The Railway Magazine - October 2019 - Preview

T A PHE R ET OWA T C HY OU R E X C L U S I V EA Z U MAD OC U ME NT A R Y r a i l wa y ma g a z i n e . c o . u k / a z u ma 2 0 1 9

!

E N I Z A G A M S U gazinedigitalreaders N O B E E R F Ma y wa l i a R e

h T o t e v i s u l c x E

The

EDITORIAL

Editor: Chris Milner Deputy editor: Gary Boyd-Hope Consultant editor: Nick Pigott Senior correspondent: Ben Jones Designer: Tim Pipes Picture desk: Paul Fincham and Jonathan Schofield Publisher: Tim Hartley Production editor: Sarah Wilkinson Sub-editor: Nigel Devereux Editorial assistant: Jane Skayman Classic Traction News: Peter Nicholson Operations News: Ashley Butlin Narrow Gauge News: Cliff Thomas Metro News: Paul Bickerdyke World News: Keith Fender By post: The Railway Magazine, Mortons Media Group, Media Centre, Morton Way, Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6JR Tel: 01507 529589 Fax: 01507 371066 Email: railway@mortons.co.uk © 2019 Mortons Media ISSN 0033-8923

CUSTOMER SERVICES

General Queries & Back Issues 01507 529529 Monday-Friday: 8.30am-5pm Answerphone 24hr help@classicmagazines.co.uk www.classicmagazines.co.uk Archive enquiries: Jane Skayman 01507 529423 jskayman@mortons.co.uk

Island Line’s winners and losers

N

EWS the Isle of Wight is to get a £26million investment in its rail network is very welcome – even if it has been a long time coming.

The investment will feature Vivarail ‘D Trains’, and assurance has been given they will fit through Ryde Tunnel!

Planned infrastructure improvements means the line will eventually have a balanced 30-minute service, with the retention of the third rail, permitting the new trains to provide a substantial improvement over their 80-year-old counterparts now definitely on their last legs.

Having ridden the ‘D Train’ several times elsewhere, it’s hard to believe they date from 1978, and the reworking of Vivarail’s creation, together with its versatile traction options, along with the numerous interior design options, is a remarkable piece of vision and innovation.

Local passengers are expected to embrace the new trains, with their new facilities, spacious interiors and ease of boarding.

What is very disappointing was the announcement – just 48 hours after the Vivarail news – the Isle of Wight Steam Railway has been

forced to throw its plan for trains to Ryde St John's Road into the long grass until, it says, at least the end of the current franchise in 2024.

It’s a decision that is not good for the railway, nor for the tourism crucial to the island .

To run the distance of one mile, regulatory considerations, infrastructure costs, coupled with an onerous demand to work trains in top-and-tail mode, makes the proposal simply unsustainable, according to the heritage line.

Considering the NYMR can manage to run its seasonal trains six miles over Network Rail metals, let’s hope the parties can get around the table and salvage what is in essence a great plan, along with some realistic cost aspirations.

TRAIN OF THOUGHT

Editor’s Comment

The cost of The RM

ADVERTISING

Group advertising manager: Sue Keily Advertising: Craig Amess camess@mortons.co.uk Tel: 01507 529537 By post: The Railway Magazine advertising, Mortons Media Group, Media Centre, Morton Way, Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6JR

PUBLISHING

Subscription manager: Paul Deacon Circulation manager: Steve O’Hara Marketing manager: Charlotte Park Publishing director: Dan Savage Commercial director: Nigel Hole Published by: Mortons Media Group Ltd, Media Centre, Morton Way, Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6JR

SUBSCRIPTION

Full subscription rates (but see page 60 for offer): (12 months 12 issues, inc post and packing) - UK £54. Export rates are also available - see page 129 for more details. UK subscriptions are zero-rated for the purposes of Value Added Tax. Enquiries: subscriptions@mortons.co.uk

PRINT AND DISTRIBUTIONS

Printed by: William Gibbons & Son, Wolverhampton Distribution by: Marketforce UK Ltd, 5 Churchill Place, Canary Wharf, London E14 5HU 0203 787 9001

EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTION

Accepted photographs and articles will be paid for upon publication. Items we cannot use will be returned if accompanied by a stamped addressed envelope, and recorded delivery must clearly state so and enclose sufficient postage. In common with practice on other rail periodicals, all material is sent or returned at the contributor’s own risk and neither The Railway Magazine, the editor, the staff nor Mortons Media Ltd can be held responsible for loss or damage, howsoever caused. The opinions expressed in The RM are not necessarily those of the editor or staff. This periodical must not, without the written consent of the publishers first being given, be lent, sold, hired out or otherwise disposed of in a mutilated condition or, in any unauthorised cover by way of trade or annexed to or as part of any publication or advertising, literary or pictorial matter whatsoever.

This issue was published on October 2, 2019.

The next will be on sale on November 6, 2019.

Stadler bi-mode Class 755 No. 755414 at Ipswich working an electric test run to Norwich on August 28. KEITH PARTLOW

IT IS with regret the cost of The RM has risen by 10p from this issue. The rise is the first since November 2016 and is entirely due to the rising cost of paper, which until now publishers Mortons has absorbed. With 132 pages in each issue, The Railway Magazine still represents great all round value – even more so if you take out a subscription (see p60).

Time for Britain to get serious about tackling emissions WHEN the French opened the LGV Est high-speed line in 2007, it led to a substantial cut in flights between Paris and Strasbourg.

Next year, KLM will replace a Brussels to Amsterdam flight with a high-speed train. It could lead to other short journeys being switched to rail, too.

The journey time for rail is double what it is for a flight, but KLM’s decision is a great step for rail and cutting carbon emissions, and passengers won’t have to face the check-in and security rigmarole on top of a journey to the airport, with its rip-off parking charges.

What’s more, travellers are beginning to look at their own carbon footprints, with many not only switching to rail, but liking the relaxation, too.

While HS2 will always have its critics, in time rail could very well replace several daily flights between Manchester, Newcastle, Glasgow and Edinburgh to

London, which leave a massive carbon footprint.

Germany is investing heavily in additional electric-powered ICE trains over the next three years, and encouraging rail use by cutting VAT on fares.

But is anything happening in Britain?

If this Government (and indeed the next) is really serious about cutting emissions, what the UK rail network needs – as matter of priority – is a programme of rolling electrification to begin before the end of the decade. The annual fare increase needs reviewing: is it a benefit or hindrance to furthering rail travel?

But above all, everyone needs to see that Britain is serious about reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and is starting to knock these ridiculous long-distance workings of diesel trains under electric wires on the head.

CHRIS MILNER, Editor

October 2019 • The Railway Magazine • 3

Contents

October 2019. No. 1,423. Vol 165. A journal of record since 1897.

Headline News

On the cover

MAIN IMAGE: Despite efforts to rescue it as a preservation site, the Longmoor Military Railway closed 50 yearss ago, in October 1969.

‘WD’ 2-10-0 No. 600 Gordon leaves Liss for Longmoor during the last public open day on July, 1969. LES NIXON

The final Class 91 and Mk4 set diagrammed to work into Glasgow Central was No. 91102 (pictured), which brought in the 15.30 from London King’s Cross.The route changed to‘Azuma’ operation from September 23. STEVEN CROZIER

INSET 1: Riding London Overground's new ‘Aventra’ EMUs.

Government confirms HS2 delay and cost increase, no Greater Anglia‘Aventras’until 2020,Vivarail to supply new Island Line fleet, HS2 regional services proposed as part £3.5bn Midlands Engine Rail plan, Forth Bridge visitor centre plan.

INSET 2: 100 years of continuous operation at Leighton Buzzard. CLLIFF THOMAS

BEN JONES

INSET 3: Ladbroke Grove: The tragedy that changed Britain’s railways. CHRIS MILNER

Track Record The Railway Magazine’s monthly news digest 70 Steam & Heritage

Severn Valley Autumn Gala highlights, Shaw Savill set for main line return, No. 9466 joins Gloucs-Warks fleet, single-chimney ‘9F’ steams again at the NYMR, Foxcote Manor returning to Llangollen.

