT’S JUST

£3.33 AN ISSUE

74 The Brecon Mountain Railway

Narrow gauge heritage lines run on standard gauge trackbeds in many parts of Britain. Mark Smithers outlines the history of one line in South Wales and its motive power.

IF YOU PAY BY DIRECT DEBIT EVERY 6 MONTHS

90

96

Working on the footplate is often regarded as having been glamorous, especially as a driver. Brian Bell tells what it was like as a fireman, keeping the coal flowing towards the metropolis in the 1950s.

It is unusual for a well-established preserved railway to be forced to close, but fortunately, in one case, this proved not to be the end of the story. Don Benn reports on the revival of one of France’s best-known heritage lines.

The fascination of footplate working – the other side of the story!

See page 30

The Vivarais Railway in France

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

Heritagerailway.co.uk 5

NEWS

Yuletide

DUCHESS

By Brian Sharpe

THE festive season normally sees an intensive programme of main line steam tours, many originating in London and bound for a variety of Christmas markets or carol services.The RailwayTouring Company usually runs several tours from King’s Cross or East Anglia to both Lincoln andYork in December and 2016 was no exception, although operational problems affected the programme more than in previous years.

Motive power was originally expected to be John Cameron’s LNER A4 Pacific No. 60009 Union of South Africa but this was unavailable and the substitute engine was the rather less appropriate LMS Princess Coronation Pacific No. 46233 Duchess of Sutherland, which

14 Heritagerailway.co.uk

nonetheless has an exemplary record on ECML trains.

However, a broken buckeye coupling on a coach caused the cancellation of the King’s Cross-Lincoln tour of December 3 and the late notification that the engine has become out of gauge at many locations in East Anglia, caused trains to be diesel-hauled from Norwich on the 8th and Cambridge on the 21st with No. 46233 only working the Peterborough-York section of each train.

The‘YorkYuletide Express’on December 17 was booked for one-way haulage by Sutherland, from Victoria to York via Corby. At the last minute, the departure point was altered to Ealing Broadway but it was also found that the engine had become out of gauge

between Corby and Manton Junction.

However, in a surprising development it was found that the locomotive had become‘in gauge’for the route from Kettering to Syston via Leicester.Tight clearances on a bridge near Market Harborough had precluded any steam engines from using the route since 2000.

It is thought that preparatory work for the Midland Main Line electrification has eased the clearances on the bridge in question.

Unfortunately the train’s departure from Ealing Broadway was delayed by 50 minutes after an incident near Southall but some time was recovered en route toYork and as the skies cleared north of Leicester, some memorable images were recorded of the train’s progress.

Find us on www.facebook.com/heritagerailway

Above: LMS Princess Coronation Pacific No. 46233 Duchess of Sutherland passes Toton Centre on the Erewash Valley line. KEN WOOLLEY

Left: No. 46233 passes Slitting Mill, north of Barrow Hill on the MR ‘Old Road’ between Chesterfield and Rotherham.

MICHAEL ANDERSON

Right: Duchess of Sutherland is on the slow line at Barrow-onSoar south of Loughborough.

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

Heritagerailway.co.uk 15

NEWS FOCUS SPECIAL

A TRIP TO THE

UNKNOWN

Britain’s heritage railways may set out to recreate the experience of a bygone age but they still have to interact with the digital age. Peter Brown reports on how the use of social media now has potentially far-reaching implications for the steam movement.

S

o many changes have happened in recent years affecting the lives of all of us but perhaps the one that stands out most is social media and all the implications that have come with it.

TripAdvisor is one of the spin-offs where it appears that unqualified people can go to an event or purchase an item and publicly condemn the supplier whether a product, entertainment or a day out.

Heritage railways and museums have won top accreditation from TripAdvisor and if not, they have received very positive reviews. But there are also those that have been very negative. So how are the people who run such venues coping with it?

Here at Heritage Railway we decided to run an exclusive survey and despite the often salacious comment from a reviewer, most of the people we surveyed take the reviews very seriously

LMS Ivatt 2MT 2-6-2T No. 41312 departs from Ropley on the Mid Hants Railway. EDWARD DYER

40 Heritagerailway.co.uk

indeed and if they consider the remarks to be truthful they act upon them. Such actions can only be good for the whole heritage movement.

