Heritage Railway magazine Issue 262 by Mortons Media Group Ltd

COMPLETE CHRISTMAS, NEW YEAR AND POSTFESTIVE GUIDE

ISSUE 262

December 20, 2019 – January 16, 2020

TOP HONOURS FOR LADY OF LEGEND AND NRM M EXH EXHIBITION

WHAT THE

DICKENS! D C S! GWR DESTROYED AUTHOR’S LAST CHRISTMAS TURKEY, HIDDEN LETTER REVEALS

TRIPS WITH LIGHT FANTASTIC!

ALBERTA IS BACK ON THE MAIN LINE!

50 YEARS SINCE COUNTY DONEGAL RAILWAYS CLOSED

■ GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY: WORKSPLATE FOR SALE ■ NEW GRANGE FOR 2020 LLANGOLLEN DEBUT?

OPINION

A steam ‘sculpture’ dominates the skyline as Tyseley flagship WR 4-6-0 No. 7029 Clun Castle roars through Leamington with the Vintage Trains ‘Bath Christmas Market’ tour on December 1. ANDREW BELL EDITORIAL

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

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Contributions to this magazine should be clearly typed and ideally sent by email. Photographs, which should be clearly marked with the contributor’s name and address, are submitted at the owner’s risk. Mortons Media Group Ltd cannot be held responsible for loss or damage, however caused. All postal submissions must include an appropriate SAE for the return of all material. Opinions expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the editor or his staff. © Mortons Media Group Ltd.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage retrieval system without prior permission in writing from the publisher. ISSN No 1466-3560

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Published Every four weeks on a Friday. Advertising deadline December 23, 2019 Next issue on sale January 17, 2020

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The Saint of Britain’s time in Europe

ESPITE many false alarms since 2016, Britain could well leave the European Union in 2020. What, however, is not for one minute shrouded in a veil of uncertainty and doubt is the fact that the Great Western Society will, in Birmingham on February 8, be presented with the Heritage Railway Association’s (HRA) new Chairman’s Special Award for an achievement of particular distinction – the culmination of a marathon 45-year project to re-create a Churchward Saint 4-6-0, one of the most influential locomotive types in UK railway history. No. 2999 Lady of Legend invites direct parallels with the story of Britain‘s EU membership. For the purchase of No. 4942 Maindy Hall from Dai Woodham’s Barry scrapyard, the locomotive which has been‘devolved’into a unique example of the predecessor of its class, was completed on December 31, 1973… just 24 hours before Britain joined the Common Market and so avoided having to pay VAT on the deal! And so the society spent what may have turned out to be the entire time that the UK was part of the EU creating this fabulous treasure. Time, however, waits for nobody and it is now nearly 21 years since plans were drawn up to launch Heritage Railway. From the outset we aimed to not only cover the entire preservation scene as a onestop shop but also to highlight the unexpected and unusual of the sector, with the motto‘There’s always something different in Heritage Railway.’ For 2020, as sponsor of the HRA’s Interpretation Award, we are proud to announce that it is being bestowed on something truly different – a unique and ground-breaking exhibition that highlights the relationship between hand-made model live steam locomotives and the prototype – dating back to the first decade of steam railways. The National Railway Museum’s exhibition, Brass, Steel and Fire, which coincided with the arrival of Stephenson’s Rocket for long-term display at York, and arranged by curator Anthony Coulls and interpretation developer Laura Bootland, unfolds a

real‘egg before the chicken’dilemma and showcases the grossly-overlooked indebtedness to early miniature engineering to the railway revolution of the early 19th century and beyond. Thought-provoking, fascinating and enlightening at every twist and turn, personally I have never come across an exhibition quite like this before, and after it finishes its run at York it will deservedly move to a bigger London audience in the Science Museum. There has been much to celebrate in 2019. In the days before we closed for press, the Llangollen Railway staged its‘golden fishplate’ceremony, marking the completion of the track into its new Corwen station. A few days before, the boiler of new GWR Grange 4-6-0 No. 6880 Betton Grange passed its steam test at Tyseley Locomotive Works, paving the way for it to be taken to Llangollen to be lifted into the waiting chassis. It seems that Llangollen will be the place to go in 2020. This beautiful line will have a new locomotive running into a new terminus, cementing Corwen’s position back on the railway map after more than half a century, and opening up new commercial vistas. Also, I must heartily congratulate Steam Dreams on two decades of running steam on the main line. December 17 saw a celebratory trip running from London Victoria and back to Waterloo. Thanks to the vision of Marcus Robertson, the‘Cathedrals Express’has become a hallmark of distinction for the movement, and 2019 saw its Windsor summer steam shuttles meet with a new wave of success which could get much bigger in years to come. In November, I was highly honoured to be invited to watch the wheeling of Tyseley’s new-build LNWR Bloomer 2-2-2. Just as Lady of Legend has opened an exciting fresh door into the pioneering days of Edwardian steam, so the Bloomer will do the same for mid-19th century high-speed transport technology. Robin Jones Editor Heritagerailway.co.uk 3