76 Industrial 78 Steam Portfolio 80 Irish 82 Narrow Gauge 84 Heritage Trams 86 Metro 88 Network

Maunsell ‘V’ class 4-4-0 Cheltenham has re-entered traffic at the Mid-Hants Railway following its repaint into BR green. The refreshed ‘Schools’ arrives at Ropley with the 12.00 Medstead and Four Marks-Alresford service on September 14, its first day in traffic in this livery since 1962. JOHN H BIRD/ANISTR.COM

Unbranded Class 390 No. 390137 passes Grendon, north of Atherstone, on September 14 with the 08.35 Manchester Piccadilly-London Euston. JOHN WHITEHOUSE

92 Classic Traction 95 Classic Traction Portfolio 96 World 100 Railtours 103 Railtours Portfolio 104 Traction & Stock

Official launch for Anglia bi-mode ‘FLIRTs’, reliability issues for Marston Vale ‘D-Trains’ as battery hybrid testing reaches the main line, first Merseyrail ‘777’ almost complete, LNER withdraws more ‘91s’, SWR suspends ‘442’ operation again.

107 Stock Update 108 Traction Portfolio 110 Operations

Regulars

Panorama: Sparks fly as MetropolitanVickers electric No. 12 Sarah Siddons leaves the section for Neasden Depot at Wembley Park while working a London Transport Museum railtour on September 8.

12 Multiple Aspects 12 Railways in Parliament 54 Meetings 56 Readers’ Platform 58 Reviews 60 Subscription Offer

Subscribe today to receive your monthly copies of The Railway Magazine – from only £20.

63 Panorama

Our regular gallery of the best railway photography from around the world.

68 From The RM Archives 68 RCTS

FRASER HAY

116 Heritage Diary 129 Reader Services 130 Crossword and Where is it?

Put your knowledge of railways to the test in our monthly brain-teaser.

The Railway Magazine's audited circulation of 34,543 copies per month makes it by far the

UK’S TOPSELLING RAIL TITLE! Subscribe today and save money on every issue.

Call 01507 529529 or see page 60 for our latest offers Like us facebook.com/ TheRailwayMagazine Follow us @railwaymagazine Follow us therailwaymagazine

DRS bi-mode loco No. 88006 Juno catches the late-afternoon sun as it hauls 4S44, the 12.16 Daventry-Mossend intermodal train through the Lune Gorge on September 20. TOM MCATEE

Features

14 Lamentable Failures

Twenty years on from the crash that killed 31 people at Ladbroke Grove in west London in October 1999, Fraser Pithie looks back at the factors that combined to cause the tragedy, and the changes made as a result.

28 Train Test: London Overground Class 710

Ben Jones heads to the revitalised Gospel Oak-Barking line in London to try out the first Bombardier‘Aventra’EMUs to enter passenger service.

40 Looking Back at Longmoor

October 31 marks the 50th anniversary of the closure of the Longmoor Military Railway. Gary Boyd-Hope pays a pictorial tribute to one of railway preservation’s lost opportunities.

48 Leighton Buzzard: 100 Not Out

22 Working at Wortley - 1952

32 Newcastle Central

Cliff Thomas reports on a rare anniversary a narrow-gauge light railway that has operated continuously for 100 years.

LADBROKE GROVE: 20 years on from the crash that changed the railway - p14

PEOPLE MOVERS: Riding London Overground’s new ‘Goblin’ electrics - p28

MILITARY MANOEUVRES: Memories of Longmoor, 50 years after closure - p40

In an unorthodox Practice & Performance feature, John Heaton recalls how the the busy Wortley Junction ’box in Leeds was operated, as well as timings of workings on the routes it served.

Newcastle’s wonderful listed station has an impressive past but, as Graeme Pickering discovers, it also has a major role to play in the future as the city’s primary transport hub.

October 2019 • The Railway Magazine • 5

Multiple Aspects

with Nick Pigott

Rail fatalities: Does there always have to be someone to blame?

THERE are some aspects of life that really cause me to wrestle with my conscience.

If a graffiti vandal breaks down a fence, trespasses on the railway and gets himself killed, whose fault is it?