For our survey to be accurate we have picked out heritage railways at random, from the major players, to the some of the smallest concerns whether standard or narrow gauge.

Likewise we have contacted museums and steam centres. There were a few that declined to take part, although they have been in the minority. And at the end of it all we got a statement from TripAdvisor itself as to the legality of what it offers and what its reviewer should be adhering to.

Most favourable

Starting off at the Great Central Railway, its marketing manager Kate Tilley tells us that most of the reviews they have received have been most favourable but she also advises

others to be prepared to answer points made.

“GCR has received 782 reviews on TripAdvisor, 717 of these do fall into the ‘excellent’ or ‘very good’ categories and we have received a Certificate of Excellence, which is a great marketing tool,” she says. “Having said that, some of the reviews obviously don’t shed such a good light on the business and we have found that a lot of these reviews can be somewhat unbalanced, with visitors having misconstrued website information, for example.

“We seem to perform better than other major local attractions in the area. Sadly, we weren’t resourced enough to answer any reviews.”

Trevor Eady, general manager of the North Norfolk Railway, reckons it’s difficult to gauge just what impact the reviews have, but admits to being happy with most of them. “The North Norfolk Railway receives regular certificates from TripAdvisor,” he reveals. “We do display

Visitors to the 2016 Certificate of Excellence holder, the Didcot Railway Centre, admire GWR 4-6-0 No. 6023 King Edward II taking a lunch break from pulling passenger trains on Wednesday, August 24.

BR Standard 5MT 4-6-0 No. 73050 City of Peterborough arrives at Wansford from Yarwell with the 2.05pm Nene Valley Railway service to Peterborough on Thursday, August 16, 2012. The railway has the 2016 TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence.

these but it is difficult to establish what effect this has on potential visitors.

“We receive a number of references on the site, the majority of which are good but again there are no obvious indications to us whether this attracts more visitors or not. Having said this, any publicity is good publicity and hopefully our inclusion and certificate level does result in more visitors to our attraction.”

Another line that sees TripAdvisor as an advantage is the Mid Hants Railway. Marketing manager Woodies Mountford observes: “TripAdvisor is free and influential. With a Result of Excellence it works to our advantage.

Any bad reviews obviously have to be replied to.

In addition this is good feedback for where we can improve if needed.”

Digital age

For the Dartmouth, Steam & River Boat Company, the advice to others is not to ignore the digital age of social media. Such things seem so contrastingly different while travelling behind a steam engine between Paignton and Kingswear.

“In this digital age every part of our daily life is monitored by social media, ignore the power of it at your peril, especially TripAdvisor, as it is one of the most powerful, reflecting every angle of a personal experience of a day out,” declares general manager Peter Roach. “It is very rewarding for both the company and staff, to see that in the outdoor activities section for Paignton, the railway is rated as top with almost 2300 comments posted, but it must be remembered that for every good comment there are so many people that have had a great day out without feeling the need to comment.

“However, get things wrong and you will receive the bad reviews. With this in mind, as well as what the company has to offer, and value for money, we stress to all our staff as well as those working on the boat and bus part

A busy platform one at Loughborough with GNR N2 0-6-2T No. 1744 waiting to haul the 12.30pm Great Central Railway service to Leicester North on Thursday, July 18, 2013. The GCR has a 2016 Certificate of Excellence.

Romney Hythe & Dymchurch Railway 4-6-2 No. 3 Southern Maid departs from Dungeness on November 5.

MICK ALDERMAN

of the company, how important it is to be of smart professional appearance, be courteous to everyone, give accurate information and, most importantly, smile.”

He adds: “However, TripAdvisor can be a very useful tool to an attraction also. There are times when those that work somewhere and the management can be too close to the action, and it is only by reading reviews that you then see your business from the visitor’s angle. So, at all times, read your reviews, good, bad or indifferent, be very grateful that people have given their time to write a review and then act if required.”

Revealing detailed figures of reviews about the South Devon Railway, general manager Dick Wood is adamant that TripAdvisor has to be taken seriously. “We take TripAdvisor very seriously, whether it is praise which is usually shared with paid and volunteer staff, and criticism which is taken up with all relevant managers. We also aim to respond to all posts,” he admits. “We have had consistently good accreditations from them and been granted Certificates of Excellence for the last few years, which we not only use in our publicity, but also our visitors find very helpful.

