Britain’s Leading Railway Society rcts.org.uk

JUNE 2013

VOLUME 83

NUMBER 1012

ISSN 0952 - 7133

THE RAILWAY CORRESPONDENCEAND TRAVEL SOCIETY

Founded by: L. B. LAPPER and A. E. BROAD.President: A. H. GOULD, Flat 7D, Valebrook, 2 Park Avenue, Ilford IG1 4RT. Tel. 020 8554 1022.Vice-Presidents: D. F. COLE, E. V. FRY, R. A. LISSENDEN and J. B. SWEET.

Details of other Society Officers appear in the Directory Supplement.

Printed by Amadeus Press Ltd., Cleckheaton, Yorkshire. Published by Mike Robinson, Ash House, Main Street, Carlton Scroop,Grantham NG32 3AU for and on behalf of the The Railway Correspondence and Travel Society.

Retail Price – £2.75 (RCTS Members £1.875 post free )

Front Cover – 92031 and ECR 66045 on the 6B37 Wembley-Dollands Moor empty china clay wagons atShoreham on 29th March 2013.

Rodney LissendenBack Cover – Ex-Port of Par Bagnall 0-4-0STs Alfred and Judy leaving Dilhorne during the Foxfield Railway’sBagnall themed gala weekend on 6th April 2013.

Les Nixon

NOTE – Views expressed in the RO by the Editor and other contributors are not necessarily shared by members of the RCTS Management Committee.

SUBMISSIONS FOR AUGUST 2013 RAILWAY OBSERVER

Press Day - News Reports Monday 24th JuneNotes must be received by the appropriate Editor or Ed. Rep. by this date.

Picture Submission Date Wednesday 26th JuneTo be considered images, complying with the RCTS ‘Guidelines for Submitting Photographs’,must reach David Kelso at Al Mafrak, George Hill Road, Broadstairs CT10 3JT, e-mail: publicity@rcts.org.uk. by this date.

Letters to The Editor Friday 5th JulyTo be considered these should be received by the Managing Editor by this date.

Regulars Over The Points 361

Noticeboard 362

National Network Operations

Southern 363

Western 366

North Western & Midland 372

Scottish 381

Eastern & North Eastern 382

Network – Infrastructure 388

T&RS Locomotives 393

T&RS Coaching Stock 394

Urban & Irish Railways 398

Preservation & Other Railways 401

International News 404

Branch News 415

Publication Reviews 423

Query Corner 425

Every Picture Tells a Story 427

Observer’s Diary 428

Nostalgia Corner 432

FeaturesCentre Spread 396

Freight Business Column

- Power Station Coal 406

In Control Part 4 408

What Happened to Steam?

- The RCTS Response 410

Plumb’s Ramblings Part 7 412

CONTENTS

COPYRIGHT

The content of this magazine is the copyright of this Society. No part of this or any previous issue of this

magazine may be reproduced without the prior written permission of the Managing Editor.

JUNE 2013VOLUME 83

NUMBER 1012

The Chairman’s View.

Each month I look forward to the three magazines that my friendly and efficient postmandelivers through my letterbox. The RO is of course one, followed by Trains which arrivesfrom the US; the third is The Railway Magazine (RM). The May RM, as always, was fullof diverse articles, though I was somewhat taken aback when half way through the ‘WhatReally Happened to Steam’ article there was a determined RCTS bashing exercise.Penned by ex-society member Roger Butcher, he criticised both the Society and thePublications Committee regarding the locomotive disposals information published in theBR Standards series. The article, which was economical with the truth, contains a numberof errors and mentioning it in my Chairman’s address at the AGM in Coventry in April, itwas clear from a show of hands that at least three-quarters of those assembled purchasethe RM. The members attending were informed that a response was being produced andthis, as the editor of the RM had promised the RCTS a right to reply, has now been sent tothe RM. Of course, as you will know any material sent to a newspaper or magazine canbe amended, shortened or in the worst case scenario not published at all, so to set therecord straight, the full unabridged version of the response is published on p.410 of thisedition of the RO. This letter is not an attack on Mr. Butcher or the HSBT group that herepresents but a statement of facts to clear up the errors and put the record straight.

Mentioning the AGM, this event was a great success. I was delighted to see manymembers who had not attended a society AGM in the past. All enjoyed the tasty lunch andit is fair to say that as the AGM has become extremely popular with increasing numbers ofmembers attending over the past few years, the MC is now looking for a venue with arather larger seating capacity! Our two guest speakers were much appreciated by thosein attendance. David Maidment, who incidentally is the founder of the Railway Childrencharity, gave a presentation on his ‘Early Years’ - both as a railway enthusiast and in hisearly railway career. David was waylaid at lunch time by branch officers eager to get himto speak at future branch meetings.

Richard Storer who is the Community Relations Officer for Crossrail followed with anexcellent presentation on what is undoubtedly Europe’s largest infrastructure project.Richard was also asked to attend future branch meetings and I am sure he will also beinvited to a future AGM to give us an update on this massive project. Thank you all fortaking the time to attend and very special thanks to our two guest speakers who gave uptheir time to be with us at this annual society event.

After a very long and horrible winter (and spring) the sun has at long last come out andtemperatures are slowly rising which will mean that many of you will be dusting the cameraoff and journeying to locations both home and abroad to photograph locomotives and trainsof all shape, sizes and colours. There are those of you hardy souls who of course neverput the camera in hibernation for the winter months and brave the elements as aptlydemonstrated in recent ROs. Don’t forget that the RO team are always on the lookout forgood quality photographs and if you discover something or see the unusual don’t forget tosend it in and get it published exclusively in your magazine.

Good hunting!

W Gordon Davies

OVER  THE  POINTS

361

362

NOTICEBOARD Submission of Illustrated Articles.Members will be aware that we are seeking toenhance the variety of material appearing in theRO by publishing more illustrated articlesproduced by members. This note is intended toclarify the procedure for submitting sucharticles that both source text and illustrationsreach all relevant editors. Time sensitive ‘stand alone’ images submittedto the RO are managed by the imaging editor,David Kelso, who collates all images submittedby members during a given period and passesthe file to the managing editor for publishingselections to be made. By contrast, memberarticles are rarely targeted at a particular ROissue and, as it may be several months beforepublication occurs, the images accompanyingsuch articles must both accompany the text ofthe article sent to the managing editor and besent as cross-referenced image files to theimaging editor. Each set of images must be submitted asfreestanding jpg files adhering to the society’sphotographic submission guidelines, and mustnot be supplied simply as thumbnails within thetext document. As an example, for an article incorporating twoimage:

i) a total of three files would be forwarded tothe managing editor - a text document andtwo jpg files andii) copies of each of the two jpg files (fullycross-referenced to the intended article)should be sent to the imaging editor.

Hopefully adhering to this process shouldensure that all files are received in good orderso that no offence is created by omission ofmissing images. LCGB Overseas Tours 2013. As part ofthe ‘Three Societies Agreement’ betweenourselves, the SLS and the LCGB, RCTS andSLS members are again invited to participate inthe LCGB's overseas study tours during 2013,with a nominal temporary membership feepayable with the tour invoice. Destinationsplanned for later in 2013 are:August to Hungary; a joint tour with theIndustrial Railway Society.September to Bulgaria; a joint tour with theRailway Touring Company.September. A Germany and Poland rail tour.October to Eritrea which is our seventh visit.Autumn to Germany for Saxon narrow gauge.November to Kenya with steam and/or diesel.Itineraries and full details of each tour can be

can be found on the overseas study tour page ofthe LCGB website: www.LCGB.org.uk.Corrections and Omissions.March 2013

p.171 - 156449 is at Stranraer Harbour,not Kilmarnock as incorrectly stated inthe caption.p.192 - Tanfield Railway - Santa’s Grottowas at Andrews House station - not EastTanfield as reported. p.202 - Armstrong Whitworth Article.The following order numbers requirecorrection as shown:E66 - Works No should read 938-87.L86 - Original LNER K3 numbers shouldread 1100-2/6/8/17-9/21/5/33/5/7/41/54/6/8/62/4/6.L87 - Works No should read 1131-55.L88 - Add original LNER 2934-37.p.205 - In Praise of EU. - The PKP orderhad its origins in 1963 - not 1936 asstated.

April 2013p.247 - The train has been diverted fromthe ECML between Northallerton andNewcastle and is passing Norton-on-Tees,north of Stockton; not as stated, using theShaftholme Junction-Knottingley route.

2012 IndexRear cover lower photo. The location isCarrog, not Berwyn.

Photo Archive Assistants

The society is looking for members with a

knowledge of the post WWII era of BR to assist

with sorting photographic collections held in the

society archive store at Stevenage. Stage 1 is

the need to sort railway from non-railway material.

Many collections we receive include road

transport and shipping images. Stage 2 is the

need to sort the railway material into good, poor

and duplicate catagories. The objective is to take

the good images into the permanent

‘Photographic Archive’ and to make them

available for sale to members and others. Own

transport is required and to be within easy reach

of the archive store at Stevenage (travelling

expenses will be paid).

This is not a time sensitive task and can be

undertaken at your own pace. In the first instance

contact David Pick by e-mail at northampton@

rcts.org.uk or by telephone on 01604 810613.

363

NATIONAL NETWORK OPERATIONSSOUTHERN

South EastVandalism. On 12th April a 32 year-old Sidcupman was remanded in custody after being foundguilty by Blackfriars Crown Court of causing£250,000 worth of graffiti damage to railwayproperty over a seven-year period. The mainvictims were Network Rail and Southeasternbut other TOCs and even the Bluebell Railwaywere targeted. Sentencing was due to take placeon 17th May.London Marathon. As is normal for thisevent, which took place on 21st April,Southeastern ran a revised Sunday morningtimetable with a number of additional trainsfrom Charing Cross and London Bridge servingGreenwich, Maze Hill and Blackheath stationsin order to get participants and spectators to thestarting points, participants being allowed totravel free. Some other TOCs were also allowingparticipants free travel on early morning trainsto London.Orient Express. Victoria-Folkestone Westworkings noted were handled by 67026+67005(4th April) and 67006+67026 (21st and 25th).On 4th 67026 failed on the return working atMaidstone East; assistance being provided by59204 sent from Hither Green as 67005 couldnot be run round. Is this the first time that aCl.59 has worked the Orient Express?A North Kent circular (Victoria-MaidstoneEast-Canterbury West-Whitstable-GillinghamSole Street-Victoria) ran on 19th April toppedand tailed by 67026+67006.

Hither Green. 950001 made an appearancehere on 20th April arriving as 2Q08 fromReading. It departed as 2Z08 to Crewe on 21st.Hoo Junction. The Eastleigh and Whitemoordepartmentals still provide quite a variety ofCl.66s with 6Y42 to Eastleigh on 1st April(presumably as Freightliner drivers do not signthe road via Tonbridge) worked by GBRf’s 66739and 6L37 to Whitemoor on 2nd worked by 66510with 66729 dead in train. On 15th 6O36 fromWhitemoor with 66555 had 66615 dead in train.On 16th 66615 was noted working this trainpresumably having returned to Whitemoor on6L37. 66615 was also noted on Eastleighworkings on 18th. These are the first reporteduse of a Cl.66/6 on these trains.On 2nd April 66846/8 which had been in use onEaster engineering trains departed light coupledas 0Z66 to Rugby.Normally Anglia route engineering trainsoperate out of Whitemoor but they do appearhere occasionally as on 21st April when 66741arrived with 6T11 from Coppermill Junction.Grain. FHH’s 66511, which had taken overfrom 70008 on 4O88 from Lawley Street atWembley on 29th March (see p.291, May RO)ran light on 2nd April as 0Z66 from Thamesportto Willesden, the driver later returning with70008 as 0Z70. 70008 later worked 4M49 the18.11 to Lawley Street.An unusual working for 66543 on 4th April was0O84 from Tilbury and 4Z86 return with emptywagons.

66739 tailed by 73119 and 73207 pass Upper Warlingham on the Victoria to Sheffield Park special "Project EastGrinstead", the first through train to the Bluebell Railway on 28th March. Rodney Lissenden

364

Medway Valley. On 13th April 5X47Tonbridge West yard-Slade Green returning465917 from Wabtec, Doncaster failed atWateringbury with a brake defect on one of thetranslator vans. After a 90-minute delay duringwhich time the level crossing was blocked thetrain, worked by 66721, was allowed to proceedat 5mph to Maidstone West where the defectivevehicle was detached. One can only imagine thedelays this caused to rail traffic and to local roadusers as it negotiated the level crossings atTeston and East Farleigh.Dollands Moor. On 29th March 66045, thelast ECR Cl.66 still in the UK, arrived in 6B45from Wembley behind 92031 but hardly had itdeparted for France than 66222 arrived, its firstappearance in the UK since December 2007,departing on 2nd April sandwiched between92016 and 92002 as 0B20 to Wembley behind66008. Another ECR Cl.66, 66195, arrived laterin April going north on 24th as 0S94 the 03.05to Carlisle behind 92003 in the pathwaynormally used for the Irvine clayliner.On 23rd April 6E26 the 07.45 to Scunthorpeunusually departed behind 92016 with 66070dead on the rear being diverted for reasonsunknown via Wembley where presumably 92016would have been removed.Dungeness. Flask trains were worked by37608+37402 (4th April), 37409+37603 (11th),37402+37259 (18th) and 37607+37602 (25th).

For reasons unknown on 4th 37608 led in bothdirections.St. Leonards. As with most of the GBRf fleetin this area the locomotives on the Crossrailspoil trains are fuelled and maintained at St.Leonards Railway Engineering, for example on1st April when 66723/38, two locomotives thatappear to have become semi-permanent fixtureson these trains, ran light coupled as 0Y72 the09.23 from Northfleet via Sidcup, Orpington andRye later returning as 0Y73 the 14.15 toNorthfleet via Battle, Tonbridge and MaidstoneWest.Orpington. Cl.376 units are normally onlyused on Charing Cross/Cannon Street servicesbut on 28th April 376019 was noted on 2D52the 17.06 to Victoria.

CentralEngineering Work. With DBS and GBRfsuffering from a shortage of drivers both ColasRail and Freightliner are working oddengineering trains, one recent example beingthe use of 66568 in the Gatwick area on 21stApril. It later worked 6Y90 Earlswood-HooJunction.Orient Express. On 5th April 67005 and theBritish Pullman set worked the “Brighton BelleExperience” 1Y91 the 11.42 Victoria-Hove and15.45 return. The outward route was via HerneHill, Streatham, Wimbledon, Basingstoke,

166209 is seen approaching Redhill station on Tuesday 2nd April with the 07.34 Reading to Gatwick Airport service.Geoff Dunster

365

Fareham and the West Coastway returning viaHaywards Heath, Redhill, Selhurst andStewarts Lane.Cl.73. Following one of their regularmaintenance visits to St. Leonards on 15th April73201+73107 worked back to Hither Green as0Z73 the 16.07 from St. Leonards unusuallyrouted via Eastbourne, Plumpton, the Quarryline and Clapham Junction instead of thenormal route via Tunbridge Wells andOrpington.