If adults wearing music earplugs walk over foot crossings without looking either way and get hit by a train or tram, whose fault is it?

If well-travelled rail enthusiasts who know the risks decide to stand at open windows of fast-moving trains with

ultimately fatal consequences, whose fault is it?

I pose these difficult questions because there have been cases over the years in which infrastructure owners and train operators have been blamed over such incidents and fined extremely heavily – either because trespassers have managed to squeeze through tiny gaps in palisade fencing or because warning signs were not displayed prominently enough.

If a palisade or crossing is obviously in

disrepair and has been for some time, fair enough but, being pragmatic, it’s virtually impossible to constantly monitor the thousands of miles of lineside in Britain, especially when much of it is obscured by undergrowth.

So although I naturally have the utmost sympathy for victims’families and am extremely grateful to live in a compassionate society that cares so much about health and safety, I do sometimes wonder if there’s a point at which we have

to accept that intelligent, educated adults must take some responsibility for their own actions… and that it isn’t necessarily always somebody else’s fault.

Subjects such as this are uncomfortable for many and it’s difficult not to sound hard-hearted, but with fines as high as a million pounds and the door windows of every heritage coach on the main line now having to be modified, it’s perhaps time to open this up for debate and discussion.

Sad to see Virgin go... but ‘no’ to airline bookings

Thanks for photo praise

THEY’VE had their critics over the years, but I shall miss Virgin Trains when they finally step away from the West Coast franchise on December 8.

From the moment they secured the Euston to Glasgow and CrossCountry routes in the 1990s, they’ve been far and away the most innovative and media-friendly of all the privatised operators, always willing to lay on special trains or facilitate cab-rides and depot visits. Others would do well to learn from them.

Non-compliance over pension provision is the official reason for Virgin Trains and partner Stagecoach

AMONG complimentary comments received following the interview with Humphrey Platts (RM Aug) was one from fellow nonagenarian Philip Kelley saying how much he enjoyed the article.

Philip tells us he also began taking train photographs in the mid-1940s and had one published as The Railway Magazine’s front cover shot in April 1953, an achievement that helped him turn his hobby into a profession later that year.

Glad we could be of assistance, Mr Kelley!

Incidentally, readers wishing to see further examples of Mr Platts’work can do so at: www.tracksthroughgrantham.uk).

being barred by the DfT from bidding for the franchise, but some within the department never got over the way Virgin chief Richard Branson made them look foolish over the botched West Coast award of 2012. I would sincerely hope there’s no connection between the two.

One thing I can’t agree with Virgin on, however, is their recent call for airline-style compulsory bookings on long-distance services.

The ability to walk up to an inter-city train and climb aboard is one of the greatest advantages of the UK rail network, and one envied by passengers

in several countries across the globe.

No-one enjoys standing in overcrowded trains, but I’d rather do that than be refused entry and have to wait an hour or two for the next…and that’s assuming that isn’t fully booked, too.

As standing is not possible in an aircraft and airport layouts prevent people from using runways like platforms, the two forms of transport are not really comparable.

Do we really want to live our lives so rigidly that we have to plan simple trips to the likes of Bristol, Liverpool or York in advance? Hell no.

Five-hour journey to Cornwall with no proper trolley service – pathetic customer service!

I TOOK a ride on one of GWR’s new trains from Paddington to Penzance the other day.

Despite the fact my wife had backache on the hard upright seats, the journey went pretty smoothly – apart from one thing... the catering trolley.

The nine-coach Class 802/1 was jam-packed all the way, which is great news for GWR and the state of rail travel generally, but the food and drink provision for the 500 or so Standard Class passengers on the 5¼-hour journey was abysmal.

Not long after leaving Reading came

an announcement the trolley was stuck between coaches J and K at the rear of the train as its attendant couldn’t get through because of obstructions.

A few brave souls tried to get through from our coach at the front but advised us against trying as it was a“nightmare”.

Several miles before Exeter, another announcement told us the trolley was closing.