“We have had 748 reviews so far, of which 521 have been ‘excellent’ and 181 rated as ‘very good’, so 702 in total and a positive 94 per cent, which is impressive. The ‘average’ posts have numbered 28 in total (3.74 per cent) and ratings of ‘poor’, just seven and ‘terrible’ only five, so 1.6 per cent. ” He continues: “By taking on board TripAdvisor comments, where appropriate, they enable us to fine-tune our product. It is very beneficial to have objective views on what we offer and the way they perceive our interaction with our customers. It’s easy to be too close to what we do, while not every bit of criticism is always justified, sometimes it is and we can only learn from it.

“It’s always good to get praise and it’s vital that all those people in customer facing positions are told that the public does appreciate their efforts and the high level of service they provide.”

Amanda Kilburn, business development director of the Scottish Railway Preservation Society, operators of the Bo’ness & Kinneil Railway, tells us that they are proud of their TripAdvisor accreditation, the Certificate of Excellence for 2014 and 2015.

“It is still one of the most popular ratings website for travellers worldwide,” she explains.

“It enables us, along with other feedback, to react to comments about our strong and weaker points where necessary.”

Readily available

“It is readily available to all our volunteers and staff too if they want to see how we are doing and we regularly use it to praise them.

It also allows us to benchmark where we stand in relation to other visitor attractions in our area. Negative feedback may be seen as a disadvantage but TripAdvisor gives us the chance to reply to all comments, which we do.”

A slightly different view on TripAdvisor comes from Peter Vail, general manager of the Isle of Wight Steam Railway. He claims it causes much frustration among managers but he also admits the accreditation is vital in upholding standards.

“TripAdvisor has a tendency to frustrate the life out of the business owner managers being reviewed, but we cannot ignore it,” he states.

“I work on the basis that the best 10 per cent of reviews and worst 10 per cent of reviews can be extreme. It is the middle 80 per cent that give a true reflection of the attraction.

“As a general manager I accept that the view of the middle 80 per cent is a genuine view of how visitors see the attraction. It is therefore a useful guide to demonstrate how we are doing.

I do actually use quotes from TripAdvisor

Heritagerailway.co.uk 41

MAIN LINE NEWS

Political U-turns that saved the UK’s favourite steam main line

Above: Michael Portillo. ROBIN JONES Right: LMS Jubilee 4-6-0 No. 45699 Galatea crosses Lunds viaduct with a Statesman Rail ‘Fellsman’ working.

BRIAN SHARPE

By Geoff Courtney A SERIES of previously unreported political U-turns and manoeuvrings in theWestminster corridors of power that culminated in the unexpected decision to keep open the Settle to Carlisle line – one of the most popular railways in the UK today for steam train operators, enthusiasts and linesiders – has been revealed in a new book written and published by a former senior NHS manager.

Martin Pearson has made extensive use of the Freedom of Information Act to write what he describes as“as near the official record as one can get of what really happened”.

The book reveals a litany of events throughout the 1980s that reached its climax on April 11, 1989, when the-then Transport Minister, Michael Portillo, informed the Friends of the Settle-Carlisle Line that its long-fought battle to keep the route open had succeeded.

Refreshing for its honesty

Indeed, it is Portillo who sets the scene in a foreword in the 86 page publication – a foreword that is refreshing for its honesty and revelationary in its content. He reveals that when he becameTransport Minister in the summer of 1988, his predecessor, David Mitchell –“a man of old-fashioned good manners”– told him: “You have to save the Settle-Carlisle.”

That, writes Portillo, may seem surprising advice, as the government had recently announced at the time that it was‘minded’to accede to BR’s application to close the line.

BR, he said, offered a gloomy scenario of a route that made severe losses, a problem that would get worse as the infrastructure, particularly the Ribblehead

viaduct, needed heavy investment.

“I was quite unnerved by the issue,”says Portillo.“The politics of northern England were pretty clear even to a southerner like me. In any case, the line was a thing of beauty, a part of the national heritage and a monument to those many who had died building it in the 1870s.”