South WestRail Tours. On 13th April “The Moonraker”1Z76 the 07.05 Solihull-Salisbury and 1Z77 the16.05 Salisbury-Solihull was worked throughoutby 5043 Earl of Mount Edgcumbe. The outwardroute was via Oxford, Reading West andBasingstoke returning via the same route.Between the outward and return workings thestock was stabled in Salisbury East yard and5043 and its support coach were turned on theLaverstock triangle. Also on 13th a NENTAreturn excursion 1Z71 the 16.07 CardiffCentral-Norwich worked by 47854+47826 wasrouted between Bath Spa and the North Londonline via Westbury, Salisbury, Andover,Chertsey, Kew East Junction and Acton WellsJunction. The outward working had run via theGWML.The 20th April was a busy day for rail tours.The first leg of the “Great Britain VI”, 1Z82 the07.45 Victoria-Exeter St. Davids was worked by34067 Tangmere. This ran via Stewarts Lane,Richmond, Addlestone and the LSW main line.1Z60 the 06.32 Skegness-Windsor & EtonRiverside and 1Z61 the 16.45 Windsor & EtonRiverside-Skegness were topped and tailed by57314+57313. Between the outward and returnworkings the stock was serviced at Acton Lanesidings. Finally “The Wessex Express” 1Z64 the06.44 Hooton-Weymouth and 1Z65 the 16.08Weymouth-Hooton were worked by 67029.Orient Express. On 26th April the BritishPullman set double-headed by 67026+67006worked 1Z11 the 09.43 Victoria-Truro via Bathand Bristol. The route to Westbury was viaBrixton, Streatham, Wimbledon, Basingstoke,Salisbury and Warminster. The return workingon 28th 1Z18 the 11.25 Truro-Victoria, returnedvia the same route.Waterloo. On 7th April the GWML throughReading was again closed with West of Englandtrains diverted from Westbury. Power cars usedwere:43181+43012 3O35 the 06.00 ECS from St. Philip’sMarsh and 1V36 the 10.10 to Penzance.43137+43034 1O36 the 07.53 from Exeter St. Davidsand 1V73 the 12.10 to Penzance.43187+43195 1O37 the 08.40 from Plymouth and 1V75the 14.10 to Penzance.43023+43053 1O38 the 08.35 from Penzance and 1V77the 16.10 to Penzance.

43170+43191 1O39 the 11.01 from Penzance and 1V78the 18.10 to Penzance.43071+43030 1O40 the 13.44 from Plymouth and 1V79the 19.10 to Plymouth.43017+43040 1O41 the 12.56 from Penzance and 1V80the 20.12 to Plymouth.43168+43069 1O42 the 13.41 from Penzance and 1V81the 21.10 to Exeter St. Davids.43129+43160 1O43 the 14.40 from Penzance and 3V82the 22.17 ECS to St. Philip’s Marsh.43161+43126 1O44 the 16.11 from Penzance and 3V83the 23.25 ECS to St. Philip’s Marsh.Alton. In connection with the Mid-HantsRailway’s diesel gala on 27th/28th April 55009arrived on 24th with 20087, 37901, D1501(47402) and 33109 in tow as 0Z39 the 08.42 fromCastleton, East Lancs. Railway. This wasfollowed on 25th by 66738 towing 4-VEP 3417as 5Z42 the 13.55 from Clapham yard.66738+3417 returned on 29th as 5Z17 the 09.23Alton-Clapham yard and 55009 with the ELRlocomotives departed on 30th as 0Z20 toCastleton.Eastleigh. On 2nd April a seven-locomotiveconvoy consisting of 47828 towing 37409, 37607and 20301-4 departed from the works as 0X38the 16.09 to Crewe Gresty Bridge. 47828 hadjust been outshopped after repairs, the Cl.37shad arrived on 28th March (see p.295, May RO)and the Cl.20s were being reinstated followinga period in store. Whilst at the works 20303,which was the last operational Cl.20 in the oldDRS livery, was repainted into the currentlivery. This leaves 37038 as the last DRSlocomotive in the old livery.On 3rd April 31465 was due to work 3Q02 the02.35 NR test train to Hither Green but suffereda major failure resulting in the cancellation ofthe train and 31465 being returned to Derby byroad. 37425 was despatched from Derby as areplacement working the train back to Derby on6th as 3Z04.On 4th April 47727 departed light as 0V87 the13.10 Eastleigh yard-Taunton.On 8th April 56303 arrived at the works as 6Z56the 10.10 from Chaddesden sidings (Derby) withthree JRAs for repair, later departing light as0Z56 the 18.00 to Washwood Heath.Southampton. 4Y19 the 12.19 Mountfield-Western docks gypsum empties and 4Y81 the19.55 Western docks-Mountfield gypsum ranbehind 66730 (2nd April), 66712 (10th), 66742(15th) and 66733 (18th).On 17th April coaches 64649 (508201) and64712 (508209) were moved as 5Y08 16.01Eastleigh Works-Western docks topped andtailed by 73141+73206 (front)+66742 (rear) andincluded four translator vans for brake force. Itis understood that they have been acquired byMerseyside Fire & Rescue for training purposesand were moved north by road on 18th.

366

WESTERNWest of England

Burngullow. The paragraph on p.158, MarchRO should have read “some weeks”, not “someyears”! Plymouth. On 18th March the 22.00 Penzance-Paddington sleepers failed here with a brakefault. After some delay, passengers transferredto an HST and 57604 later took the ECS to OldOak Common.66053 worked an additional train fromErnesettle to Tavistock Junction at 23.24 on10th April. On 12th 56303 arrived with 6Z57the 09.47 (11th) Doncaster wood sidings-Keyham conveying Railvac machine wagon99-70 9515 001/4, a Swedish vehicle notpreviously seen in this area. 56303 left light as0Z56 the 09.00 to Long Marston.Newton Abbot. Since the last RO, 12 trainshave operated to/from the recycling site inHackney yard, six up empty, three down loaded,two down part loaded and one unobserved; anequal number of light locomotive movementsran. 66514/46 were used four times, 66556/87and 66606/15 once each. 66587 was the 399thCl.66 noted at Exeter, the 99th Freightlinerversion and the 69th Cl.66/5.Heathfield Branch. Only two Kronospantimber trains have operated since the last RO;on 21st March 66846 was used but on 11th April56105 made its first appearance.Barnstaple. The branch was closed betweenCrediton and Barnstaple on 11th-13th Marchand throughout on 23rd and 24th for scheduledrepairs and maintenance, some of which hadbeen postponed due to the winter floods. 150921was working services to Barnstaple (andExmouth) on Good Friday 29th.Exeter. Locomotives noted here en route to andfrom an engineers’ possession between NewtonAbbot and Plymouth overnight on 16th Marchand all day on 17th were 66082/9 and 66115/25/9/52/81. The 05.52 Paddington-Plymouth and10.15 return new measurement trains passedrespectively at 07.56 and 11.15 with 43013+43062 on 22nd and at 21.15 45407 arrived withits support coach, 35517, as 5Z93 the 09.46Castleton Hopwood-Exeter depot. The BlackFive left for Taunton at 08.57 next morning.At 01.15 on 23rd March 66143+66172+66184arrived light in Riverside yard. 66143 took out6M60 the 02.00 to Bescot loaded china clayhoppers at 02.43 and the others later ranwestwards on engineers’ trains. Later that daythe 08.26 St. David’s-Waterloo had to becancelled after its driver suffered a heart attackas he prepared to take the ECS in from Newyard. Another driver took the stock (159006/01)to platform 2 bay from where his colleague wastaken to hospital by ambulance after treatmentby paramedics.

At 10.02 150927 (with “Worcester Shrub Hill”displayed on its blind) called with the BranchLine Society’s “The Great Western Tracker” toHeathfield and Cattewater. 45407+34067passed at 12.10 with the 06.48 Euston-Plymouth“Mayflower” charter; on its return as the 16.05to Paddington, 45407 was detached at Exeterand Tangmere took water before departing at17.51. 60163 Tornado followed at 13.05 with the08.06 Paddington-Kingswear and again at 18.51with the 17.10 return. 45407 and its supportcoach left at 09.10 on 24th as 5Z93 the 09.57 toCastleton Hopwood.Finally, 66004/20/58 and 66138/62/72/84/92were noted en route to/from the weekendengineering possession between Newton Abbotand Plymouth.On 26th March at 13.06 950001 passed as 2Q08the 09.16 Whites crossing-Plymouth; it returnedat 07.49 on 29th as 2Q08 the 04.01 Plymouth-Derby. On 27th 43042+43033 and HST setOC35 passed at 13.48 as 5Z77 the 11.30Swindon-Laira; 43033 was reported to befire-damaged. The 12.48 Paignton-Cardiff wasformed of 153380+(two-car)158961 instead of aCl.150/9. On Good Friday 37409+37607 arrived at 04.37with ECS for Pathfinders’ 05.15 St. David’s-FortWilliam/Pitlochry “The Easter Highlander”.This special arrived back at 23.19 on EasterMonday 1st April and the ECS departed at 00.04on 2nd as 5Z37 the 23.46 St. David’s-Eastleigh.158882 was stabled in New yard at 15.15 on 2ndApril and on 5th 158886+159105 formed the09.26 St. David’s-Waterloo whilst 150244worked the 12.48 Paignton-Cardiff. On 10th31233+9701 arrived in Riverside yard at 06.05with 3Q65 the 00.34 test train from Didcot. At19.05 on 11th 56303 passed with its trackmachine (see Plymouth) making its firstrecorded visit as such or as 56125. With 56105on the Kronospan timber train, this was possiblythe first time two Cl.56s have ventured west ofExeter the same day (apart from open days oron charters).The 44th series of aggregates trains fromWestbury to the Hanson stockpile operated from2nd to 12th April. Nine trains ran, hauled by59205 (five times), 59101 twice and 59104 and59202 once each. 59001 remains the most usedlocomotive with 31 appearances.Highbridge & Burnham. A new footbridgewas under construction at the Bristol end of thestation on 27th March. It replaces the oldprecast sectional concrete footbridge that hasbeen in use since the days of the SDJRBurnham-on-Sea branch and is an unusualshape taking account of the compact tracklayout.

The new passenger overbridge at Reading opened on Friday 29th March, though much work remains to be doneto platforms, track layouts, the construction of the new flyover for the main lines to the west of the station andelectrification for which some of the masts are now in place. Here 43041 departs from the new platform 8 with the16.15 Paddington-Cheltenham Spa on 20th April. David Jackman

Bristol. On 27th March 97304+6263+999602+977969+31233 were stabled at the formerMotorail siding next to platform 2 and 66125went up at 18.00 on 6X52 Portbury-Mossendcartics. On 5th 47727 passed at 11.35 with 6Z47the 10.10 Fairwater yard, Taunton-CardiffCanton conveying track machines. 950001 wasstabled in the former fish dock alongsideplatform 4 on 12th. 37425+20303 passed at13.32 on 17th with 6M67 the 14.02Bridgwater-Crewe nuclear flasks, a train thatfrequently runs early.44871+45407 arrived at 17.02 on 21st April withthe 09.40 Newquay-Cardiff charter viaGloucester which departed at 17.40 behind34067 Tangmere. The Black Fives were servicedat St. Philip’s Marsh and departed light forCardiff about 06.00 next morning to work thetrain forward to Preston.St. Philip’s Marsh Depot. On 14th April158798 (restored to three cars) was noted in thewheel lathe area, along with 57762 on its own,153361 newly repainted in FGW blue livery (itreturned to traffic next day), 08822 and HSTcoaches 42218 and 44100. On 21st 143611 wasstabled near the wheel lathe.Stapleton Road. The newly constructedfootbridge came into use in April and the old onewas removed overnight on 13th/14th. Itssuccessor spans only the two running linescurrently in use but is expected to be extended

over the relief lines when Dr. DaysJunction-Filton Junction is redoubled in 2014.Bristol Parkway. The Bridgwater nuclearflasks were noted with 37409+37612 at 12.12 on27th March, 37194+37611 at 13.15 on 3rd April,37409+37603 at 15.15 on 10th and 20303+37425at 13.45 on 17th. The Theale-Robeston emptytanks were worked by 60007 on 28th March,60010 on 30th and 1st April, 60020 on 2nd,60074 on 4th, 6th, 8th, 9th and 20th, 60040 on11th and 13th and 60017 on 16th, 18th and20th.Westerleigh. The afternoon Robeston tankswere worked by 66192+66015 on 30th March,66154 on 3rd April, 60017 between 9th and 12thand 60040 on 18th and 20th. The morningtanks from Lindsey were noted with 60017 on25th March, 60059 on 9th and 10th April and60099 on 16th.Charfield. On 1st April 66118 was notedpassing at 14.51 with the 08.30 Milford westsidings-Westbury conveying empty formerNational power wagons for use on stone traffic.Sharpness Branch. On 16th April37259+37603 arrived from Crewe with twoFNAs and a single empty PFA. They returnedto Crewe with the FNAs, leaving Berkeley Roadat 14.38. 37419+37611 arrived light at 15.56 totake the PFA, loaded with low level waste, toCrewe leaving Berkeley Road at 17.47. It is veryunusual to see two trains on the branch in oneday.

367

368

Portbury. Clearance of undergrowth from theformer trackbed between here and Portisheadwas taking place from early April.Freightliner coal services continue withdepartures to Rugeley at 03.00 (02.48 onSaturday), 07.00, 08.25 (07.25 on Saturday) and10.50 and to Uskmouth at 04.35 but with verylimited use of Cl.70s. The 08.25 is occasionallydiverted to Fiddlers Ferry and the 22.49 onFriday has ceased. The DBS-worked coal trainsto Ferrybridge have ceased but a new flow toFiddlers Ferry commenced on 22nd April.The biomass train started running again from3rd April (including Sundays), arriving around16.00. 66746 was noted on 3rd-5th, 7th-9th and12th, 66744 on 16th and 19th and 66702 on 21st.The Warrington cars were noted with 66169 on28th March and 66112 on 4th April. Avonmouth. The set of HTAs which wasmoved to Westbury was intended for trialsconveying stone but was moved empty to Bescotbehind 66055 on 1st April. A new service toRatcliffe commenced on 15th using a 23-HTAset; 66154 worked the first train which departedat 13.55. Seven 21-HTA sets are used onAberthaw services, two of which usually stableat Avonmouth at weekends.Melksham. During the Easter blockade atReading the single track line was extremelybusy with hourly Paddington/West of EnglandHSTs in both directions from 2nd to 6th April,diverted Freightliners to/from Southampton on29th March and a number of diverted and

regular Mendip stone trains. Engineers’ trainswere also in abundance throughout.Freshford. During April an old dark blue andcream enamel running-in board was re-erectedon the up platform by the station friends’ groupwho acquired and restored it some time ago. Itjoins the wooden GWR nameboard placed on thedown platform three years ago.Bradford-on-Avon. Overnight on 13th/14thApril the main span of the 1895 GWR footbridgewas removed by crane and taken away by roadto a specialist firm near Plymouth forrefurbishment. It is expected to be reassembledin June and repainted in traditional GWRcolours. The listed 1848 station buildings arealso receiving some overdue care and attentionincluding masonry repairs and repainting.Westbury. From 29th March to 7th April FGWran a Turbo shuttle between Reading and here.They were worked by Reading drivers withFLHH drivers as route conductors betweenBedwyn and Westbury and operated as DOOeast of Bedwyn and with Westbury-basedconductors. On 7th April all trains terminatedat and started from a temporary platform 3 atTheale goods loop with road transport toReading, Twyford and Maidenhead. West ofEngland HSTs ran to and from Waterloo viaSalisbury from 29th March to 1st April andagain on 7th, reversing at Westbury.66133 arrived at 18.00 on 13th April with a rakeof former National Power wagons as 6V51 the12.13 St. Pancras-Westbury down yard.

On 16th April recently reinstated Colas 56105 has just restarted its train in the yard at Briton Ferry. It is moving16 wagons of logs towards the main line, running as 6Z51 the 15.55 Baglan to Chirk. The line to the bottom leftleads down to the loading point at Baglan, a distance of less than ¼ mile and in the background may be seenBriton Ferry station. Stuart Warr

369

For three weeks in April the line between CastleCary and Cogload Junction was closed fromMonday to Thursday for a programme of majorrenewals and maintenance. This resulted in avery busy afternoon on 22nd; in addition to theusual Cl.59s (10 were seen), 34067+supportcoach 35518 passed at 13.50 as 5Z18 the 10.40Cardiff Canton-Southall via Salisbury, 66526arrived at 14.40 with 6Y15 the 13.59 CastleCary-Westbury conveying several flat wagonsloaded with recovered LWR sections from theSomerton area, 66415 arrived at 16.50 on 6Z29the 13.09 Hackney yard-Westbury via Bristolwith LWR and 66599+66522 arrived at 17.00with 7Y16 the 16.15 Castle Cary-Westburyconsisting of two Colas cranes and wagonsloaded with spent ballast. Another long train ofspoil, 6Y17 the 19.00 from Castle Cary, arrivedat 18.50 with 66515+66552.