We thus had to wait until Plymouth, where we were told a new trolley and attendant would be getting on. That duly

occurred, but guess what? The attendant boarded the same part of the train and promptly announced his trolley too would be staying at J and K! That was presumably so he could be close to the First Class section at the rear (even though it’s equipped with kitchen/buffet facilities of its own), but as a small fortune could have been made from the parched and famished passengers at the front of the train, this seemed to show a total lack of initiative and co-ordination.

On top of that, the supposedly restocked

trolley was unable to serve hot drinks because of a‘technical fault’, so as we’d thankfully taken our own water and fruit we didn’t think it was worth trying to patronise it. Perhaps as well, for it closed before the train even reached Par and was thus open for a mere 45 minutes. Pathetic!

GWR’s website states under food and drink:“Long journey ahead? Be happy, not hungry”– yet for seven coachloads of Standard Class passengers the exact opposite was the case.

Marks out of 10 for customer service: 1.

Railways in Parliament

by Jon Longman

ECML improvements

NEWCASTLE North MP Catherine McKinnell asked what steps the Government plans to take to remove key constraints on the East Coast Main Line.

Transport Minister Chris HeatonHarris replied: “The Government has announced Control Period 6 investment of up to £780million in the ECML. “The Department for Transport (DfT) is working with stakeholders, including Transport for the North, to identify and assess further potential enhancements for the ECML. We will take staged decisions to progress further enhancements through the Rail Network Enhancement Pipeline process.”

The minister added: “Plans for the long-term structure and delivery of the East Coast Partnership (ECP) are being developed in line with the Williams Rail Review. These options will create a renewed focus on delivering reliable and high-quality rail services for passengers.

“The creation of the ECP is an evolutionary process. LNER, Network Rail, and DfT are already implementing ways of working together more effectively to improve performance on the ECML and support the delivery of significant service improvements in Control Period 6.”

Buckled tracks

BEDFORD MP Mohammad Yasin asked what discussions the Government has had with Network Rail on upgrading tracks to prevent buckling in hot weather.

Mr Heaton-Harris replied: “Network Rail has been treating rails to enable them to cope with heat, and have been applying reflective paint to reduce the heat absorbed.

“Since 2003, these methods have decreased the number of rail buckling incidents by 83%.

“After all periods of poor weather, NR undertakes a lessons process to

12 • The Railway Magazine • October 2019

identify actions that were successful in managing the issues and where further action and improvement is needed.

“In addition, NR is also looking to the longer term and has in place a weather resilience and climate change strategy to ensure the infrastructure can cope with climate change and short-term periods of extreme weather.”

Hydrogen technology

BIRKENHEAD MP Frank Field asked what steps the Government is taking to encourage the growth of new rail technologies, including hydrogenpowered trains.

Mr Heaton-Harris said: “The DfT provides total funding of £70.6million per year, which is dedicated to research, development and innovation in the rail industry, as well as additional investment in targeted major modernisation projects such as smart ticketing and digital signalling.

“Funding for general research and

innovation includes projects to support the development of hydrogen-powered trains, with projects researching how they will be approved for entering service, as well as enabling the first main line testing of a hydrogen train.

“The Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) funds, with industry, a network of university-based centres of excellence for rail research and innovation, as well as committing £11million to a dedicated centre at the University of Leeds.

“BEIS also offers industrial strategy challenge funds for which the rail industry can bid, and has announced £40million to explore how the use of hydrogen can be rolled out across the UK, and £100million to enable greater supply of low carbon hydrogen for use across the economy.

“These funding opportunities will be important to enable hydrogen-powered trains to run on the network in the future.”

RAILWAY ACCIDENTS

Lamentable Failures Thirty-one people lost their lives on Tuesday, October 5, 1999, when a Thames Trains Class 165 ‘Turbo’ collided with a First Great Western InterCity125 at a combined speed of 130mph at Ladbroke Grove, two miles from London Paddington. Fraser Pithie looks back 20 years to one of Britain’s worst post-Privatisation railway accidents, and considers the key factors which led to such a disaster and the step-change in safety that followed.

I

WANT to begin by remembering the 31 people who lost their lives, the families and friends they left behind, and the considerable number of other people who were seriously injured as a result of the collision of two trains at Ladbroke Grove, London.