Thus, Portillo decided to “surreptitiously”see the line for himself, travelling incognito on the sleeper to Carlisle and then onto the line to Settle.

His visit, however, proved to be far from a confidential recce.“The presence of a television camera at 6am shook me. As the sun rose on the train moving south, the stations and bridges were crowded with demonstrators with banners that welcomed me by name. Clearly the Friends of the Settle-Carlisle Line had friends in the department and had received a leak.”

Describing the Friends as effective and serious, he said the government had to be wary of a legal challenge by them or local authorities if it put a foot wrong, adding:“I had to maintain a poker face, even as I sought to find a solution that would keep the trains running.”

Two developments turned the tide, he explains.“First,Tony Freschini, the line’s engineer, proposed a different method for tackling the Ribblehead viaduct repairs, and his cost estimate was dramatically lower than the figure in British Rail’s case for closure. Second, thanks to the Friends and other campaign groups, the numbers using the line rose steeply.The financial case for closure now looked weaker.”

Portillo refers to a six-page letter unearthed by Martin Pearson and reproduced in full in the book, in which Transport Secretary Paul Channon wrote to Prime Minister MargaretThatcher on

April 6, 1989, proposing that BR’s closure application be refused.

“Of course, the whole thing had been settled within government before the letter was sent,”reveals Portillo.“My recollection is that MrsThatcher was not anti-railway as people supposed, but she was a conservative, that is to say one who valued our heritage very much.

Pushing an open door

“She had no particular wish to antagonise Cumbria andYorkshire, and she was fond of Willie Whitelaw, who had been MP for Penrith andThe Border until June 1983 and was deputy prime minister (in the Lords) until early 1988.

We needed thoroughly to make the case to save the line, but we were pushing an open door to Number 10.”

Portillo’s foreword ends:“In my letter to the Friends announcing the reprieve back in 1989, I asked them to live up to the promises they had made.They have.

The community is strongly invested in the line, and the intermediate stations are superbly maintained, decked out in nostalgia and flowers.

“I believe that the Settle to Carlisle journey could be better marketed still. My own hobbyhorse is the trains should be glass roofed.That’s how the Swiss railways announce to passengers that they are in for a visual treat. But that is a battle for the future. I fought mine more than a quarter of a century ago.”

The first steam train scheduled to use the route after its planned reopening in March will be the RailwayTouring Company’s ‘Cumbrian Mountain Express’ to be worked south on April 22 by LMS Princess Coronation Pacific No. 46233 DuchessofSutherland. ➜The Settle-Carlisle Railway 1850-1990 is written and published

by Martin Pearson. A full review will be published in next month’s issue of Heritage Railway.

Express on the S&C: With its smokebox numberplate and 55A (Leeds Holbeck) shed code plate piercing its unkempt appearance, LMS Royal Scot 4-6-0 No. 46117 Welsh Guardsman heads the Down Thames-Clyde Express across Lunds viaduct towards Ais Gill – at 1169ft the highest point of the Settle to Carlisle line – some time in the late-1950s/early 1960s. The story of how, and why, this popular route was saved from closure has been revealed in a new book written by Martin Pearson. NORMAN PREEDY ARCHIVE

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

Heritagerailway.co.uk 63

MAIN LINE NEWS

Western 40th celebration on hold

By Cedric Johns PATHFINDER Tours 40th anniversary event with Class 52 diesel-hydraulic D1015 Western Champion has been put on hold because the loco is temporarily out of action with engine problems.

As reported last issue, Pathfinder’s ‘Western Glory’trip has been organised to mark the withdrawal of the 52s in February 1977.Then, BR(W) ran a ‘WesternTribute’farewell excursion doubleheaded by D1013 Western Ranger and D1023 Western Fusilier which departed Paddington for Swansea, Plymouth and back to London.

Now, four decades on, Pathfinder Tours has planned a celebratory excursion on February 25 – virtually to the day of the 1977 withdrawal – from Paddington to Cardiff, Bristol, Westbury and Plymouth viaTaunton.

Whether the trip runs depends on whether Western Champion, the only surviving class member currently registered to run on the national network, can be engineered back to health in time.

Having taken the‘EastYorkshireman’

trip to Scarborough on December 17, the Western experienced a problem with its‘B’Maybach engine.