CONTENTS ISSUE 262

December 20, 2019 – January 16, 2020

News

Headline News

■ NRM rediscovers Charles Dickens’

GWR Christmas turkey letter

■ Boiler for new-build GWR No. 6880

Betton Grange passes steam test ■ North Bay to overhaul Llanberis’ Quarry Hunslet Thomas Bach ■ Golden Fishplate completes Corwen extension track ■ Lady of Legend and Brass, Steel and Fire take HRA 2020 awards

News

■ Tyseley’s new ‘Bloomer’ wheeled in

time for Warley model show ■ Patriot needs £100k to complete boiler work ■ LSWR T3 steaming appeal passes third of £350k target ■ Loss-making West Somerset is profitable again, says chairman ■ Restoration of No. 6984 Owsden Hall to continue at Buckinghamshire Railway Centre ■ One in, one out at Great Central Railway’s Last Hurrah gala ■ Talyllyn’s pioneering new legal scheme for young volunteers ■ Bluebell gives green light for newbuild SECR E class

Main Line News

■ Vintage Trains expands its

‘Shakespeare Express’ for 2020

■ A year after its main line return,

Don Benn compares the performance of Bulleid Pacifics in 2007, 1965 and 1966.

4 Heritagerailway.co.uk

Features

Subscribe Today Railwayana

30 52

Geoff Courtney’s regular column.

Centre

A timeless scene on the MidHants Railway with SR Schools class 4-4-0 No. 30925 Cheltenham.

54 Main Line Itinerary

Platform

Off the Shelf

Up & Running

Steam and heritage diesel railtours.

Where your views matter most.

Bahamas to be back in Carlisle ■ Tornado to star in RTC’s summer steam programme

With Full Regulator

Regulars

Latest book and DVD releases.

Guide to railways running in late December and into January.

The Month Ahead

106

Alberta returns!

The repainting of Jubilee class No. 45699 Galatea as its former classmate No. 45562 Alberta, took everyone by surprise when it appeared on West Coast Railways’ Lancaster to Carlisle Santa special on Sunday, November 24. It also provides an opportunity to take a nostalgic look back at the highlights of the original Alberta’s last workings on BR in 1967, which included regular BR passenger trains, railtours and the very last steam-hauled Royal Train in the BR era. Maurice Burns recalls the memories and unlocks the reason why Alberta was not preserved.

CONTENTS: LMS ‘Black Five’ No. 45305 Alderman A.E. Draper, which recently returned to Great Central Railway traffic, runs into Birmingham Moor Street station with the empty coaching stock for Vintage Trains’ ‘Polar Express’ on November 29. The 5305 Locomotive Association’s No. 45305 was hired because Tyseley flagship WR 4-6-0 No. 7029 Clun Castle was engaged on other main line tours for VT. Based on the hit Warner Brothers movie, VT’s ‘Polar Express’ trips, the only ones running on the national network, had all but sold out as we closed for press. JOHN TITLOW COVER: GWR 4-6-0 No. 4953 Pitchford Hall enjoys the only break in the cloud of the day as it passes Bilsdens Farm footpath crossing on its first day back in public service at the Epping Ongar Railway on Saturday, December 7. No. 4953 was bought by the railway in 2011 and has just been overhauled by Locomotive Maintenance Services at Loughborough, and run in on the Great Central Railway. OWEN HAYWARD/EOR

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See page 30 Still steaming underground!