None of us should forget that for the families and friends of those lost or seriously injured, every day of their life has been impacted. In recalling the events on the accident’s 20th anniversary, I do so with the utmost respect to the lives lost, the survivors and the memories and feelings of those affected.

The story of the tragic events of October 5, 1999, does not start on that date, but 10 years before, in 1989, when a scheme was approved by British Rail’s Board to modernise the track layout between Ladbroke Grove and London Paddington.

The reasons for these changes were the needs of the increasingly successful InterCity main line and Network South-East services.

Together with a proposed rail link with

The wreckage of the two trains some five hours after the collision. Power car No. 43011 has penetrated the fence of North Pole depot, and First Class coach H No. 41042 was badly burnt in the post-impact fire as a result of diesel vapour igniting. ALL PICTURES: CHRIS MILNER

Heathrow Airport and a servicing depot for the Eurostar International service, there were several elements to consider.

As part of the plans, the permanent way was designed to operate at high running speeds. High-speed crossovers and connections were included with the intention of running speeds of 100mph just two miles from Paddington station, with some crossovers potentially operating at up to 90mph.

Assumptions

The track layout preceded Privatisation in 1994. When designed, it appeared assumptions were made that the layout could be safely signalled; the track layout was finalised without reference to the location of signals.

The section between London Paddington and Ladbroke Grove junction had six bi-directional lines. There were several crossovers to allow lines to be used in a flexible manner. At Ladbroke Grove junction there were connections between the lines.

To the west of the junction, there were four lines, being traditional Up (to London) main and relief lines and Down (from London) main and relief lines.

The lines were controlled by four-aspect colour light signalling, which was mostly mounted on gantries that spanned all of the tracks. The signals were prefixed SN, indicating ‘Slough New’, originating from the remodelling of the Paddington layout, which took place in the early 1990s.

The signals were controlled from the Integrated Electronic Control Centre, located at Slough.

The visibility of signals on Gantry 8 was affected by Portobello Bridge, which was a few hundred yards west of the M40 flyover at Westbourne Park. It was 100 years old, and carried the Golborne Road over the tracks using a large lattice construction with under-slung traverse girders. The bridge preceded Gantry 8, which accommodated the last Down (away from Paddington) signals, controlling movements primarily to the Down main and Down relief lines.

TRAIN TEST LONDON OVERGROUND CLASS 710 Transport for London’s Overground operation has transformed services on many local railways in the capital. As the city’s population grows and demand increases, its train fleet is expanding to create additional capacity. Ben Jones visits the modernised Gospel Oak to Barking line to sample the first Bombardier ‘Aventra’ design to enter service.

The first week of full electric operation on the Gospel Oak to Barking line, and No. 710269 accelerates across the rooftops away from Leyton Midland Road with the 13.45 to Gospel Oak on August 5. ALL PHOTOGRAPHY: BEN JONES

CLASSIC STATIONS

NEWCASTLE CENTR AL Newcastle Central is a listed building, the city’s major transport hub, and acts as both a terminus and a through station. Graeme Pickering recalls the station’s impressive past and assesses plans recently outlined for the future.

N

EWCASTLE Central station is widely regarded as one of the finest in the country.

Its neo-classical frontage and sheer scale makes it particularly imposing.

The curved roof led the way in the design of multi-span train sheds, and it is among just a handful of still operational stations which are Grade I listed.

Its well-preserved fabric is perfectly in keeping with its surroundings on the city’s Neville Street, and belies the fact it has seen numerous changes over the course of almost 170 years as rail traffic has evolved.

It is about to witness more as part of a £5.2million improvement project, which was approved earlier this 32 • The Railway Magazine • October 2019

year by Newcastle City Council.

Central station is the most well-known work of acclaimed architect John Dobson, who was born just a few miles away at High Chirton, near North Shields, but like many other railway projects of its time, reference to the circumstances surrounding its conception would be incomplete without the mention of two other prominent figures: Robert Stephenson and George Hudson. Such was the level of Hudson’s involvement in the finance and construction of railways that he became known as the ‘Railway King’.

However, his fall from grace before the station’s completion had a major impact on the project.