WalesATW Cl.67. 67003 returned to traffic on 2ndApril but failed at Newport while working the18.21 Cardiff-Holyhead which was replaced by175005. Next day 67003 and stock made anunsuccessful test run to Newport and back and175108 worked the 05.33 Holyhead-Cardiff and18.21 return. The 18.21 was worked by 67003on 4th but was cancelled at Newport because ofstock problems. 175102 worked the 05.33 and18.21 return on 5th. 67001 worked empty stockto Holyhead on 7th and services returned tonormal on 8th.Welsh Marches Line. Further to p.144, March2010 RO and p.300, May 2013 RO, the signalleron duty at Moreton-on-Lugg at the time of thefatal incident on 16th January 2010 received afine and costs totalling £2,500 and was orderedto do 275 hours unpaid work. Network Rail wasfined £450,000 and ordered to pay £33,000 costs.An inquest is yet to be held.An 06.44 Hooton-Weymouth and 16.08 returncharter ran via Hereford on 20th April behind67029; timekeeping was exemplary in bothdirections.37425 ran light from Crewe Gresty Lane toEastleigh on 3rd April. 66619 workedWestbury-Tunstead empties via Hereford on15th. 66704 worked stone trains from Moreton-on-Lugg to West Drayton on 15th and 17th. Severn Tunnel. In connection with theReading blockade, Swansea/Paddington serviceswere diverted via Banbury from 29th March to1st April and on 7th April. Monday to FridayCardiff/Paddington services were cancelled from1st to 5th April.The Severn Tunnel was closed on Sundays from14th April for engineering work and SouthWales/Paddington services were diverted viaGloucester; Cardiff/Portsmouth services startedfrom Bristol Parkway.Newport. 66140 worked empty MBAs fromNewport docks to Handsworth Queens Head

and returned with loaded trains on 4th and 6thApril. Newport docks-Aberthaw coal trainsrecommenced on 2nd when 66148 worked the16.00 departure. A second departure at 08.30hauled by 66115 ran on 23rd and 24th. The onlyinward coil train ran on 2nd, from Llanwern.An additional train has continued to run onSundays at 20.37 from Newport ADJ to Didcotconveying discharged fuel tanks from PlymouthLaira and Penzance en route to Fawley. On14th April it was worked by 66130 and 66168which had come light from Oxford Hinksey afterengineering work. 66054+66187 were used on21st and the train was diverted via Gloucester. Uskmouth. During March trains with coil ranfrom Margam to Bird Port at 09.35 and fromLlanwern to Bird Port at 18.22; 60020 workedthe 09.35 from Margam on 4th April. Therewere also two daily Freightliner coal trains toUskmouth PS.Machen. Stone trains to West Draytonincluded 59203 on 10th and 17th April and59201 on 24th. 66155 on 2nd and 66134 on 6thworked grit stone trains to Westbury forWhatley quarry. On 3rd 59204 worked emptyhoppers as far as East Usk and then returnedlight to Westbury. Ebbw Vale Parkway. From 4th March the06.35, 14.35 and 17.35 from Cardiff and 08.40,15.50 and 18.40 have been strengthened by aCl.153. The 11.50 from Ebbw Vale is extendedto Bridgend and returns empty to Cardiff toform the 17.35. 999600/1 visited Machen andEbbw Vale on the night of 11th April.Cardiff Tidal. The GBRf Lindsey-Cardiffdocks petroleum train continues to arrive onTuesdays and sometimes Thursday mornings.There have been no GBRf scrap trains to Tidalsince one from Beeston on 20th March. Theempty wagons which were worked to Beeston on21st March were returned empty by 66744 on20th April. The second set of wagons recentlyused for aggregate traffic returned to Tidalbehind 66704 from West Drayton on 24th. Trains of export coil which commenced fromMargam on 25th March ceased after 10th Aprilwhen 66187 worked the last train.DBS scrap trains in April ran from HandsworthQueens Head, Kingsbury and Rotherham inaddition to wagonload traffic from St. Blazey.66155 on 18th and 66043 on 25th hauled trainsof scrap from Swindon to Tidal and 66087worked a one-off from Exeter on 25th. 66161took empty MBAs to Handsworth on 22nd andcontinued with the loaded train to LiverpoolAlexandra Dock whilst on 23rd 66127 arrived atKingsbury with empties from Alexandra Dockand worked forward with the loaded train toTidal. Handsworth-Tidal scrap trains ranthroughout the month including 20th and 23rdwith 66043 and 27th with 66103. No DCR-worked scrap trains ran to Tidal duringApril (and therefore no scrap from Shipley,

Stockton and Tyne Dock) but the regularthrice-weekly MWFO trains from DagenhamDock worked by Freightliner continued to run. The additional Millbrook-Wentloog Freightlinerdid not run in April but the Saturday train fromSouthampton continued. 70007 failed whenleaving Southampton on the 03.12 to Wentloogon 18th and a replacement train departed at10.32 hauled by 66955. 70007 made a test run(with 70009 dead in the train) on the 03.12 on22nd and worked the train alone on 23rd-25th. Cardiff. On 5th April 47727 worked HOBCwagons from Fairwater yard, Taunton to CardiffColas where they are to be refurbished. 08683had arrived at Colas by 16th and 08670 followedon 23rd. On 22nd 56105 arrived with threeKFAs from Baglan Bay and next day took themto Long Marston for storage, joining three othersalready there.47854+47826 worked a 16.07 charter toNorwich, the “Cheddar Gorge and The WelshCapital”, via the Severn Tunnel, Bath,Westbury, Salisbury, Woking, London and theGE main line on 13th April. 31233 worked a recording train from Didcot toCardiff and back via Gloucester on 18th Apriland 47501+47790 a charter from Liverpool on20th. Cardiff Valleys. 121032 has been withdrawnand the Cardiff Bay shuttle is now worked by aCl.153. 999600/1 worked to Merthyr, Towercolliery and Treherbert on 9th April and toCwmbargoed, Rhymney, Coryton, Maesteg andBridgend Fords the following night.There have been frequent Sunday morning lineclosures for engineering work and a number ofengineers’ trains have run, including 66007/85/9and 66193+66086 from Basford Hall to Bargoedon 13th April and 66113+66086 on a Westbury-Ystrad Mynach train on 20th. DRS 66425worked a cable-laying train from East Usk toBargoed on 22nd-25th. 37603+37601 worked aradio survey train from Newport ADJ to the Cityline, Rhymney, Penarth and Cardiff Bay on22nd and 23rd. Non-buckeye coupling-fitted 66001 worked theCwmbargoed-Earles sidings coal train on 26thApril (which usually runs on Mondays andFridays), the first time that it has been used. Coal trains from Cwmbargoed to Margam forTata increased in April from the weeklySaturday train to weekdays; 66055 was used on17th, 66124 on 20th, 66213 on 24th, 66120 on26th and 66023 on 27th. Two coal trains randaily from Tower to Aberthaw throughout Aprilat 10.54 and 18.17 with one on Saturdays at10.54 from 13th. Vale of Glamorgan Line. The line was closedbetween Barry and Aberthaw at night duringthe weeks commencing 14th and 21st April andtrains to and from Aberthaw PS were divertedvia Margam while the trains from Newport ADJ

to Fords, Bridgend were topped and tailed,reversing at Bridgend and Ford’s junction. From 8th April there was a further increase incoal trains to Aberthaw with up to 14 trains perday, using up to seven sets of 21 HTAs. Coal hasarrived from Avonmouth, Cwmbargoed,Cwmgwrach, New Cumnock, Newport docks,Onllwyn and Tower. 60079 arrived on theLindsey-Aberthaw petroleum train on 15th anddeparted at 15.59 with the discharged train. 66164 worked the Dollands Moor-Barry dockssilica sand train on 19th April. On 27th April 20308/12+47802 worked an 07.00Huddersfield-Swansea and 15.35 return withstops in both directions at Barry to give rail tourparticipants an opportunity to travel on theBarry Heritage Railway. The train was turnedvia Swansea west loop.Tondu. 950001 ran from Margam via the OVEto Maesteg and back on 14th April and 66107worked a ballast train from Westbury to Tonduon 28th. Margam. 66710 hauled a one-off train of slagfrom Margam Grange siding to Acton on 4thApril. 66111 on 5th and 66059 on 18th workedtrains of slag to Pendleton, a new destination forthis traffic. Slab trains from Margam to Llanwern decreasedduring the month to three daily, departing fromMargam at 02.45, 06.22, 13.51 or 18.17 usingtwo sets of 24 BBAs. 66121 brought a one-offtrain of slab from Scunthorpe on 20th and 60074returned the empties next day.Redcar-Margam coke trains decreased duringApril; after running consistently to 11th theyran on 15th with 66120 and on 22nd and 23rdbehind 66213. The train on 23rd left Redcar at12.07 and the empties returned from Margambehind 66075 at 08.55 on 24th.60010/20 were at Margam at the beginning ofApril. 60010 left on 2nd on the Llanwern-Immingham service and 60074 arrived lightfrom Didcot on 3rd. 60017 also arrived on 3rd,hauled by 66084 on the Tees-Margam steelempties and 60020 left on the 16.21 return toHartlepool on 4th. 60040 hauled the 11.24 slabempties to Margam and the 17.22Immingham-Llanwern on 8th. 60074 left on21st working an additional 13.05 to Scunthorpesteel empties. 60063 arrived on 26th workingthe overnight steel empties from Tees. With upto three Cl.60s at Margam they were notconfined to petroleum trains but also workedfrom Margam to Bird Port, Llanwern, DeeMarsh, Round Oak and Trostre..Block trains of export coil for Rotterdam andMauberge continued throughout April with upto four trains weekly to Dollands Moor.A 23.54 Margam-Wolverhampton steel coil trainran up to three times a week throughout Apriland additionally started from Newport docks orLlanwern on other days.

370

66158, with 66023 and 66077 dead in tow,worked the 18.58 Margam (originating atOnllwyn)-Immingham coal train on 16th April.MPV DR 98909/59 fitted with weed sprayapparatus arrived at Margam from Bescot on23rd April, ran back to Bescot on 26th andreturned to Margam on 27th. Its first duty wasto Llanwrtyd Wells on 28th.Baglan Bay. 66850 worked an 09.50 BaglanBay-Chirk timber train on 4th April. 56105arrived later in the day with empty wagonswhich had been stabled at Gloucester and tookfour wagons which had been converted totimber-carrying from Cardiff Colas to BaglanBay on 9th before working the loaded trainforward to Chirk. It worked further trains toChirk on 13th (the first Saturday one), 16th,23rd and 27th. Swansea. Following closure of the line betweenSwansea and Llandeilo Junction for theinstallation of a new Loughor viaduct anddoubling of the line between Cockett andDuffryn Junction, the first westbound train overthe new viaduct on 8th April was the 06.19empty HST from Swansea to Carmarthen toform the 07.58 to Paddington and the firsteastbound was the 05.50 Carmarthen-Cardiffworked by 175009.Llandarcy ground frame was closed on 27thApril and all points were disconnected. 66221

and 66068 worked engineers’ trains fromWestbury to Llandarcy where the easternconnections to the loop were replaced by plainline. 66085 worked the Onllwyn-Scunthorpe coaltrain on 23rd April, recessing at Llanwernbefore working forward next day. Coal trainsfrom Cwmgwrach to Aberthaw have increasedto two a week, usually on Thursdays andSaturdays. Heart of Wales Line. The following serviceshave been worked by a Cl.150 from 4th March,releasing a Cl.153 unit for Ebbw Vale services:05.19 Shrewsbury-Cardiff, 13.15 Swansea-Shrewsbury and 18.06 return. Llandrindod Wells was a scene of activity on13th April when two charters were scheduled tocross, the first time in recent years. First toarrive was an RTC special from Cardiff viaOxford which was steam-worked by 45407+44871 from Shrewsbury. They were replaced atPengam by 57314+57601 (which ran light fromShrewsbury via Hereford). The second wasPathfinders’ “Heart of Wales Wanderer” hauledby 67017 from Tame Bridge via Newport; its13-coach length caused some problems, delayingdeparture of the steam train. 45407+44871 hauled the northbound “GreatBritain VI” from Cardiff to Preston on 22ndApril.

371

On strange territory on 30th March 43146 and 43141 forming 1B40 the 12.27 Paddington-Swansea passes thebeginning of the divergence north of Saunderton and almost at the summit on the Chiltern (formerly GW&GCJoint) main line. The service was diverted via Banbury and Didcot due to extensive rebuilding works at Readingover the Easter weekend. The lower alignment of the up line can be seen; this was the line constructed ondoubling and has a constant climbing gradient of 1 in 167. John Cowlishaw

West Wales. Additional Sunday eveningpetroleum services continued to run duringApril from Robeston to Westerleigh and Theale.On 21st 60017 worked the Westerleigh train and66040 hauled the Theale train as far as Margamwhere 66001 took over, 66040 returning toRobeston to work the 05.04 to Westerleigh.66075 worked the Theale service on 22nd. TheRobeston-Bedworth and return trains ran TThOin April; 60074 was used on 16th. The 09.20 from Fishguard Harbour and the13.09, 19.19 and 21.09 from Pembroke Dockhave been worked by a Cl.150 from 4th March,releasing a Cl.153 to work the Cardiff Baybranch (see Cardiff Valleys). Cambrian. 97302/3 hauled the weedsprayMPV DR 98909/59 from Bescot to Aberystwythand Machynlleth on 17th April and Machynllethto Pwllheli and back on 18th, returning toBescot on 19th.

Wrexham. 66850 worked the first timber trainof 2013 from Ribblehead on 22nd April.Engineering trains continued to run nightlybetween Wrexham and Penyffordd until 18th. Chester. The area was busy with charters on20th April; 67029 worked an 06.44 Hooton-Weymouth (see Welsh Marches Line), 57601+57316 an 05.45 Holyhead-Carlisle and 60163 an07.45 Euston-Holyhead “Cathedrals Express”.However, problems following a brake failure atRhyl resulted in 67002 replacing Tornado on thereturn journey which arrived at Chester 183minutes late, severely disrupting trains from thecoast and some from Manchester and Crewe. North Wales. 67002 worked an additionalHolyhead-Crewe and return on 1st April as theCardiff service does not operate on bankholidays. 37423+37612 on 10th, 57003/7 on15th and 17th and 37603/12 on 25th workedValley nuclear flask trains.

372

NORTH WESTERN & MIDLANDChiltern

FGW Diversions. Over the Easter weekendthe diversion of Paddington-Bristol/South Walestrains via Banbury was largely incident free.However on 29th March the 06.29 BristolTM-Paddington with power cars 43174+43181was delayed for 20 minutes at Banbury withdifficulty raising air, causing congestion on thedown line. Later the 09.00 Paddington-BristolTM with 43079+43192 was stopped at Heyfordat 10.50 after smoke was reported to be comingfrom one of the coaches. A fitter sent to the sitediscovered dragging brakes on 40804, whichwere isolated and after a rotational test thetrain went forward at 11.35. On 1st April the08.27 Paddington- Swansea with 43024 leadingcame to a stand at West Ruislip at 09.00 with abrake problem. Fitters from Old Oak Commonisolated faulty ATP equipment in the cab of therear power car, allowing the train to go forward,reversing at Didcot so that 43024 would beleading to South Wales. LUL Stock Deliveries. Only three workingshave been noted in the period under review, on25th and 27th March and 15th April, the firsttrain powered by 20096+20107+20901+20905,the second by 20901+20905+20311+20314 andthe last with 20311+20314+20096+20107, allrunning from Old Dalby to West Ruislip. Hampstead Tunnel. The tail end of theevening peak was badly disrupted on 9th Aprilwhen 165022 working the 18.29 Marylebone-West Ruislip came to a stand at 18.45 with lossof power. The 18.32 Marylebone-Aylesbury wasused to assist at 19.00 to Wembley Stadiumwhere both trains terminated and ran to theLMD. As a result eight trains were cancelledand 59 delayed.Neasden. 20096, 20107, 20311/4 were notedstabled in the LUL depot at 11.50 on 18th April.