The tour had begun at Swindon with DB Cargo Class 67 No. 67029 hauling the train to Kidderminster, where it was replaced by D1015, on the outward journey.The 67 replaced D1015 at Worcester on the return trip.

Owner the Diesel Traction Group issued a report saying that initial assessments were that this was serious enough to withdraw the 52 from traffic. However, in the cold light of day and after some reflection it was later felt that that the group should wait until the locomotive returned to the Severn Valley Railway, and a full inspection undertaken by group engineering staff.

The Western is still available for all previously advertised railtour duties until notified otherwise.

PathfinderTours general manager Peter Watts said he’d review the situation in early January before deciding to run his‘Western Glory’trip or not.

“Luckily we have time on our side and I am keeping my fingers tightly crossed,“

Railwayana for the Duke ONE of unique BR 8P Pacific No. 71000 Duke of Gloucester’s long-term supporters, Jeff Irving, has donated his entire collection of railwayana to the owning group.

The British Rail Class 8 Steam LocomotiveTrust will now sell the collection at auction, the proceeds going towards the engine’s overhaul at Tyseley Locomotive Works.

The collection includes works plates, photographs and paintings, one of which is a limited edition print of the Duke signed by artist Alan Fearnley, Robin Riddles andTom Daniels.

David Lewis of Crewe Heritage Centre, has offered to waive the seller’s fee when putting the collection under the hammer.

His estimate of the collection’s value is £1175 but who knows what might happen on the day, Saturday, April 22, when the auction takes place.

Four months ago, the trust applied to the Veronica Awdry Charitable Trust for help in funding the Duke’s overhaul.

“They generously donated £2000 for

which we are extremely grateful,” said trust chairmanTrevorTuckley.

A meeting betweenTyseley Locomotive Works and the trust to discuss various options for overhauling the Caprotti boxes was arranged for January 7.

Trevor also said thatTyseley will also overhaul the Duke’s support coach approved both internally and externally to bring it up to the required main line standard, the work scheduled to begin in the third quarter of 2017.

Unless the situation had changed by the end of this year, the trust’s target of lifting its membership numbers to 300 fell short at 296.

Nevertheless the steady growth of new members this yearhas been more than encouraging, saidTrevor.

“Maybe we will get some Christmas crackers over the festive season when folk have time to look at our website and decide to join our family of enthusiasts keen to see the Duke back on the main line.”

For details visit www.theduke.uk.com

Class 73/9 enters traffic CLASS 73/9 electro-diesel No. 73951, rebuilt by RVEL/LORAM with a pair of Cummins QSK engines, finally entered service with GB Railfreight on December 5 when it towed Class 73/1 No. 73138 from Derby to Tonbridge.

The following day, December 6, in the company of Class 66/7 No. 66718

64 Heritagerailway.co.uk

and Class 73/9 No. 73965, it ran to Robertsbridge down siding traversing the new link between the network and the Rother Valley Railway (see News, page 18).

After celebrating the opening of the link, the locomotives returned to Tonbridge behind No. 73965.

he said.“The worst case scenario will either mean I postpone the trip or cancel it. Passengers already booked will be kept in touch with events as will those yet to book a seat”.

Class 52 D1015 Western Champion passes Beverley with Pathfinder Tours’ ‘Yuletide East Yorkshireman’ to Scarborough on December 17.

BRIAN HALL

Mayflower back in March THE much delayed main line return of B1 4-6-0 No. 61306 Mayflower is now being projected as March, which will be a relief for its owner, David Buck, who has suffered more than a year of frustration at being sidelined along with his green engine.

It was back in December 2015 that the B1 was‘stopped’with a cracked axlebox and as was considered at the time, ‘minor’work on the boiler.

As it happened the condition of the boiler turned out to be much more serious than initially thought and remedial work has continued at Stockton into this year when having passed its hydraulic and steaming tests, it will be delivered back to Carnforth.

Meanwhile the 4-6-0’s bottom end has been subject of a comprehensive

overhaul to the highest standards at Carnforth to ensure that when the boiler is mounted back into position, the B1 will be ready for 10 years of main line running or as David said:“We shall be looking to maximise the use of the engine”.