The Great North of England Railway planned to build a line from York to Newcastle, but exhausted its capital on reaching Darlington. Its eventual intention had been to extend to Scotland, but when the scheme faltered, the Board of Trade recommended that unless parties could be found to take over the work, progress should be made on an alternative route via the west coast.

Hudson already had a number of railway interests which stood to benefit from an east coast route, and he persuaded other stakeholders to back a new company – the Newcastle & Darlington Junction Railway (N&DJR) – of which he was chairman. Using a route drawn up by

MILITARY MIGHT

LOOKING BACK AT

LONGMOOR October 31 marks 50 years since the closure of the Longmoor Military Railway in Hampshire. The army training line, known for its eye-catching blue-liveried locomotives and stock, came within a whisker of becoming a preservation hub for the south, but alas it was not to be. Gary Boyd-Hope pays a pictorial tribute to one of preservation’s great missed opportunities.

‘WD’ 2-10-0 No. 600 Gordon sets out from Liss Forest station with a 14-coach load, including the Bulleid Pacific Preservation Society’s ‘Longmoor Downsman’ railtour, heading for Longmoor Downs during the last LMR open day on July 5, 1969. JOHN H BIRD/ANISTR.COM

PRESERVED LINE PROFILE

LEIGHTON BUZZARD RAILWAY

100 NOT OUT Cliff Thomas reports on a rare heritage anniversary – a 2ft-gauge railway that has

operated continuously for a century.

T

HE Leighton Buzzard Railway (LBR) will celebrate the line’s 100th anniversary of continuous operation on November 17, the nearest Sunday to the original opening date.

Numerous heritage railways have marked anniversaries of 100 years from the original opening of their line – but in almost all cases there was a closure period before reopening by enthusiasts. Just a handful of today’s heritage lines never closed, and this 2ft-gauge railway in Bedfordshire is one of that very select band.

The 50th anniversary of what was originally the Leighton Buzzard Light Railway (a company title not owned by the society hence today’s preserved line is Leighton Buzzard Railway) was marked, a shade belatedly, by a feature in the July 1970 issue of The Railway Magazine. By then commercial sand transport over the line, the reason the railway was built, had truncated to just the Vandyke Junction to Double Arches section. However, enthusiasts had already arrived on the scene, and on March 3, 1968,

operated the first passenger train since the line’s 1919 opening over part of the southern section northwards from the location (now Page’s Park station) where they had begun developing a terminus and a collection of locos and stock.

Historic claim

That July 1970 RM article was prescient in observing that the dwindling sand traffic may not result in abandonment of the railway.

Moreover, it raised the possibility that the society (formed in 1967 as The Iron Horse Railroad Society and renamed Leighton Buzzard Narrow Gauge Railway Society in September 1969 when initial ideas of an American-style project were dropped) may have the opportunity of taking over the entire line. This indeed happened, resulting in the LBR having another significant historic claim since the transition between commercial and preservation operation was progressive, the railway serving both purposes for 14 years. Such combined use is rare, and in the case of the LBR probably unique for a

The Leighton Buzzard Railway (LBR) has entertained numerous visiting locos over the years. Probably the most significant was Moseley Railway Trust’s Hudswell, Clarke ‘Ganges’ 0-6-0WT No. 104 (1238/1916), in view of its similarity to the pair of long-scrapped locomotives employed when the original LBLR opened in 1919. No. 104 is pictured at Vandyke Curve on September 29, 2016, leading LBR’s O&K 0-4-0WT P C Allen. PICTURES  ALL CLIFF THOMAS

British narrow gauge line.

Yet another significant claim is the railway seems to have been the first permanent railway in the world exclusively worked by internal combustion motive power. When the line opened in 1919 it employed two Hudswell, Clarke 0-6-0WTs, built in 1918 for war use but never delivered to the Railway Operating Division (ROD). Apparently not very successful, steam was replaced in 1921 by internal combustion (Motor Rail ‘Simplex’ petrol locos built in nearby Bedford, many being war surplus purchases), which held sway until the late 1960s when the preservation society reintroduced steam.