Peter Brown tells the story of how the London Transport Museum operated steam on the Underground. Gareth Evans finds out what lies in store for the museum’s steam and electric tours on the Underground in 2020, plus the future of Met 1.

Gone but far from forgotten

British Railways Stinks!

County Donegal Railways closed on December 31, 1959. The railway is far from forgotten, thanks to the valiant efforts of preservationists. Hugh Dougherty reflects on the last 60 years and speculates on where the ‘wee Donegal’ might now be going.

Those Christmas lights fantastic!

Last Christmas, the Dartmouth Steam Railway & Riverboat Company originated a new phenomenon for the UK heritage sector, in the form of the illuminated Train of Lights. It was an instant hit: all 18,000 seats sold out, and now several other major heritage lines have arranged similar attractions for this festive season. John Titlow and Robin Jones report.

Providing a taste of what lies inside a newly-published book, a lighthearted and accurate look at the work of the last generation of railway chemists. The story is told in their own words by Dave Smith with John Sheldon, Vince Morris, Geoff Hunt, Ian Cotter and Ian McEwen.

Plan your holidays!

It’s the time of year when many of us are considering where we would like to explore on our holidays in the coming months. Here we offer you a host of suggestions, either with an organised group from one of the specialist rail tour operators or under your own steam.

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

NEWS

One in, one out at

Last Hurrah

WR 4-6-0 No. 6990 Witherslack Hall passes the junction with the Mountsorrel Railway at Swithland on November 16. ALAN WEAVER By Robin Jones THE Great Central Railway’s last big event of 2019 before the Santa season and new illuminatedWinter Wonderlights festive specials saw one old favourite return to traffic – but another bow out.

The Last Hurrah of November 16/17 marked the return of LMS ‘Black Five’ No. 45305 Alderman A.E Draper following major repairs and LMS ‘Jinty’ 3F 0-6-0T No. 47406 making its final gala appearance before its 10-year boiler ticket expired.

Also in steam were WR 4-6-0 No. 6990 Witherslack Hall, BR Standard 5MT 4-6-0 No. 73156, BR Standard 9F 2-10-0 No. 92214 Leicester City and LMS 8F 2-8-0 No. 48305. They were joined by Class 20 D8098, standing in for Class 45 Peak

Farewell old friend: LMS 3F No. 47406 heads past Swithland on November 16, in its last gala appearance before its 10-year overhaul. ALAN WEAVER

42 Heritagerailway.co.uk

D123 Leicestershire and Derbyshire Yeomanry, which had experienced problems just before the event, and the line’s Metropolitan Cammell DMU. During the gala, Tim Mills mounted an exhibition, Aspects of Steam, comprising black-and-white prints of main line steam action taken between 1958-63, in the general waiting room at Loughborough Central. Also, on the Saturday, a free heritage shuttle bus service ran between Loughborough Midland and Loughborough Central stations, operated by Leicester Transport Heritage Trust. Interesting combinations included Nos. 45305 and 73156 doubleheading on coaches and vans and the Class 101 DMU with a Shocvan and parcels coach attached – unusual but nonetheless prototypical. All went according to plan with only slight delays. A total of 6597 passenger journeys were made – roughly similar to last year. Meanwhile, the Ecclesbourne Valley Railway is to hire GCR-based Ivatt 2MT 2-6-0 No. 46521 from mid-June until mid-September 2020. The visit coincides with the launch by the LMS Carriage Association of its restored Brake Third Open coach into traffic. It will provide the opportunity of seeing an LMS-design locomotive and appropriate coach running on an LMS branch.

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Making the most of the autumn sunshine, BR Standard 9F 2-10-0 No. 92214 Leicester City heads past Swithland Reservoir on November 16. ALAN WEAVER

BR Standard 5MT 4-6-0 No. 73156 passes Quorn & Woodhouse with the ‘Windcutter’ coal train during the Great Central Railway’s Last Hurrah of the Season’ gala on November 16. BRIAN SHARPE

Comeback king: firm favourite LMS ‘Black Five’ No. 45305 Alderman A E Draper, back in action after heavy repairs were completed, passes Rushey Lane. EDWARD DYER

A timeless atmospheric scene at Swithland: No. 6990 Witherslack Hall works the ‘Windcutter’ rake of 16T mineral wagons at Swithland on November 16. ALAN WEAVER

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

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