Parallel to the work being carried out on the B1 and tender, its Mk.1 support coach is being refurbished to another level of comfort for the support crew’s working environment including the provision of sleeping quarters for four crew members.

When all has been completed the 4-6-0 will be booked for light and loaded proving runs around the West Coast circuit before being stabled at Southall or wherever the engine needs to be at the commencement of a railtour.

‘Lizzie’back in Butterley West Shed FOLLOWING its unexpected failure with a leaking tube, discovered at Southall over the weekend before LMS 4-6-2 No. 6201 Princess Elizabeth was booked to head a Christmas train to Lincoln on December 1, the bid red engine is back safely at the Midland RailwayButterley.

With rods taken off, the 4-6-2 and support coach departed Southall just before midnight on Wednesday December 14, top and tailed by West Coast diesels, the‘train’

reaching Butterley around 6am the next day.

Stabled in the West Shed, work has already started with the removal of small tubes, said society chairman Clive Mojonnier.

Despite the failure, the early arrival of‘Lizzie’back at Butterley allows more time to work through a long job list of 34 items, however, it remains to be seen if the projected main line return scheduled for between April and May can be improved upon.

Find us on www.facebook.com/heritagerailway

REAL STEAM DAYS

The fascination of

FOOTPLATE WOR The other side of the story!

Working on the footplate is often regarded as having been glamorous glamorous, especially as a driver. Brian Bell tells what it was like as a fireman, keeping the coal flowing towards the metropolis in the 1950s.

M

onday, January 26, 1959. Driver R (Dick) Peart. New England shed.

Booking on duty at 2.30am on a cold, windy winter’s morning to work a New England – Mansfield train of coal empties was not quite the best way to start the working week, especially after only a few hours’ sleep.

This was a rostered ‘change over’ diagram working, (Working Timetable train No. 334) with the prospect of a long 10 or 11-hour shift.

The dreaded thought that you would have to repeat the sequence for the next five days did not really enthuse when you were roused at 1.30am.

‘Change over’ diagram working was a system whereby a freight train destined from A (in this case a New England coal empties) to B (Mansfield) and another in the opposite direction from B to A, (coal train from Mansfield Colliery to New England) departed at about the same time and were booked to meet somewhere in-between. The exact place where engine crew and guard changed over and worked back to their home depot depended on how each train ran to time and

90 Heritagerailway.co.uk

the precise location Train Control decided was appropriate.

It should be pointed out that in pre-Second World War times it was the accepted practice that most engine crews worked a train throughout to its destination, then lodged overnight and worked home the next day. Some larger depots, such as Immingham, even had purpose-built dormitories, but most lodgings took place in private houses, some of which left quite a bit to be desired, as I was regularly informed (i.e. climbing into a bed someone had just risen from!).

Archaic system

Following the end of the war the unions demanded an end to this archaic system and the railway companies then decided to bring in the more acceptable ‘change over’ system, especially for slow heavy freight duties, with the advantage of enginemen being rostered to cover freight workings within an eight-hour shift. However, during the 1950/60s period the majority of freight trains were still being operated loose-coupled and classified

as ‘unbraked’; coal trains especially, with the effect that few, if any, of these workings ever finished within the eight hours rostered working. (Unbraked meant that only the engine and guards van at the rear had brakes to control the train).

Overtime working during this period of time was rampant and it would be fair to say that quite a number of drivers knew just how to work it to their own and the fireman’s financial advantage. (For instance, after passing a distant signal at caution, the golden rule was to never look back to see if it was pulled ‘off’ i.e. clear to proceed through the next section.

That way it meant slowing down and being prepared to stop at the next ‘stop’ signal, obviously causing a delay and having to pick up speed again). However, you always tried to finish within 12 hours as rules were laid down that you were required to have 12 hours of rest before resuming work again. It was essential for obvious reasons that you didn’t miss a lucrative rostered weekly working.

To cover certain long distance workings (main line expresses and ‘Class C’ express

KING WD Austerity 2-8-0 No. 90161 accelerates away from New England towards Werrington Junction with coal empties on July 11, 1957. COLOURRAIL.COM / D OVENDEN 19447

GCR O4 2-8-0s including No. 63734 on shed at Retford. COLOURRAIL.COM 362871

freight trains), some depots volunteered to have a ‘lodge’ link. These rostered workings were highly sought-after by some depots and crews, due to the very high mileage payments. (e.g.