Wembley LMD. 67014 arrived from DoncasterWorks on 21st March with Mk.3 coaches 12605+12625+12627+12621+12623+10271. 67012 wassubsequently used on 25th and 26th to work atest train, with the four latest conversions, toBirmingham Moor Street, leaving at 09.43 andreturning at 14.50.Calvert. Flyash trains from the now closedDidcot power station have continued to run witheither 56303 or newcomer 56091 used. Cl.66/6locomotives continued to appear on theCricklewood Binliner, with 66610 frequentlyappearing. From 9th April 31190 was used onroute learning duties for BAR in connection withtheir taking over the spoil workings fromWillesden to here.Bicester North. On 6th April 5043 Earl ofMount Edgcumbe working “The MaryleboneFlyer”, 09.57 ex-Birmingham Moor Streetcaused a series of embankment fires stretchingfrom Ardley to Princes Risborough. The trainwas stopped at West Ruislip to check the sparkarrestors, but went forward to Marylebone asbooked. In the meantime various fire brigadeswere on the different sites putting out the fireswith normal services on the line not beingresumed until 15.00 with the cancellation orpart cancellation of 19 trains. The locomotiveand train were taken to Southall for servicing by33207, but the return working at 17.20 fromMarylebone was topped by 47245 to prevent are-occurrence of the problem. At 13.20 on the8th the 12.18 Marylebone-Stratford upon Avonwas involved in a suicide north of the station.The up line was not re-opened until 14.30, withthe down line blocked for a little while longer tomake temporary repairs to the unit.Banbury. 33207 passed in mid-afternoon on21st March with DBSOs 9705+9707+9713 enroute from Eastleigh Works to Derby RTC. On

350110 speeds past South Kenton on 5th March on the 15.49 London Midland service from Euston to BirminghamNew Street. 350110's centre coaches are in a unique livery, to publicise the completion of modifying 30 Cl.350/1sets for 110mph running which were unveiled to the press on 27th February at Euston. Bill Turvill

373

23rd 66089 left at 06.33 with “The ScenicSettler” Pathfinder tour bound for Carlisle anddue back at 21.35. The following day67001+67002 worked 1P52 the 09.15 WrexhamGeneral-Wembley Stadium football specialformed by the ATW Holyhead-Cardiff set,specially strengthened, passing at 11.45. Thereturn working passed at 19.30. The train ranto Marylebone to reverse before stabling onWembley LMD. On 27th March 47727+47749 double-headed6Z56 the 13.00 Toton-Eastleigh yard, with 20IOA wagons, passing in the late afternoon. Thenext day a 05.39 Crewe Gresty Bridge-Eastleighformed by 37607+37409+20305+47790 withrestaurant car 1671 left at 08.50. On 2nd April 47828 hauled 37409+37607+20303+20301+20302+20304 north at 19.05 onan Eastleigh-Crewe working.56303 appeared on 8th April at midday withthree JRA wagons en route from Chaddesden toEastleigh, returning in the evening toWashwood Heath. 57311 was seen on 11thpassing at 10.25 en route light from Crewe toEastleigh. The next day FLHH 70016 made oneof its first appearances here when it assisted70020 on 4O22 the late running 01.47 TraffordPark- Southampton and 4M61 the 12.54 return.5043 Earl of Mount Edgcumbe appeared on 13thwith 1Z76 the 07.05 Solihull-Salisbury, stoppingto pick up at 08.25 and returning at 19.10. Track Assessment Unit 950001 arrived at 15.22on 15th April as 2Q02 the 09.34 Derby RTC-

Didcot. 47749 worked 6Z47 the 03.39 BasfordHall-West Ealing Plasser on 19th and returnedin the mid afternoon as 6Z27. A pair of Cl.20s,20227+20189, passed later running light fromButterley to West Ruislip via Didcot.

WCML SouthDiversions. Several freight services from theSouthampton area were diverted via Londonand the WCML over Easter due to the Readingblockade. On 29th March 4M69 the 02.39 toBirch Coppice was noted behind 66184 at HemelHempstead at 06.10. Easter also saw diversionsof Scottish services, including postal and sleeperservices, via the ECML due to engineering worknorth of Preston.Virgin. WB64, the Mk.3 set, now sees verylittle use but it was turned out on 8th April fora special, for London-based Manchester Unitedsupporters, to Manchester with 90044. Ratheroddly it stabled during the match in the downrefuge at Crewe rather than going to Longsight.It has also made a number of Friday afternoonforays to Crewe and back, to maintain staffcompetence. London Midland. With reference to 110mphworkings, although some Birmingham trainsare shown as timed at 110 mph south ofNorthampton, this of course only applies wherethey run on the fast lines, northbound to MiltonKeynes and south from Ledburn. It is alsobelieved that 110mph running may not bepermitted north of Rugby, but other enquiriessuggest it is permitted for single units anywherethat line speed permits.

374

Euston. 34067 Tangmere visited on 23rdMarch leaving in the early morning with aspecial for Plymouth.DC Line. There were delays at Harrow &Wealdstone from 17.30 on 30th March after thepoints leading to the turnback siding failed,requiring Bakerloo services to turn at the downplatform and then use the crossover at the southend. As delays built up several LUL serviceswere terminated at Queens Park, until 19.00,when northbound LOROL trains could besignalled normally reducing the overall delay.Overnight repairs allowed normal working toresume on 31st. At 06.20 on 18th April a lineside fire at QueensPark resulted in a points failure affecting boththe up and down Bakerloo lines, stopping allservices on the DC line. Temporary repairsallowed Watford-Euston services to runnormally while for the rest of the day LULoperated a Harrow-Kilburn High Road shuttle.Repairs were carried out overnight with normalworking then being possible. No fewer than 382different trains had to be cancelled as a result. Willesden Junction. On 14th April detectionon the points leading from the down fast to upfast line was lost at 11.00 and the 10.45Euston-Preston was brought to an emergencystop. As the driver was badly shaken by theincident the train was returned to Euston, at11.50 once S&T staff had regained detection.The fault then recurred at 13.10 with two trainstrapped which had to return to Camden to crossto the slow line. The fault was eventually tracedto a defective module which was replaced but

113 trains were affected, eight of which werecancelled.A further points failure took place at WestLondon Junction at 08.40 on 19th April affectingthe up fast line. All trains used the slow linesuntil the points had been clipped up to allowingthe two trapped trains to be talked by theprotecting signal. The fast lines re-opened until09.55 when a further blockage was taken toallow full repairs, with normal working from10.40. This incident affected 134 trains.Mitre Bridge. At 18.00 on 17th April followingreports that the OLE was on fire an immediateisolation was taken and subsequently a burntcable was found hanging down at the side of theline. Arrangements were made for passengertrains to either be diverted or turned round, orin the case of Southern completely suspended.The line re-opened for diesel traction at 19.25.Repairs to a defective section insulator werecarried out overnight, with booked freightservices diverted, and normal working wasresumed at 04.00.No sooner had this problem been resolved thanthe locomotive on 6A50 the 22.57 Tunstead-Willesden, which had been diverted on to theWest London line at 06.00 to reverse to thecement terminal because of an OLE problem atActon Lane, became overpowered on the steepgradient approaching North Pole Junction. Ittook until 08.40 to clear the line with anassisting locomotive, with other services badlyaffected.WEFOC. The only ECR locomotive to berecorded recently en route from France to Toton

Pendolino 390103 arrives at Coventry station with the 10.11 departure to Euston on 13th April, the morning of thesociety AGM. David Kelso

375

for maintenance has been 66222, which came upfrom Dollands Moor on 2nd April and wentforward the following day via Crewe. 31190 wasnoted in the yard at 10.55 on 4th.Wembley Central. A stray piece of wire whichhad been collected by the pantograph of 350115working the 11.13 Euston-Birmingham on 23rdMarch caused an ADD at 11.20, stranding thetrain on the down fast and trapping the 11.10Euston-Chester service which had to set back toWillesden West London Junction. The unitbooked to work the 12.04 Euston-Tring was usedto assist forward at 12.40, with both units goingto Kings Heath depot. The Johnstone Paintscup final at Wembley Stadium on 7th Aprilproduced 47828+47501 on an 08.46 special fromCrewe, returning at 17.20 as well as an extraPendolino from Crewe to Euston and back. Watford Junction. A signal failure on the upfast north of the tunnel on 28th March from11.35 to 15.10 caused considerable delay whilea faulty relay was replaced and all trains usedthe slow line. On 10th April whilst problems atDrayton Road were continuing (see Bletchley)86638, the inside locomotive on 4M37 the 21.25Tilbury-Garston failed on the down slow at23.05, eventually going forward powered by theleading locomotive just after midnight, causingsubstantial delays, as this was the only lineopen due to overnight engineering work. Anumber of passenger trains were affectedincluding the lowland sleeper. On 18th April in addition to the problems atMitre Bridge and the DC line at 11.20 WatfordPSB lost all signalling, coinciding with a reportof a large flash and bang near the south end ofthe fast line tunnel. After 20 minutes the powerto the signalling returned but by this timeservices were being held as far back as Crewe.A down Liverpool service, used to examine thearea, found nothing unusual so power to the upfast was restored and trains passed at slowlyincreasing speeds while OLE staff monitored thesite. Several small defects were found so atemporary speed restriction was introduceduntil repairs could be made. The incidentaffected 307 services, of which 66 werecancelled. The following day the doors on 321417, workingthe 07.55 departure to Euston from platform 9,could not be opened so to prevent further delaysthe train was sent ECS to Euston at 08.22. St. Albans Branch. On 26th March a fault onthe Cl.321 due to work the 14.16 from WatfordJunction resulted in the cancellation of fourround trips while a fitter from Kings Heathdepot carried out a repair. 321412 failed justbefore working the 10.24 from Watford Junctionon 15th April and two round trips were cancelledwhile repairs were made.Leighton Buzzard. On 8th April 37667+31285were noted with test vehicles 977969+999606+72630+9708+C460000+DB975081+975280 at13.40 on a Derby-Willesden working. Certain

vehicles were used later on overnight test runsbetween Euston and Milton Keynes Central,before the train retired to Old Oak Common. Bletchley. The first incident affecting the newDrayton Road Junction occurred at 10.40 on10th April when a cracked crossing preventedthe use of the up fast line and meant that the09.50 Birmingham New Street-Euston had toreturn to Milton Keynes to cross to the up slow.Further inspection, with specialised equipment,confirmed the fault, which could not be repaireduntil the early hours of 11th. As a resultSouthern services to and from South Croydonturned round at Watford Junction for the rest ofthe day. Normal working was eventuallyrestored at 04.40. On 11th April 90043 working 4M88 the 09.18Felixstowe-Basford Hall suffered a loss of powerand the train was diverted into relief 1, theformer down goods, but unfortunately thelocomotive expired completely before the trainwas inside clear. The 13.33 Birmingham NewStreet-Euston was trapped on the up slow lineat Denbigh Hall and had to set back to MiltonKeynes to cross to the fast. At 16.05 90043managed to clear the train inside, and was ableto continue north at 16.20. At 21.15 on 16th April the down slow OLEtripped and shortly afterwards a report wasreceived from staff in the carriage sidings thatsomething was burning on the roof of one of thecontainers on 4S88 the 16.15 Felixstowe-Coatbridge, hauled by 66420. This was stoppedat Denbigh Hall for inspection with all linesexcept the down fast blocked to allow NR staffand BTP officers to carry out their work whichconfirmed a body on top of a container towardsthe rear of the train, which was eventuallyremoved at 01.00 and the train taken forward toMilton Keynes Central for photographs to betaken. After the shocked driver had beenrelieved the train went forward at 03.50. Theincident affected 112 trains, 15 of which werecancelled and badly disrupted the overnightengineering possessions. Followingexamination of CCTV records it appears that theman had joined the train at Camden Road. Bedford Branch. 31233 was noted on 8thApril traversing the branch both ways on aDerby-Acton test train, via Milton Keynes andthe MML. A GSM-R failure on 153364 due towork the 10.05 Bletchley-Bedford on 19th Aprilresulted in two round trips being cancelled whilerepairs were made.Milton Keynes Central. On 21st March theInverness-Euston sleeper was noted passing 110minutes late at 08.55, behind 90024. Later70019 was noted working 4M54 the 10.10Tilbury-Crewe with 66537 dead inside, followedshortly by 70004 working 4M88 the 09.18Felixstowe-Crewe, with 90043 also dead inside.There was an unusual routing for an engineers’train on 23rd when 66061 was noted passing at13.35 from Crewe bound for Kettering NorthJunction.

376

6A42 the 14.42 DIRFT-Wembley empty watervans was worked by 90018 on 28th March inplace of the usual Cl.66 or Cl.92. 37194+47802passed at 13.30 on 4th April hauling 90004 fromCrewe to Norwich. FLHH 70003 appeared laterwith 4L71 the 18.41 Ditton-Felixstowe andreturned north the next morning with 4M45 the02.54 return. Another Heavyhaul locomotive,70006, was noted on 9th with 4M88. The firstappearance of a pair of Cl.37/4s on 6K51 the20.25 Willesden Brent-Crewe flask train was onthe 12th, when it was double-headed by 37402+37405. 57313+57316 worked 1Z62 the 05.38 charter toCarlisle on 13th April. At 11.30 on 17th Colastrack machine 70033, en route from Watford toRugby, came to a stand north of the station withthe driver reporting it was unable to exceedmore than 5mph. Unfortunately the machinecould not be reversed thwarting the initial planto shunt it to the bay platform 2A so 6B41 the11.43 Wembley-DIRFT was put inside atBletchley and the locomotive detached to haulthe defective machine to platform 2, where itarrived at 13.30. In the meantime Colasarranged a locomotive from Rugby, whichdeparted with the failed machine at 14.10. Wolverton. Cl.332s continue to arrive forrefurbishment, with 332009 arriving on 25thMarch behind 67016. 332007 now reformed asa five-car set including the demonstration coach,had left on 22nd behind the same locomotive.The Bletchley-based ‘Drain Train’ was noted on24th at midday returning from HillmortonJunction with 66604+66621. On 29th 47804passed at 11.50 on a Carnforth-Southallworking, including 57315. Another test run for Royal stock to Crewe on 4thApril was powered by 67006. 86501 made areturn to the main line on 15th when it wasnoted working 4L90 the 12.21 Crewe-Felixstowe. Quite how welcome this was is amoot point as it failed again before the end of themonth. On 19th 4L22 the 15.19 HamsHall-Felixstowe was unusually headed by a pairof Cl.66/7s.Hanslope Junction. At 08.00 on 25th Marchthe 06.53 Euston-Northampton came to a standjust north of the junction following an ADDoperation. As the train was formed of two setsand it was the rear set’s pantograph which hadcaused the activation the driver was able toraise the one on 350106 and move off after only25 minutes delay. As the cause was later foundto be an air leak fault and inspection of the OLEfound all was in order normal working resumedfairly quickly.Northampton. The training trips with testcoaches from Derby via Crewe continued intoearly April, with 67022+67023 noted on 4th. Daventry. 86622 working alone arrived in theearly afternoon of 2nd April with 4Z51 the 09.10from Tilbury, working back almost immediatelywith a return working.

The DRS shunter, 37038, departed north in thecompany of 37608+37402 on 9th April. Itstemporary replacement was 37194. Afterexamination at Crewe 37038 returned south on10th with 37194 returning north light.Rugby. On 17th April it was noted that the sixColas vans, stated to be for a Daventry-Eustonservice, had departed from storage in the formercarriage sidings. Stabled at platform 3 was DRS57307 in “Cable Theft” prevention livery andstill carrying its pink Lady Penelope nameplate.It was also there on 22nd. On 19th newlyre-liveried 20227 plus 20189 went south enroute to West Ruislip.