As the railway approaches its 100th anniversary, with a volunteer society being central to its story for over half that century, it was fascinating to look back at the line’s survival, 50 years of significant progress and plans continuing to be developed to ensure its future with the LBR’s chairman, Terry Bendall.

“Construction of the new station building

SUBSCRIBE AND SAVE Enjoy 6 months for just £20

FOUR GREAT OPTIONS TO CHOOSE FROM...

PRINT ONLY BEST DIGITAL ONLY 6 issues FOR £20

OFFER

then £20 every six months Direct Debit »

12 issues FOR £42 Credit/debit card »

6 issues FOR £15.99 Credit/debit card »

12 issues FOR £28.99 Credit/debit card »

Great reasons to subscribe >> Free UK delivery to your door or instant download to your digital device >> Save money on shop prices >> Never miss an issue >> Receive your issue before it goes on sale in the shops

TransPennine Express Class 68 Nos. 68023 Achilles and 68028 Lord President at Scarborough on September 3, representing the new era for cross-Pennine travel. KEITH DUNGATE

( classicmagazines.co.uk/TRMDPS 8 01507 529529 and quote TRMDPS Lines are open from 8.30am-5pm Monday to Friday

TERMS & CONDITIONS: Rates are based on UK orders only – for overseas please visit www.classicmagazines.co.uk/trm-overseas. Subscriptions will start with the next available issue.

Offer closes 06/11/19. Direct debit payments will continue at the price you paid (on this offer) every 6 months thereafter unless you tell us otherwise. Full terms and conditions can be found at www.classicmagazines.co.uk/terms. Quoted savings are based on a 12-issue digital subscription when compared to the cost of 12 full-price printed issues.

ENJOYED THIS PREVIEW? THE BEST ACTION IN TRIALS AND MOTOCROSS

DIRTb bike ke

VELO MAC MA S SPECIAL PECIAL NORTON RT RTON INTER AJS SCEPTRE SCEP E SPORTS! SCEPTR SPORTS POR !

PORTS

CLASSIC

#48

ISSUE

Forty-eight Autumn 2018

OCTOBER 2018

No. 330 October 2018 £4.30 UK Off-sale date 31/10/2018

MOTO MEMORIES // TECH TALK // MONTESA COTA 200 // BULTACO MATADOR

3.60

Running, Riding & Rebuilding Running, Rebuilding Real RealClassi RealC Classic C lassi Motorcycles

BOXER CKS TRIC

HOW THE LEGEEND BEGAN

SUPERMAC’S TRIUMPH DRAYTON

PRINTED IN THE UK

PLUS MOTO MEMORIES TECH TALK MONTESA COTA 200 BULTACO MATADOR AN HOUR WITH: GERRIT WOLSINK

£3.60 US$9.99 C$10.99 Aus$8.50 NZ$9.99 PRINTED IN THE UK

HOME, JAMES!

UNIVERSITY GRADUATE

#48

001 Cover_OCT.indd 1

AT THE CASTLE

DRUMLANRIG 2018 D 20

WINNER

SUPER PROFILE: ARIEL’S HT3

GREEVES ESSEX TWIN BUYING GUIDE // STRIP YOUR TWOSTROKE // BSA B31 RESTORATION // MALLE MILE // CAFE RACER CUP // SHETLAND CLASSIC // THE CLASSIC TT // MIKE HAILWOOD REPLICA

CLASSICS

65 PRE65 PRE

PRINTED IN THE UK

R 2018 ISSUE 174 OCTOBER

N48 2018 US$15.99 Aus$14.99 NZ$18.99 UK£5.50 UK Off-sale date 15/11/18

BUY  SELL  RIDE  RESTORE

13/09/2018 10:34:50

001 CDB Cover_048.indd 1

02/08/2018 14:53:55

001 Cover_174.indd 1

03/09/2018 10:18:26

•SINGLE ISSUES •SUBSCRIPTIONS

CLICK HERE

www.classicmagazines.co.uk

ENDOFPREVI EW

I fy oul i k ewhaty ou’ v e r eads of ar ,whynot s ubs c r i be,ort r ya s i ngl ei s s uef r om:

www. c l as s i c magaz i nes . c o. uk