Kings Cross – York and Newcastle depots), plus having the top Pacifics to work on. Mileage payments were calculated at 140 miles, which equalled an eight-hour shift as a day’s work, plus every additional 15 miles was paid at one hour’s additional pay.

In the 1950s, despite an increase in the use of oil, coal was still the main source of energy throughout the whole of Britain, used primarily in generating electricity; converting into coal gas; providing power for industry, and predominantly for domestic cooking and heating. With the bulk of the country’s main coalfields situated in Yorkshire and the East Midlands it was a massive transportation problem to transfer thousands of tons of coal daily to a power-hungry London and the South East.

Rail was obviously the main method with one route via the old Lancashire Derbyshire & East Coast line to Lincoln, then along the

GCR O4 2-8-0 No. 63807 passes Walton on the approach to New England with a ballast train on July 24, 1961.

COLOURRAIL.COM / D OVENDEN 5836

Great Northern through Boston and on to Peterborough, where thousands of coal wagons would be shunted and reformed, before making their laborious way down to Ferme Park in London, via the East Coast Main Line. The other East Coast route was also via Lincoln, but down the Great Northern/Great Eastern Joint to Sleaford, then on to Spalding and March, where again trains were reformed at the massive freight yard at Whitemoor before being transferred to London via the GE.

Congested rail routes

The old Great Central route to the port of Immingham, originally designed for coal shipment, was also widely used. Thousands of tons of coal were transported daily by rail to the port, then loaded onto large bulk carriers that steamed south down the East Coast and in to the River Thames, thereby avoiding the congested rail routes into London.

All coal trains ran under the class H heading but when returning as coal empties, they worked under the slightly faster-timed class F; both classes of trains being operated loose-

coupled and unbraked. These workings were all rostered as ‘change overs’ with the change over point on the originating LDECR area trains, usually at Bardney, which is just south of Lincoln.

On New England – Ferme Park workings it would normally be at Hitchin, where trains could wait on the ‘Up’ and ‘Down’ slow lines while taking water. However, some diagram workings involved working all the way through to Ferme Park, a journey taking up to six and even eight hours after which crews travelled home ‘on the cushions’ (on the next available passenger train).

Some rostered diagrams worked in reverse, whereby a crew would travel to Ferme Park and work a coal empties back to New England.

At that time the Up and Down slow tunnels at Potters Bar were in the process of being constructed, thereby all slow freight traffic destined for the large marshalling yards at Hornsey were routed via the so called ‘New Line’. This branched off the ECML just south of Stevenage then via Hertford, rejoining the ECML at the massive rail complex at Wood

Heritagerailway.co.uk 91

THE MONTH AHEAD

SR Q class 0-6-0 No. 30541 heads up Freshfield bank on January 3, with a Jon Bowers goods train photo charter on the Bluebell Railway. DAVID KING

A quiet start to the year THE first few weeks of the year will see few major events for the enthusiast but the Great Central Railway, as usual, kicks off the gala season with a three-day spectacular at the end of January.

SPECIAL EVENTS January

20-22: Alexandra Palace: London Model Engineering Exhibition 27-29: Great Central Railway:Winter Steam Gala ■ Up to six locomotives will be in action on the Friday, with up to eight in steam on Saturday and Sunday.The guest locomotive, SR Q class 0-6-0 No. 30541 from the Bluebell Railway will be joined by selected home fleet locomotives: There will beTravelling Post Office and demonstration goods trains running to an intensive timetable with up to 80 locomotive

KEY ■ Major or featured galas

106 Heritagerailway.co.uk

or train movements on both the Saturday and Sunday.

February

5: MoorsValley Railway:Tank Engine Day ■

RAILWAYANA February

11: Solent Railwayana,Wickham 18: Great Central Railwayana, Bloxham 25:Transport Auctions of London, Croydon

■ Diesel and/or electric galas

Issue 225 is out on February10, 2017.

Catch up with the latest news, views and great features every four weeks.

■ Thomas and family event

Find us on www.facebook.com/heritagerailway