West Midland-WCML CentralChiltern. A fourth silver set entered serviceduring April. With only five coaches it is formed12625+12627+12621+12623+10271 with DVT82305. On 19th it worked the 10.55 MoorStreet-Marylebone with 67015. On 22nd onlyone set, with DVT 82303, was available and thisworked the 10.15 Marylebone-Moor Street andreturn. The 08.45 Marylebone-Moor Street and10.55 return was 168004. This did not retire toWembley on arrival at Marylebone as wouldhave the silver set but worked the 13.15 to MoorStreet and return. In the morning four sets,including the blue/grey set with 67014 and DVT82304, were at Wembley. Present were67013-15 and EWS-liveried 67017. One set leftand went ECS north and was seen passingLeamington around midday. The Cl.168working continued on 23rd, 24th and 25th.168005 worked on 24th when 67010 with DVT82302 worked the 10.15 from Marylebone. On26th two sets were seen in use 67012 with DVT82303 on 10.55 from Moor Street and 67010with DVT 82302 on the 10.15 from Marylebone.Advance notice of the 19th May timetable showslittle change to the winter schedules. The 17.50from Marylebone is shown as the blue/grey setand extended from Bicester to Banbury andalthough the report of a ‘meet the manager’session stated the 18.47 from Marylebone, nowrunning to Kidderminster instead of the 19.15,would be a silver set although this has not beenconfirmed.Coventry. On 11th April a signal fault southof Birmingham International caused delaysduring the morning. 390151 with the 09.23Euston-Wolverhampton left five minutes lateand arrived at New Street 45 minutes down. Aswift turnround meant it called at Coventry onlyfive minutes late on the return working.West Midlands. On 15th April 66613 passedWalsall at 13.38 with 6Z65 the 10.41 Earlessidings-Walsall Midland yard which hasreplaced the former Tunstead train. The usualcrop of engineering works continued to causediversions and bus replacements over the periodunder review. Particularly affected on 20th and21st April was the New Street-Walsall/Rugeleyline with bus replacement for the wholeweekend. On 22nd 66113 passed through

377

Walsall at 13.23 on 4G34 the 13.10MOBescot-Birch Coppice and 6Z65 passed at 13.54hauled by 70015.

North West-WCML NorthCrewe. On 28th March 390128 was notedworking a 14.44 Preston-Euston relief while the13.33 Euston-Preston relief was 390043. On 1stApril 48151 arrived at 17.57 with theShrewsbury-Crewe leg of a return charter toBridlington which went forward worked by47760+47854. Due to the failure of 4M44 the08.47 Mossend-DIRFT at Balshaw Lane, thetrapped 13.20 relief from Glasgow to Eustonarrived at 19.08 and the 13.40 Glasgow-Eustonarrived at 19.27 behind 57308 after running viaManchester, going forward 188 minutes lateunder its own power having been overtaken bythe 14.40 which passed at 19.25 and the 15.40which passed at 19.31. On 3rd April 37425 was stabled at platform 8 at13.15 blocking in 57302. Next day 37405arrived from Barrow Hill at 12.59 hauling 57008and 37603. 66847 left at 15.58 with 6S96 the12.42 Sinfin-Grangemouth and two minuteslater 66850 passed with 6M37 the 09.35 BaglanBay-Chirk, quickly followed by 90026 arrivingfrom Warrington with 325012 for the ETD.Unusually 6H50 the 12.59 Willesden-Tunsteadhauled by 66136 ran into the station for relief at16.44, leaving at 16.53 just as 6M48 the 10.48

Southampton Eastern Docks-Halewood, alsonormally routed via the independent linespassed through.On 5th April 31106 arrived at 12.30 haulingD9009 en route from Barrow Hill; the Cl.31 wasbeing used to train DBS drivers, despite ithaving been suggested that they were to beretired from test train duties once NRcommissioned its DVTs, and no-one had beenavailable to conduct the driver on the Cl.55 fromDerby. On the same day 57313+57316 arrivedat 14.32 with the Statesman stock fromCarnforth to stable in the down refuge for acharter the following day from Hereford toCarlisle via Cannock.On 13th April 60092 passed at 14.47 on aRatcliffe-Arpley at 14.47 and 56105 at 18.57with a Baglan Bay-Chirk timber train. Next day57314+57601 left at 14.42 with 5Z41 the 12.32Coventry yard-Carnforth and 57313+57316passed at 14.49 with 5Z65 the 12.08 ActonLane-Carnforth, while 350118+350111+350104left at 15.03 with a 12-car 110mph test forEuston; all three sets now had test equipmentunlike when seen last month, but there did notappear to be any cameras to record thebehaviour of the pantographs.On 19th April 66711 passed at 20.16 with the16.03 Doncaster Decoy-Ellesmere Port biomassempties, rather oddly still using the 4F22reporting number applicable from Ironbridge.

221104+221115 (Bombardier branded) pass the site of Holywell Junction station on the 13.58 Holyhead-Eustonon Good Friday, 29th March. Once a four-track section down the North Wales coast, the two outer lines are nowonly loops, which see very little use nowadays. The line trailing in on the left was a connection from the line fromHolywell and the sidings for Courtaulds. John Cashen

378

It is now customary to advise passengers joiningVirgin services to check with platform staffwhere their reservations are. This wouldpresumably have been pointless on 21st Aprilwhen the 14.09 Voyager service to Glasgowrolled in, not only in reverse, but also formed by390013. On the same day the “Northern Belle”ECS arrived at 13.52 worked by 47790+47501,and at 14.04 57316+57601 arrived with theStatesman ECS, also largely in Pullman livery,returning from Holyhead to Carnforth.Liverpool. The Fiddlers Ferry PS-LiverpoolBulk Terminal (LBT) coal trains have beenworked by 60015/45/63/92 from 25th Februaryuntil 18th April with all of them also makingtrips to Ratcliffe PS. 60091 then replaced 60063on 19th. On 29th March 60019 was seenworking 6E14 the 16.10FO Seaforth to Tinsley.Timings have appeared for the LBT-Ironbridgebiomass workings, shown to run from 11thMarch, but it hadn’t materialised by 20th April.It is not expected that all these paths willoperate on a daily basis.Departures from the Liverpool area are at Weekdays 00R24MX, 04.56, 07.49, 14.55 Saturdays 00.26, 04.40, 08.00, 14.55, 19w00Sundays 11W03 or 11R22, 13T25, 15.00

Arrival times in Liverpool are atWeekdays 02T33MX or 02.33MX or 02.51MX,05T25, 06R15MO, 12.56 or 12T56, 16t14MWFO,16t28TuThO, 20.11FO, 21t55FX, 22T29 or 22.37FX

Saturdays 02R22, 04.52, 05T50, 12.57, 17.19,18.14, 19.54, 22.29 / 22T35Sundays 19.15, 21.37 R via Runcorn - all other workings via Huyton andWarrington Bank Quay except T from Tuebrook sidings - t to Tuebrook sidingsW from Warrington Bank Quay sidings w to Warrington Bank Quay sidings

Over the Easter weekend Birmingham trainsran at xx.34 and xx.20 from Wolverhampton,with the units lying over in Lime Street forabout 50 minutes, requiring only four diagramsinstead of the usual eight. On Easter Sundaythere were only three diagrams instead of fourwith services leaving at xx.35 each hour andreturning from Stafford at 10.19, 11.17, 12.00and then on the hour. On 3rd April the 15.36from New Street was turned round at Runcornreturning at 17.34, presumably to cover for the17.04 from Lime Street, whilst on 13th it wasnoted that the 19.04 and 20.34 were shown ascancelled. On 19th promotional-liveried 350110worked the diagram which includes the 10.04from Lime Street and the one including the07.04 next day. The usual VSOE charter ran on‘Grand National’ day, 6th April, from LondonVictoria to Runcorn, returning from Lime Streetat 18.28 behind 67005 with 67006 at the rear.However East Midland’s Cl.222 substitutionsfrom Nottingham did not occur, presumably asit was felt unnecessary now most Saturdayservices are booked for pairs of Cl.158s.

DBS 60054 pauses at Leicester on 6th April for a driver change with 6E38 Colnbrook to Lindsey empty oil tanks.In the background is SK Rail Tamper DR 73940 awaiting its next duty. Keith Sykes

379

On 7th April Liverpool had its first throughEdinburgh workings for over 10 years when, dueto engineering works, TransPennine serviceswere amended during the morning andafternoon. Instead of alternate trains toMiddlesbrough or Scarborough, the 08.22 wentto Selby (starting at 08.32 from South Parkwaybecause of overrunning engineering workssomewhere between there and Lime Street), the09.22, 11.22, 12.22 and 13.22 went to Newcastlein lieu of trains from Manchester Airport, thosegoing to Middlesbrough or Scarborough and the10.22 went to Edinburgh via the ECML. Inwardtrains did likewise with arrivals at 11.00 fromYork, 12.58 from Scarborough, 13.58 fromMiddlesbrough, 14.57 and 15.58 from Newcastleand 16.58 from Edinburgh. At other weekendsfrom 30th March some Manchester Airport-Newcastle services ran through to Edinburghdue to work in Scotland. Warrington. 66850 continued to power mostCarlisle-Chirk timber trains, although on 26thMarch the northbound 6C37 ran at 09.13 fromChirk, passing here at 13.40 with 56105 incharge, which returned with the following day’s6J37 the 12.44 from Carlisle. The samelocomotive worked south on 6J37 on 20th April.The Tyne Dock-Ironbridge biomass workings didnot run after 26th March and it is believed thematerial was sold to Drax, due to ongoingproblems at the power station, although on 13tha train of empties was seen going to EllesmerePort with 66746 (see Ellesmere Port). On 19th66711 was on a similar working from Doncaster,passing at 21.11. 6S94 the 03.05WO Dollands Moor-Irvine chinaclay train was worked by 92011 on 27thFebruary, 92031 on 4th March running as aWembley- Carlisle and seen at 16.25 and 92019on 10th, whilst 4M63 the 10.19FO Mossend-Hams Hall had 92037 in charge on 5th and 12thApril and 92019 on 19th.The gypsum workings were seen in the hands of66718 on 27th March, 66727 on 4th, 8th, 10thand 11th April, 66709 on 15th-17th and 66746on 22nd. The initial incoming working startedat Peterborough on 2nd, at Hotchley Hill on 5thand at Doncaster on 15th and 22nd. It has alsobeen leaving Newbiggin at 04.22 after its returnfrom Fiddlers Ferry, whilst on 3rd 4C77 theoutward working was cancelled, apparently atthe request of the customer. Since 8th/9th thetimings have changed and 4F77 the inwardworking from Newbiggin has been booked toleave there at 04.22 and through here at 08.56to Northwich for reversal, whilst 4C77 has beenleaving Fiddlers Ferry at 15.35 or 16.20 andfollowing its run to Ellesmere Port to reverse,has been booked to pass here northbound at18.45.

On 1st April 70002+70016+70010+66605+66529were seen at 12.50 running as an 07.30 Carlisle-Basford Hall. 60092 powered 6F50 the10.00WO Arpley-Wigan WRD (Springs BranchTMD to most members!) and 6F51 the 11.34return on 3rd. Blue pair 57313 and 57316worked 1Z68 the 05.10 Hereford-Carlisle andreturn on 6th, being seen northbound at 09.07and then on 13th they appeared again at 08.55working 1Z62 the 05.38 Milton Keynes-Carlisle.Also on 6th Deltic D9009 Alycidon was seen at06.35 on 1Z55 the 06.03 Crewe-Edinburgh “TheEidyn Burgh Scot” via Manchester Victoria.87002 headed south at 14.50 behind 47245 on11th on a Carlisle-Willesden locomotive move.On 16th 6C53 the 06.30MX Crewe-Sellafieldwas seen behind 57003+57007+37601+37612,whilst 6K73 the 17.18FX southbound workingwas seen behind 37194+37218+37688 thefollowing evening. Oakleigh Sidings (Northwich). Theworkings to/from Tunstead were seen beingworked by 60099 until 29th March and then by60011/65 up to 21st April. Acton Bridge. 66161+66171+66230+66098passed at 17.53 on 29th March en route fromBescot to Carlisle, whilst on 12th April 6F60 theArpley-Runcorn Folly Lane working passed hereat 07.40. The southbound sleepers were heavilydelayed on 19th April when 66075+90029 wereseen at 07.13 with 5M11 from Preston, followingthe failure of 90029 at Penrith on the Glasgowtrain, booked to pass at 03.53, and four minuteslater 90035 followed with 1M16 from Invernessrunning 194 minutes late. Both were sent viaNorthampton to avoid delaying Virgin andLondon Midland services booked to run viaWeedon. The highland train eventually arrivedat Euston 135 minutes late. Ellesmere Port. 66746 was seen passing hereat 13.45 on 13th April with an empty biomassworking from Ironbridge PS, which returned thefollowing day as 6G64 being seen here at 08.55(see Warrington). It is believed that 66744worked out of here on 17th and on 20th 66711was seen at 08.40 on 6G64. 66001 newly in DBlivery worked the Middleton Towers sandworkings from here on 16th and 18th instead ofFHH and they now appear to be centred onArpley rather than Basford Hall.Wigan NW. On 21st April 70015+66618+66513+66602+66517 passed at 16.55 on aCarlisle-Basford Hall light working. Preston Area. 48151 was seen working 5Z49Carnforth-Crewe with its support coach atLostock Hall Junction at 07.55 on 30th March inreadiness for working the Crewe-Chester-Shrewsbury section of the “Welsh BordersSteam Special” from Bridlington. On 11th86101 passed junction. 28 (Leyland) of the M6

380

motorway at 15.25 on a low loader en route fromCarlisle to Willesden. 60054 worked 6E32 the08.55 Preston Docks-Lindsey on 15th and on thefollowing day 45699 Galatea with four coacheswent north at 16.03 on a Carnforth-Carnforthvia Hellifield loaded test run. It was expectedto work another one over the weekend20th-22nd, but both were cancelled. 97304 with31106 at the rear worked a Derby-Millerhillinspection train on 22nd, passing here at 12.30. Engineering Work. On Saturday afternoonand Sunday mornings from 30th March, due towork between Preston and Carnforth, as well asin Scotland, TPE did not advertise any servicesnorth of Preston, except to Blackpool andbetween Oxenholme and Windermere.Although Virgin services were modified toaccommodate the Scottish work they wereshown in timetables to run through. In practice,apart from the 11.20 Birmingham-Glasgow and14.00 return on Saturdays and the 09.20 fromBirmingham on Sundays, which ran viaAppleby, reversing at Preston, they werereplaced by buses between Preston andOxenholme. Advance notice has been given of a nine-dayblockade between Winwick Junction and EuxtonJunction from 13th to 21st July while variousjunction speeds are raised, with Wigan servedby buses and a Birmingham- Preston Voyagershuttle via Manchester.Manchester Area. 4M01 the 01.48MXFelixstowe-Trafford Park and 4L18 the 12.25SXreturn were worked by 66714 from 26th-29thMarch, 66721 on 2nd-8th April, 66702 on9th-20th and 66733 on 22nd. 66714 was seen atPiccadilly on 29th March at 12.05 returninglight to Peterborough whilst 66721 made thereverse journey on 2nd April, again seen atPiccadilly, at 09.45. 66702 went light toIronbridge on 20th at approximately 12.30 and66733 did likewise from Hams Hall on 22nd.60065 was in charge of 6J46 the 10.30 PeakForest-Salford Hope Street on 28th March andon 3rd and 4th April, whilst 60011 performedthis duty on 8th, 11th, 16th and 18th. 60011worked 6J47 from Peak Forest on 7th April and60065 was seen at Salford on 21st on the sameworking.Stockport. The DIRFT-Mossend/Coatbridgeintermodals were diverted through here duringthe Easter weekend. On 1st April 66428 wasseen here at 08.20 working 4M30 the 19.54 ex-Grangemouth.Wilmslow. 66432 passed through at 06.25 on15th April with a diverted 4M30 the 19.54Grangemouth-DIRFT and 66422 did likewise on22nd.

Midland Main Line Weather Related Items. The continuation ofthe cold weather from 25th to 27th Marchcaused more problems with icicles formingunder overbridges and in tunnels on the route,this being especially so where OLE equipmentwas involved such as in the tunnels at Ampthilland further north at Corby they were reportedas being 6-7ft in length.St. Pancras. A special to the WensleydaleRailway departed at 07.40 on 20th April, usingan HST set with power cars 43050+43073.Carlton Road Junction. Just after midday on5th April when 6M09 the 11.40 Ferme Park-Wellingborough had crossed from the downTottenham line to the down slow line a trackcircuit failure locked the junction and preventedroutes being set up in either direction to/fromthe Thameslink route. 6M53 the 10.54Chelmsford-Mountsorrel was then used to try toclear the route, watched by S&T and PW staff,but it took some time to establish the cause.Thameslink services from the south were turnedback at either St. Pancras, Farringdon orBlackfriars, with those from the north at WestHampstead. A temporary repair was made by13.30 which allowed services to resume. Cricklewood. On 15th April 57301 and 57306were noted in the sidings. Elstree. At 18.40 on 20th April after a trippingof the OLE on the down slow line it was reportedthat the wires were on the ground so all lineswas isolated to await an inspection, whichrevealed 30-40 metres of wire down between thedown slow and up fast lines. The down fast linewas re-opened at line speed at 19.50, with theup fast and slow lines at caution. A number oftrains were trapped by the incident and someEMT services were turned at Bedford or furthernorth, with FCC running from the north toeither Luton or West Hampstead. Repairs tookplace overnight and normal working resumed on21st.Bedford. The Earles siding-West Thurrockcement trains (6L45 and 6L87) continue to beworked by a mixture of power, mainly Cl.66/6and Cl.70. Those noted recently have included66613/6/9 and 70005/13. 47786+57315 werenoted passing at 21.00 on 31st March with 5Z69the 19.25 Derby-Southall.Kettering. 6V70 the 21.09 Lindsey-Colnbrookaviation fuel train was noted here on 29thMarch, diverted due to the Reading blockade.Two of the remaining Cl.423 (4-VOP) units werenoted behind 66705 at 13.50 on 26th March enroute from Tonbridge to Barrow Hill.Thanks to John Cashen, Dave Douglas, AlanDonaldson and Alan Turton

381

With the breakwaters of Ayr harbour in the background, 380009 passes a deserted Falkland Junction yard with the10.13 Ayr-Glasgow Central on 18th April. Whilst the line into Ayr harbour is still operational it is understood thatrecent coal shipments have been infrequent. Mike Robinson

SCOTTISHGlasgow South Electrics. During thecommissioning of the new signalling in theformer Cathcart PSB area, buses replaced trainsfrom Saturday 30th March until approximatelymidday on Tuesday 2nd April. Driver trainingtook place on the Tuesday morning, trainsrunning without passengers to allow drivers tofamiliarise themselves with the new signalling.Edinburgh. From 30th March engineeringwork at Midcalder from 11.00 on Saturday untilaround midday on Sunday blocked the lines toCarstairs and West Calder. Some Virginservices ran from Carstairs to Edinburgh viaFalkirk Grahamston, while the 10.52 toBirmingham was replaced by a 10.12 departure,formed by a Cl.390 sent specially from Polmadie. In order to maintain a service to and fromManchester Airport some TPE services wereextended from Newcastle to and fromEdinburgh and in one case Glasgow. On 20thApril 185140 worked the 11.40 from Edinburgh,forming the 13.15 from Newcastle. The 12.05from Manchester Airport was worked by185141, returning at 17.04 from Edinburgh; itshould be noted the non-stop runs shown in theNRT for some of the trains between Edinburghand Chester-le-Street were erroneous! 66618 and 66597 were stabled at platform 3 at10.00 and 67021 and 90018 were in the adjacentholding siding.

West Lothian & Fife. On 19th April a set ofWCR coaches was noted standing on theconnection to the SRPS line at Bo’ness Junctionat 09.10, with 47786 on one end and47804+47237 on the other.On 21st SRPS Railtours ran two “Forth Circle”tours using 60009 Union of South Africa. Themorning circuit ran as the 09.50 Linlithgow toLinlithgow and the afternoon one as the 15.20Dalmeny to Inverkeithing, both anti-clockwise.37685 stood at Bo’ness Junction during the dayand then followed the second train toInverkeithing yard to return the ECS to Bo’ness,making heavy weather of its nine-coach trainwhen seen at Linlithgow at 20.30. The A4 randirect from Inverkeithing to its base at ThorntonJunction with its support coach. Stirling. 66847 was in a siding at the south endof the station at 18.15 on 21st April.Passenger Numbers. ScotRail has claimed anew record by carrying 83.3 million passengersin the year ended 31st March 2013, an increaseof 2.6% on the previous year. An increase of onethird has been achieved since First Group tookover the franchise nine years ago. However itwas admitted that they were unable to explainsome of the individual increases, so it is possiblethat there is a substantial amount of guessworkinvolved.

382

EASTERN & NORTH EASTERNECML. Services were revised over the Easterholiday weekend with many of the services onGood Friday (29th March) and on Bank HolidayMonday (1st April) between London andNewcastle extended to operate between Londonand Edinburgh. To provide the additional trainsets for these altered services, the servicebetween London and Leeds was reduced, withmost of the trains which call at Peterboroughbeing cancelled. This meant that passengerstravelling between the Eastern Counties/Peterborough and West Yorkshire had anadditional change at Doncaster. This was thesame service which operated around Christmas/New Year. However, things did not run totallysmoothly as power supply problems in theNewark area early on 30th saw delays to manytrains. These included three of the divertedScotRail sleeper trains. Information showedthat 1S25 Euston-Inverness, hauled by 90021,was not delayed but that 1S26 Euston-Glasgow,with 90036, was, being reported 100 minuteslate at York. The southbound trains were notedat York at 03.30 and 04.45, but were then bothheavily delayed, being noted approachingPeterborough only a few minutes apart justafter 08.00, both with diesel assistance.Somehow, 1M16 Inverness-Euston hadmanaged to get in front of 1M11 Glasgow-Euston, being noted at 08.02 with 66031+90024,

followed by 60079+90020 on 1M11 at 08.10. Thediesel locomotives were detached atPeterborough. Later that morning, 67027worked south on a failed Cl.91/Mk.4 set en routeto Bounds Green depot, noted at Grantham at09.50.A few days later, on 3rd April, there werefurther power supply problems in the Newarkarea, causing delays to all trains through thearea. The Ed. Rep. and his family just happenedto be going to Scotland that day for a shortbreak. They joined the 09.08 Kings Cross-Yorkat Peterborough, leaving on time at 09.59. Thetrain was delayed by an hour through theGrantham area, but then ran at line speed toDoncaster, but omitting the Newark stop. Thetrain was terminated at Doncaster to pick up itsreturn working from there, and passengers hadto join the following 09.30 from Kings Crossforward to York. Whilst on the way to York, theconductor advised passengers for north ofEdinburgh, including us, to change at York, asthe following 10.00 Kings Cross- Aberdeen wasright behind, and would overtake the 09.30service before Edinburgh. They were going tochange at York anyway, but in fact theAberdeen service was over 30 minutes behindand never got near the earlier train! Theyeventually reached their destination over anhour late.

Semaphore signals still reign supreme at Barnetby. On 6th April 66077 Benjamin Gimbert GC passes BarnetbyEast signal box with an Immingham to Scunthorpe coal train. Keith Sykes

383

On 5th April, there were OHL problems in theNew Barnet area and some trains were divertedvia Hertford North.In April, engineering work on the route movedto the Doncaster-Leeds line, and has involvedrelaying work in the Wakefield area onSundays. As a result, services have beendiverted to run via the Hambleton south-to-westcurve and arrive in Leeds from the east. Allthese trains have to be formed of HST sets and,as a result, the Sunday services to/from Hull andLincoln have been cancelled. On 2nd April, Mk.4 set BN27 was taken northto Wabtec, Doncaster for overhaul andrepainting, thus bringing to an end the era oftrain sets in the dark blue ex-GNER livery,although spare vehicles 12200 and 82224 haveyet to be done. Next day, repainted Mk.4 setBN30 returned to Bounds Green and was intraffic within a few days. Cl.91 locomotivescontinue to receive attention at Wabtec, butrecent examples have not been repainted and sixlocomotives (91113/4/8/9/21/4) remain in bluelivery.Ferme Park. 59206 was noted in the yard at08.50 on 9th April, having worked an aggregatestrain from Dagenham Dock.Hitchin. 6L37 09.58 Hoo Junction-Whitemooris a regular working for a FLHH locomotive,passing at about 13.15. This month, 66510 and66555 have had almost total monopoly on thistrain, but on 2nd April, 66510 had 66539 deadin train, and on 15th, 66510 and 66555double-headed, the return working having66555+66615. Next day, 66615 returned north,this time with DBS 66156.Peterborough. Closure of the WCML inLancashire over Easter and on Sundays nightssince then, has meant that the ScotRail sleeperservices are running from/to Euston viaWembley yard, where they reverse, and theNorth London line to reach the ECML. Thesediversions were scheduled to continue everySunday until the night of 16th/17th June. Thefirst night was when there were delays in theNewark area (see ECML). On 7th/8th April,locomotives used were 90018 on 1S25, 90021 on1S26, 90020 on 1M11 and 90029 on 1M16. On14th, 90018 was on 1S25 but no reports havebeen received of the other locomotives thatnight. Then on 21st/22nd, 90029 was 1S25,90020 on 1S26, 90035 on 1M11 and 90018 on1M16. On 30th March, there were two divertedmail trains. The northbound working wasaffected by the OHL problems at Newark, anddeparted from here with 60079 assisting 90039and EMUs 325014/11/03. Later in the morning,90029 came south on the Shieldmuir-Wembleytrain, similarly formed of three Cl.325s. There have been a number of charter trains andassociated stock moves in recent weeks. On 9thApril, 67005+67006 worked the VSOE British

Pullman ECS through here at 16.02, on its wayto Nottingham to work a charter train toLondon. On 12th, 47826+47854 worked ECSfrom Carnforth to Norwich, passing at about15.00. This stock was used on a NENTA charteron 13th from Norwich to Cardiff. The stockreturned through here on 15th, with 47580between 47826 and 47854, all on the front of thetrain, passing at 09.54. On 13th, 92039 workeda UK Railtours charter train from FinsburyPark to Immingham and Cleethorpes, pickingup at 09.46 and dropping off at 20.57. Also thatday, 60163 Tornado worked a Steam Dreams“The Cathedrals Express” from Kings Cross toYork, going north soon after 10.00 and returningsouth at 20.00. Next day, 34067 Tangmereworked the RTC “The Peak Forester” fromKings Cross to Matlock and Rowsley, calling at11.30 to pick up and at 19.54 to set down. On20th, we saw the new order from West CoastRailways, when their “Windsor Charter” fromSkegness to Windsor was worked by 57314+57313, passing at 09.13 going south, returningat 19.29 with 57313 now providing the power.Stock moves have included 465917 going southbehind a Cl.66/7 at 22.57 on 12th April.However, the return working next day wascancelled due to a problem with one of thebarrier coaches in Kent. There has been anincrease in DRS Cl.47 movements betweenCrewe Gresty Road and Norwich in April, dueto a shortage of DMUs at Norwich and the useof two of these locomotives on a short Mk.3 seton some trains between Norwich and GreatYarmouth/Lowestoft. Locomotives seen include47818 going east at 16.57 on 1st, 47802 west at11.42 on 3rd, 47805 east from Carlisle at 16.55on 9th, 47810/28 east at 14.22 on 18th, 47802/10/8 west at about 14.00 on 22nd and 47818west at 14.05 on 23rd. 156412 worked east fromWolverton to Norwich at 15.30 on 22nd afteroverhaul.Engineering work on the line to Ely closed thisroute all day on 6th/7th, 13th/14th and 20th/21st April. On the first two weekends, therailway was closed whilst the road surface wasrelaid at Kings Dyke level crossing, where themain A605 road crosses the railway betweenhere and Whittlesey. On 20th/21st, work wasbeing carried out at Ely, which had no trains atall on those two days. All these closures meantthat a considerable number of replacementcoaches ran from here to Ely, Norwich andCambridge, with train services fromBirmingham and Nottingham all terminating atPeterborough and working back. Also, freighttraffic to/from East Anglia had to run via themain line to London and the GE main line toIpswich. Other engineering work closed the linebetween Lincoln and Sleaford from 7th to 15thApril, with a shuttle service running betweenhere and Sleaford, and buses forward to Lincoln.

384

Once again, there have been a number of testtrains reported. On 2nd April, 37667+97304and test coach 977974 passed at 12.28 on a 10.50Derby-Cambridge. The train returned to Derbynext day, passing at about 14.30. Also on 3rd,37423 arrived at the LIP from Doncaster atabout 18.00. However, its test run on 4th didnot run as it was at the LIP all day. It had goneby the next morning. Also on 3rd, 31190 workedlight from Doncaster to Willesden, passing at10.30. On 8th, 43014/62 worked the NMT southat about 18.00, returning north at 21.35. Theyreturned on 15th, going south at 13.19, andreturning north at 21.58. The longer timeinterval was due to the train having made areturn trip from Kings Cross to Cambridge,where it was reported at 16.30. On 18th, 37409made a short visit (from 14.25 to 15.00) whilstworking a Newcastle to Derby test train.Finally, on 22nd, 37667 passed at 11.25 on aDerby-Old Oak Common test train.Following the blocking of its normal routethrough Stainforth, the Scunthorpe-DollandsMoor steel train and return empties have nowbeen rerouted. The loaded train runs east fromScunthorpe to Immingham, where thelocomotive runs round, before returning west toreach the ECML at Newark via Barnetby andLincoln. The empties take the same route inreverse. Motive power is now a DBS Cl.66.Another more recent change has seen DBS takeover the TThO sand train from MiddletonTowers to Ellesmere Port from FLHH from 15thApril. The empties now run as 6L85 the 01.08Warrington Arpley-Middleton Towers, passingat 05.50, and the loaded train is now 6M88 the14.35 Middleton Towers-Ellesmere Port, due at17.15. Prior to the change, 66522 worked theservice on 26th March. 66001 worked therevised service during its first week. The SuOPeterborough-Langley Jct. SDT train and returnempties continue to run with two locomotives intop and tail mode. Pairs noted have been66041+66076 on 31st March, 66001+66158 on7th April and 66030+66118 on 21st.FLHH 66599 worked 4L87 the 08.47 Leeds-Felixstowe on 26th March, whilst next day, itworked 4E83 the 00.27 the Felixstowe-Doncaster and 4L85 12.28 return and then 4E64the 18.19 Felixstowe-Wilton. On 30th, 66733failed at Stamford at about 10.00 on 6L76 the07.05 Stud Farm-Whitemoor ballast train,causing delays to the Birmingham-Stanstedservice. 66085 was sent from Peterborough toassist but it was 12.50 before the train was onthe move. On 2nd April, 66955 failed beforeworking 4L87 the 04.28 Scunthorpe-Felixstoweand was assisted by 66570. It was due to passhere at 09.10 but was reported at Lincoln at11.45, running about five hours late. Thatafternoon, another double-header appeared with66538/68 working 4E24 the 10.39 Thamesport-

Leeds. On 4th, 66745 arrived on 4M21 the 03.23Felixstowe-Hams Hall and went into the yard,where 66739 was attached in front to work toHams Hall, where 66728 had failed on 4L02 the03.55 Hams Hall-Felixstowe. On 6th, 66567/71worked 4E22 the 06.14 Felixstowe-Leeds, thesame train being worked by 66537/92 on 10thand by FLHH 66508 on 13th. On 18th, 66846worked 6L76, whilst next day, the same trainhad 66848+66716. There have been few Cl.60s this month; 60099worked 6L84/6E04 the 21.43 Doncaster-Whitemoor and 01.34 return on 10th/11th April.Then 60035 worked 6L15/6M15 the 17.52 Toton-Whitemoor and 22.34 return on 19th, with60049 working these trains on 23rd. The mostunexpected visitor was 56312 at 17.07 on 21st,a Sunday, on empty scrap metal wagons fromChaddesden to Willesden.Lincoln. Route learning has been in progressfor diversions during the summer. This hasinvolved Cl.67 locomotives working fromPeterborough, 67019 being the most frequentvisitor. Freightliner has also been involved,with Cl.66/5s working through on Leeds-Newark route learning trips. On 10th April,70008 appeared on this working, this apparentlybeing the first visit by a member of the class,unless anyone knows otherwise! It reappearednext day.Boston. The steel trains continue to run threeor four times a week. 47727 and 47739 havebeen the most common locomotives, but 56087was used on 27th March and 9th April, whilston 8th, 47739/49 double-headed the train.Kirton Lime Sidings. The ManchesterPiccadilly-Cleethorpes Trans Pennine Expressservice was badly affected by the landslip atHatfield colliery, as the Cl.185 DMUs werebarred from the diversionary route betweenDoncaster and Barnetby via GainsboroughCentral and Brigg. However on 2nd April,185147 was observed at 13.50 passing Kirtonlime sidings en route to Gainsborough with thedestination blind reading “not in service”,suggesting perhaps that it was running for routelearning or gauging purposes.Sheffield. On 28th March, the Earles sidings-Drax empty powder tanks service was hauled by66613 and by 70004 on 5th April. On 10th April, the 16.55 Manchester Airport-Doncaster (Cleethorpes) before the Hatfieldlandslip arrived on time formed by two Cl.170units. They were split and the rear unit leftbehind. The service has been retimed from theprevious departure at 18.24 to 18.13 whichconflicted with the TV screens also showing thescheduled 18.13 Leeds service. The Doncasterservice left first at 18.16 followed by the Leedsat 18.19.Traffic Flows. Small operator DCR gave up itsTyne Dock/Stockton-Cardiff Tidal scrap contract

385

at the end of March and it remains to be seenwhether another operator will take this up. TheDCR blended coal contract mentioned lastmonth has continued with Cl.56 haulage thoughthe timings have changed. Operations havemainly been concentrated between Kellingleyand Thoresby using York Holgate as a stagingpoint and the working to Butterwell nowappears to be TThO.Mail traffic was expected to return to the ECMLon 9th April when the service between Low Felland Willesden resumed with one nightly trainin each direction. As far as is known the trainswill be made up of up to three Cl.325s hauled bya Cl.90. The southbound train will leave LowFell at 21.47(FX) and running non-stop toWillesden arriving at 01.52. Details ofnorthbound arrangements are not yet knownknown. Up to press day there have not yet beenany reports of this train!Diversions. Some traffic was diverted from theWest Coast on 30th/31st March. This wasmainly the Caledonian sleepers andintermodals. Most interesting on 30th were twolocomotive-hauled postals. Firstly was newlyrepainted DBS red 90029 hauling three Cl.325sseen passing Heaton at 09.05 on a Shieldmuir-Willesden trip, then 90039 was noted departingNewcastle at 12.58 with a northbound workingwith 325003+325011+325014.

York. A DRS-operated civil engineers’ trainpassed through on the avoiding line at 12.00 on13th April, running as 6Z66 Darlington toDoncaster, headed by 66305+66434 and tailedby 20304/6. The Cl.20s quickly returned andwere based here for a few days afterwards andfound useful employment.The 13th April provided another ‘treat’ when60163 Tornado arrived from Kings Cross ontime at 13.07 with the “Cathedrals Express”.This train was originally intended to run on toDurham, but this leg had unfortunately had tobe cancelled due to engineering operations nearDoncaster.Thirsk. Deltic D9009 passed here at 09.21 on6th April with 1Z55 the Crewe-Edinburghcharter. Next day Black Five 44871 with twosupport coaches and sister engine 45407 on therear passed at 10.37, running from Grosmont toShrewsbury.Lindsey-Jarrow oil traffic has continued at therate of generally 4/5 trains per week andnoteworthy was DBS red 60019 seen for the firsttime in many months, passing on the 14.20empties from Jarrow on 9th June.Northallerton. A Doncaster-Tyne yard civilengineers’ train passed at 17.03 on 16th Aprilsurprisingly hauled by 60049.Redmire. “The Wensleydale Rambler”, acharter from St. Pancras ran on 20th April usingan East Midlands HST set and 43050/73.

On 6th April DBS 60059 Swinden Dalesman heads a convoy of four Cl.66s (66014/93, 66109/99) through Lincolnstation en route from Immingham to Doncaster. This train was diverted via Lincoln because of the long termclosure of the Scunthorpe route at Hatfield & Stainforth due to a major landslip. Keith Sykes

386

Darlington. The Oxwellmains-Hunslet cementtrain ran on 19th April passing at 11.36 with66618 in charge.Plawsworth. Less than an hour’s observationat this spot four miles north of Durhamproduced four coal trains on 16th April.19.22 56311 17.40 Butterwell-Thoresby 19.58 66514 15.17 Drax PS-Hunterston empties20.03 66103 09.56 Greenburn-West Burton PS 20.07 66711 19.08 Tyne Dock-Wilton PS.

Newcastle. 66739 The Bluebell Railway still inpristine condition after its exploits to theBluebell Line was back to mundane duties on17th April when it passed through here at 13.52with 6H80 the North Blyth-Drax loaded coalrunning via the Durham coast line. Thislocomotive then reappeared two days later at10.30 with the Kellingley-Potland Burn emptyKEA wagons.Morpeth. Royal Mail EMU 325001 passed hereat 17.14 on 8th April on a refresher run fromShieldmuir to Low Fell prior to the restorationof services.Hexham. The use of DRS locomotives on civilengineering and PW trains has greatlyincreased the number of light locomotive andconvoy movements between Carlisle and pointson the ECML. A Doncaster-Carlisle convoypassed at 13.55 on 9th April consisting of 66430,66303 and 20308. A further working on 15thsaw 66434 leading 66305/2 and 20303/9 on a

similar trip from Doncaster going through at16.45. 66735 passed at 12.50 on 17th April with 6Z58Hardendale-Lackenby loaded lime hoppers.The Seaton-Sellafield flask train did not run on5th April but resumed on 12th with 57003/07.On 19th April 37409+37611 did the eastboundjourney with two flasks, but returned light asthere was no return traffic.The Wansbeck Rail Tour. This steam-hauledrail tour ran from Newcastle on 30th Marchhauled by K4 2-6-0 61994 The Great Marquesswith K1 2-6-0 62005 on the rear. The tour wasoperated by The Railway Touring Co with an 11-coach Mk.1 train of WCR stock; both enginescoped well. 47760 was used for ECS dutiesbefore and after the rail tour and as it was notrequired on the tour, it spent the day at Heatondepot.The highlights of the trip were advertised as astop at Whitby and a trip down the Boulbybranch, but sadly neither of these wereachieved. Fortunately all passengers wereaware of this before departure. Apparently NRdeclined access to Whitby (for “operationalreasons”) and it was decided on Saltburn insteadas an ‘attractive’ alternative. As well as this,access to Boulby had been denied by ClevelandPotash. However it was established that therefusal was due to some temporary trackwork inthe works area which was considered unsuitablefor coaches by NR.

Instead of being on its usual west coast route 4M48 Stobart Rail's Mossend-DIRFT 'Tesco Express' CO2 saver isseen at 14.52 on 31st March with DRS 66431+66426 passing through Manors and approaching NewcastleCentral station on the ECML. John Turnbull

387

On 16th April 66541 passes Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park towards Channelsea curve, Stratford on 4L41 the09.03 Bristol FLT to Felixstowe. Bill Turvill

The tour started from Newcastle Central at08.50 with 61994 leading northbound on theECML to Morpeth and on to the Blyth and Tyneline via Hepscott to Newsham. Reversal tookplace here and at Marcheys House before thetrain went forward towards North Blyth as faras Freemans crossing. Unexpectedly, localpermission had been given for the train tocontinue the short distance from here into NorthBlyth past Battleship Wharf, a loading point forlocal opencast coal and for coal arriving fromoverseas and then on to the approach to theAlcan terminal. Here reversal took the trainback to Newsham, continuing on the B&T linerunning parallel to the Tyne & Wear Metro linefrom Northumberland Park to join the ECML atBenton North, then running via NewcastleCentral, King Edward Bridge and past TyneYard on the through freight line and then mainline to Ferryhill for a water stop.Both engines were successfully watered from aroad tanker next to a goods siding on the eastside of the line. The train then took theSedgefield line through Stockton and Thornabyand made a brief stop at Middlesbrough beforecontinuing through Redcar and Saltburn WestJunction to Crag Hall signal box, a few milesshort of Boulby and the limit of authority. Thetrain then retraced its steps back to Grangetownfor the final reversal to reach Saltburn stationon the much rationalised trackwork. Saltburn,

a terminal station has only two, albeit longplatforms but only one was in use. The rail tourhad to wait for the half-hourly Northern PacerDMU to arrive and depart before being allowedto enter the platform. The rail tour passengerswere offloaded quickly as the stock had to beremoved to a siding to enable it to be wateredand for the next DMU to arrive and depart! Therail tour passengers then had 45 minutes toenjoy the delights of Saltburn in the dark and,fortunately, there were a couple of pubs, a café,a few fish and chip shops and a supermarket foramusement!Another DMU was allowed to arrive and departbefore the rail tour was eventually backed intothe available platform. The train then departedabout 20 minutes after the scheduled time of18.44 with 61994 again leading. AtMiddlesbrough 62005 was detached to enable itto run on to the NYMR. 61994 took the trainback to Newcastle unassisted, running viaDarlington and Durham and arriving only a fewminutes late.47760 then took 61994 and the coaching stock toYork straight away.

ANGLIANorwich. Standing in the carriage sidingsalongside the station at 16.30 on 23th April were47805+47828 with 11100+11080+82139. Bothlocomotives were ticking over but there was notrain crew in evidence.

MAJOR PROJECTSBirmingham New Street. In preparation foropening the first part of the new entrance, NRpublished at the end of February a plan of thenew arrangements. The hoarding along theapproach road to the present entrance alsofeatured details of the arrangement expected inApril. Platform 9 is now closed with 8 havingbeen re-opened.Over the weekend 6th/7th April, half of the newconcourse was opened but only to about 200volunteers, including those with disabilities,drafted in to test facilities such as signage andplatform access. Staff also had ‘live’ training.Public opening was on 28th April, along withclosing the Smallbrook Queensway entrance andopening the Stephenson Street one.Borders Rail Link. BAM Nuttall beganexcavations on 18th April in Monktonhall (toclear the new alignment) and Shawfair (toprepare the station site).Crossrail. Contracts. The last major contract(fitting out the new tunnels with track, OLE,ventilation and drainage) was awarded in Aprilto consortium ATC (Alstom/TSO/Costain).Acton Yard. The new dive-underfoundations were started on 29th April.Slough. Middlegreen Road, Trenches andOld Stockley Road bridges (the latter inHillingdon) were lifted into place over theEaster weekend, replacing those removedlast Christmas. Conversely, Horton bridgewas demolished; its replacement wasinstalled at Christmas. All four will opento the public between April and June.Three notices were put up in April outsideSlough Estates’ main office (which is duefor demolition) on the corner of Leigh Roadand Bath Road stating ‘apologies for anydisruption to your journey while importantworks are carried out’, ‘Crossrail iscreating a new link to central Londonopening 2018’ and ‘so you can travel directto Tottenham Court Rd in just 32minutes’. Leigh Road bridge hasre-opened, and Stoke and Wexham Roadsstill show slow progress (see p.177, MarchRO). The latter had some more coping

stones added (almost complete by 11th April),and also some openings for viewing the trainshave been created.Stockley Flyover. Over Easter the foundationsfor the flyover extension were put in place, madefrom 24, 30m-long, reinforced concrete piles.Evergreen 3. Bicester North. Vegetation wasbeing cleared on 9th April, believed to be wherethe new link towards Oxford will be built.HS2. Euston. When the new line reachesLondon it will serve the existing terminussuitably modified rather than a brand newstation on the current site.Reading. Station. Further construction detailis available (see p.316, May RO). As Easterapproached contractors fixed finishing touchesto the new and existing platforms such as offindicators, lights, intermediate stoppingmarkers (dividing platforms into A and B ends)and posters.The new footbridge was opened mid-morning on29th March, four days early. The north sidebooking office is open 05.30-21.00 during theweek with a later start at weekends. New gates

NETWORK – INFRASTRUCTURE

388

On 16th April 2013 one of two 107 tonnebeams is lifted into position adjacent to thenew Pudding Mill Lane station which is beingbuilt to replace the existing one due to thealignment of Crossrail as it joins the GreatEastern main line. This is programmed forcompletion in April 2014. The beam wasmade in Ireland by Shay Murtagh Precast,Raharney, who are also making concretesegments for part of Crossrail tunnelconstruction. Bill Turvill

389

were also operational from that time. Therewere no shops available although overnight on4th April a coffee kiosk started to appear in thecentre of the bridge between platforms 11 and12. New WH Smith branches should haveopened on 15th May.On platforms 12-15, country end buildings havea waiting room and toilets (and on 12/13 acleaners’ room too); at the London end there isanother waiting room and dispatch staffaccommodation. The country end buildings onplatforms 8/9 and 10/11 lack toilets, but havewaiting and cleaners’ rooms.Platforms 7-11 and 16 did not open along withnew 12-15 on 2nd April. Track relaying at theLondon end was underway, with the down mainline through platform 7 still in place south of thenew works. By that afternoon further track wasin on the up main side as well. By 5th the newmain line-side track layout was nearly in place.A new up direction signal was installed atTilehurst on the down relief line to allow trainsto reverse there for Reading West.Platform 6 re-opened on 7th. The connectionbetween platform 8 and the new down main wascommissioned, with a new signal on the formerup through line formation. Platform 11 shouldopen in August, when platform 10 will close forstraightening. Platform 3 remains closed foranother year or so.The station offices moved on 15th April from thePortacabins in the station forecourt to their newlocation under the Caversham end of thefootbridge.Windsor. The individual proposing to link thetwo branches by tunnel (see p.178, March RO)admits that his timescales have slipped, but stillhopes that he will receive NR’s blessing in May.If forthcoming he must produce a financial andinvestment plan. A survey claims a 92.5%positive response from locals.OTHER DEVELOPMENTSNetwork Rail. Cable Theft. Attempts toprevent theft appear to be working as NRannounced recently that delay minutes, theftincidents and total industry cost all showsignificant reductions over last year. Initiativesinclude targeted BTP investigations, easier toidentify new cable types and legislation banningscrap dealers from paying with cash.Stations. General. Waterloo has retained itsposition as Britain’s busiest station and hasbecome 2.5% busier, according to the ORR’s2011-12 usage estimates. Similarly, Victoriaremains second busiest, and outside London,Birmingham New Street is busiest despite theongoing major rebuild.Sponsorship. Many Great Western stationshave, or had, sponsored name signs, mainly in aband at the bottom of the sign but sometimescovering the whole sign. Those known so farare:

Bristol The home of Friends LifeParkway. (white in blue shape on right)Exeter (formerly) Home of the MetSt. Davids. Office (blue text to right of ‘Exeter’

with logo below, ‘St. Davids’ onsecond line)

Exeter Blue Chip holidays (blue/green St. Davids. band on pebble image)Plymouth. Discover with Plymouth

University (to right)Reading. ING DirectReading. University of ReadingRedruth. Bill Bannister estate agent

(red/blue all over)St. Austell. Stephens Scown Solicitors

(on main part next to name). Thehome of Stephens Scown solicitors(in lower band reminiscent ofWessex Trains pink)

Taunton. Home of King’s Hall School (whitename on dark blue background)

Tiverton. Home of Petroc one of the southwest’s leading colleges. Train withus www.petroc.ac.uk/train (smalltext at bottom of sign, multi- coloured vertical bands on eachedge)

Truro. (same as St. Austell).Details of any others (including other TOC’sstations) are welcome.In addition, some (but not all) signs atCamborne have FGW ‘swoosh’ branding ratherthan the usual dark blue/purple band.Scotland. Tearooms, generally popularthroughout the country, are experiencing arevival on stations. During April funding wasannounced for tearooms at Dumbarton Centraland Inverurie, and another is planned for Tain.46 stations away from city centres now haveindependent refreshment facilities, manystarting with Railway Heritage Trust grants.Aigburth. Plans to remove the platform 2canopy and waiting area and replace them withmodern types were put on hold in late Marchafter representations made to NR’s chiefexecutive. He instructed the regional director toreview options, which may or may notultimately lead to the original outcome.Albrighton. Two years of civic society pressureshould be rewarded this summer when stationrestoration is completed. The station master’shouse should follow suit (converted into an artsand crafts centre, museum and touristinformation point), although funding must comefrom other sources for that. The station buildingwas, until recently, used as an Indianrestaurant.Banbury. Chiltern Railways wants to move orcover a mural, commissioned by Railtrack in2001 and showing the station on opening 150years earlier, to make way for a coffee kiosk.The civic society hopes it can be retained.

390

Maintaining the infrastructure inthe Devonian hills. . Busyscene at Brent on the GWML

The fruits of the Reading station rebuild are nowbecoming increasingly visible and althoughoperationally the station was closed overEaster, the two new entrances and transferdeck were opened over the Easter weekend.The above external view looks south west fromthe station car park showing the new transferdeck.

The entrances themselves are light and airy,each making great use of glazing to let naturallight in. Below is the escalator bank and stairs at thewestern entrance, whilst at right the escalatorbank at the northern entrance is seen.

ALLCHANGE

ATREADING

All photographsby David Goddard

Castleford. The long disused footbridge, notneeded since all trains call at the same platform,has been removed.Coventry. The full Nuneaton line project is indanger of going over budget. As a result the newRicoh Arena station is unlikely to open beforeautumn 2014.Crewe. Platforms 7-10 were temporarilyshortened in April. Platforms 7/8 had lost theirhydraulic buffers for refurbishment; platforms9/10 will follow suit.Derby. The £2.2m facelift project was completedin early April; the transport secretary/local MPwas expected to carry out formalities in theforecourt later.Energlyn. At a public exhibition in ChurchillPark on 10th April, NR showed off plans for anew station. It will be between Aber andLlanbradach and will cost £5.2m. To limit roadtraffic, station car parking will be limited to 18spaces. This will be a new station, there neverhaving been one here before.Exeter. NR has submitted planning applicationsfor Marsh Barton and Newcourt stations (seep.116, February RO). As yet there is no fundingthough if permission is forthcomingcontributions are likely from Devon countycouncil, developer contributions and theDepartment for Transport.Gatwick Airport. Platform 6 was returned touse (see p.251, April RO) late on 26th April.Gravesend. By the time this appears in print,groundwork should have started extending theplatforms and creating a third (see p.414,August 2009 RO). A full closure is alreadyplanned for 22nd December to 6th January forthe major track changes. The majority of thework is C. Spencer Ltd.’s responsibility andshould be complete in May 2014.Huntingdon. Refurbishing the grade II-listedstation began on 29th April. It will take nightshifts until 10th June to renew the woodenpanels, remove redundant fittings and addheritage-styled lighting.Ilkeston. The secretary of state for transport hasstrongly hinted that this is one of the winnersfor a share of the new stations fund (see p.317,May RO).Kensington (Olympia). Work started on 15thApril to install ticket gates. In addition, tomaintain public access across the stationbetween Olympia Way and Russell Road, thefootbridge was segregated into ‘inside’ and‘outside’ gate line sides. Work should becomplete in July.Kings Lynn. This is the first station selected byFirst Capital Connect to be redecorated in anhistorical style. It will receive British Railwaystotems applied to a Victorian paint scheme.Work began on 11th April for completion inSeptember. The visible alterations will waituntil the station is rewired.

Manchester Victoria. On 8th April physicalwork started on building a new £44m roof.Later, new facilities will be built on theconcourse, and the historical (listed) parts willbe restored. NR, Manchester city council andTransport for Greater Manchester are payingfor the work and expect it to be complete byDecember 2014.Oxford. NR has appointed design consultantAedas to come up with ideas for the station andsurrounding area. A plan, expected later thisyear, will include the forecourt and transportinterchange, Beckett Street car park, RogerDudman Way and Botley Road bridge and linkwith the council’s Frideswide Square plans; thesolution must receive NR, Oxfordshire countycouncil and First Great Western’s blessing.Peterborough. The temporary stairs to platform3 were brought into use in late March, andwithin a week the old ones were demolished.The space thus vacated has been excavated forfoundations for another building. Also onplatform 3, temporary lighting between the twobridges replaces the original lamp posts thatwere removed. Also removed was the signalpost from the original signal P799 on thetwo-way goods line; this stood in the middle ofthe new platform. The new P799 remains inplace and in use and is the only structurepreventing the completion of the walls for thenew island platform. Work has continued on thefoundations for the lift tower on platform 4/5,and on the new island platform structuralsteelwork for the bridge pier is now in place forthe extension to the ramped bridge at the northend of that platform.Port Talbot. Design for the station upgrade (seep.40, January RO) has started, but no date hasyet been set for physical work. However, NR isconfident that it will be complete within twoyears. The steel needed will come from thenearby steelworks.Rochester. NR has submitted a planningapplication for a new three-platform station (seep.179, March RO). It could be open by winter2015.Seer Green. Platform extension was underwayon 9th April.Stapleton Road. A new second footbridge wasbeing installed on 24th March, replacing theageing old one. It spans the running lines withprovision to extend over the empty relief linetrack bed, and was in use by 14th April. The oldbridge was lying nearby.Stafford. New paving slabs were being laid onplatform 6 in mid-April.Stonehouse. A study has been undertaken intore-opening the Gloucester-Bristol line station.Taunton. The forthcoming station rebuild willbe a little more extensive than most. It willinclude a new entrance, bus interchange andbus gate on the south side. To the north, there

391

will be business development, glazed entranceand commercial delivery area. Some allotmentswill relocate to Obridge yard. Groundwork willnot start before July.Tirphil. A loop and new down platform arebeing built. From the end of April track panelsstarted to arrive on site.Worcester. Foregate Street rebuilding began on24th April and should be complete by October.Two 1970s canopies will be replaced andautomatic doors added.Other Structures. Bath. Devonshire andCombe Down tunnels were re-opened at a partyon 6th April as part of a cycle path to Midfordon the former Somerset & Dorset Railway trackbed. Combe Down, Britain’s longest cycletunnel, is illuminated throughout except late atnight.Keadby. The canal bridge closed on 29th Aprilfor major maintenance, and should re-open on9th June. Trains were not affected as the linewas closed anyway because of the Hatfieldlandslip.Engineering Works. Walsall. At 22nd Aprila new overbridge at Moors Gorse level crossinghad been lifted into position. The ‘ironwork’ atMid-Cannock ground frame had been removedand not replaced although the uncommissionedsignal immediately south of it on the downCannock line has a subsidiary aspect. AtWalsall North Junction the down fast line hadbeen extended to join the down Cannock linewith a fixed diamond crossing.Routes. Hatfield & Stainforth. At 5th April itwas expected that removing the offending spoilheap (see p.318, May RO) and reinstating therailway could take until early September. Someplanned blockades, notably the GreatNorthern/Great Eastern ‘joint’ line, have beenaltered to ensure that sufficient alternativefreight routes remain available. NR hoped thatbetween 29th July and 9th Septemberpassenger trains between Doncaster and Goolecould run via Knottingley, but this provedimpractical so planned Selby swing bridge workis postponed.Madeley. The Silverdale branch’s ‘out of use’status has been extended to 30th April 2014.Portishead. It would be interesting if the branchcould re-open in 2017 (see p.318, May RO) as18th April that year is the 150th anniversary ofthe original opening. North Somerset, Bristolcity, South Gloucestershire and Bath & NorthEast Somerset councils are now building thebusiness case to re-open the line.St. Andrews. Campaign group StARLink (St.Andrews Rail Link) has won the support of localcouncillors in its attempt to rebuild the link tothe East Coast main line. StARLink will nowpresent a formal report to the council; itestimates that building could be completed for£76m.

Engineering Works. Old Street. The buildingincident where augers broke through the tunnelwall (see p.318, May RO) is being investigatedby the RAIB. Neither the construction companynor the architect made statements to the localpress.St. Bees. NR has asked the MarineManagement Organisation for permission tocarry out alterations to prevent future landslips.Last year a slip here caused a minor derailment.Sidings and Depots. National. PotterLogistics is extending sidings at Knowsley,Selby and Ely to handle 750m-long trains.Farmland has already been bought at Selby tocater for the extension. At Ely, some points willbe moved, hopefully when NR carries out its ownupgrade. Greater investment will be made atKnowsley as a result of a waste transfercontract; the site will incorporate somecouncil-owned wasteland.Daw Mill. The rail-served colliery nearNuneaton on the Birmingham line suffered adisastrous underground fire on 22nd Februaryand it was announced on 7th March thatproduction would end. It opened in 1965 andwas the last working in the West Midlands.Mossend. Partners P D Stirling Ltd. andCarnbroe Estates displayed expansion plans forthe existing railhead site at this year’sMultimodal event. The scheme includes 775mof new sidings and ‘state-of-the-art facilities’ fornational and international freight movements.Wakefield Kirkgate. The signalling &telecommunications engineer’s sidings havebeen relaid.Signalling. Communications. The railway’sGSM-R network includes, by necessity, manymasts across the country. The culture ministerwants improved mobile phone coverage ontrains, and wants NR to open its GSM-Rnetwork to public communications operators.Part of the minister’s reasoning is that NR caninstall masts as ‘permitted developments’ andbypass certain planning regulations with whichpublic operators must comply.Falls of Cruachan. From 15th April, and takingup to eight weeks to complete, five of the Pass ofBrander ‘stone’ signal posts were removed andrefurbished. They were completed one at a time,and the work meant signals returned to danger.Hest Bank. The gate box closed on 28th April;the crossing is now controlled from Preston.Rugby. Demolition of the former PSB buildingstarted on 15th April, and could take until 12thJuly to complete.Speed Restrictions. Stafford. The first phaseof performance improvement began in April.This consists of line speed improvementsbetween Crewe and Norton Bridge to give threeextra passenger and one extra freight path eachhour. Later phases cover Stafford arearesignalling and a flyover at Norton Bridge (seep.33, January 2012 RO).

392

TRACTION & ROLLING STOCK

LOCOMOTIVE STOCK - Alterations reported to 2nd May 2013

393

Level Crossings. Charfield. The public footcrossing was noted closed on 1st April. Theclosure/footpath diversion notices were datedSeptember 2012 and cited safety issues. Thatsaid, the walkway decking appeared to havebeen replaced recently.Gloucester. The path at Robinswood crossing(on the Bristol line, temporarily closed in June2006 as it courted the highest trespass andvandalism statistics for the Western) will bediverted rather than re-opening the crossing.Part of the new path must be raised to avoid abadger sett.Track Layouts. Walsall. Work has started onre-instating the connection from the down fast(platform 3) line to the down slow line at WalsallNorth Junction.Operational Matters. Birmingham NewStreet. From 28th April, NR dispatch staff wearlight blue vests in preference to the previousdark blue ones (still used by other NR staff).This makes them easier to distinguish on busyplatforms allowing TOC staff to deal with theirtrains more quickly.

Kensal Green. From 28th April wheel bearingmonitoring equipment was applied on the GreatWestern main line to the up and down mainlines at MLN1 2m 15ch.Electrification. Ardwick. The depot had OLEmasts when seen on 19th April; they carry MHXidentification plates and should be energisedfrom 19th May.Finally. The impossible journey. Did you knowthat it is possible to travel directly from a stationto itself without passing through that station?On closure, the two platforms at Cattistock haltwere moved a few miles north and reused atChetnole and Thornford stations. Thus one cantravel from one Cattistock platform (atChetnole) to another Cattistock platform (atThornford) without passing (the site of)Cattistock.Thanks to Bob Ballard, Alan Cooke, RichardGiles, Stuart Hicks, Phil Lockwood, PeterRobinson, William Turvill, David Warburtonand members who don’t want to be named.

Phil Deaves

John Lewis who has compiled this section since 1976retired a couple of months ago, handing overresponsibility to Andrew Lait who had assisted himfor some years. Our thanks to John for all his effortsin the past and to Andrew, who is based in Canada,for inheriting the overall responsibility. HoweverJohn continues to support Andrew and all postal notesshould continue to be forwarded to him at hisaddress. Meanwhile Andrew can be contacted directlyby e-mail at ourlocos@rcts.org.uk.

55022 has gone on hire to GBRf again for nineweeks, this time for moving units betweenShields Road and Kilmarnock, Springburn andYoker. When not required for these duties, itwill be securely stored at Railcare, Springburn.Seven Cl.56s, two at the Battlefield Line andfive at EMR, Kingsbury, have been reregisteredto the WNSO pool.The first Cl.66, 66001, was unloaded atImmingham docks 15 years ago on 18th April1998. GBRf are leasing two more Euro-spec.Cl.66s, this time from Germany.70099 has, at last, left Brush, Loughborough,initially to Crewe Basford Hall en route toCrewe LNWR for tyre turning.DB Schenker Operating Pools. Locomotiveallocations, (for details of pool code definitions,see the society’s website).Cl.59 WDAK 59201-6Cl.60 WCAI 60010/9/35/40/5/63/74/9/99

WCAK 60011/59/65WCBI 60015/7/20/91WCBK 60092

Cl.67 WAAN 67004-6/8/16/9-24/6/7/9

WABN 67007/11/30WATN 67001-3WAWN 67010/2-5/7

Cl.90 WEFE 90018/20/1/4/6/8/39Cl.92 WTAE 92002/12/9/30/7/9/41

WTHE 92003/15/6/31/6/42DBS Super Shunter Pool60049 WSSK Toton60071 WCBK Eastleigh yardHired to pool WSSKEuropean Pools (Locomotives in the UK)WBEN 66195 at Toton, 66222 at Warrington enroute to France.Cl.0808888 CE WSSI-WNYXCl.0909201 CE WNYX-WSSICl.2020087 HQ MBDL reregistered20305 KM XHSS-XHNCCl.3737423 KM XHND-XHAC37603-5/10/67/8 KM XHND-XHNCCl.4747501 KM XHAC-XHNB47790 KM XHAC-XHNB47813/32 KM XHAC-XHNBCl.5656031/2/7/69/77 TO WNSO reregistered56087 RU COLO-COFS56094 RU COLO-COFS56104/6 TO WNSO reregistered56302 RU COLO-COFS

394

HAULED STOCK. Stock Alterations. Thefollowing were reported during March and April:Allocations: 9713-DF RVCO. Renumbered:11019/30/46/54 to 12623/5/1/7 respectively.Disposals: Epping & Ongar Railway: 3132.Gloucestershire-Warwickshire Railway: 4986,5023. West Somerset Railway: 3131, 977165.For Sale: 6321-3/5.Mk.4s: Set BN30 (10329, 11330, 11430, 11999,12227, 12331, 12471/2, 12534, 82205) is now inECML grey livery. The last rake in blue, BN27,was moved from Bounds Green to Wabtec,Doncaster for overhaul on 2nd April, and spare12200 was moved there by road on 4th. Thisjust leaves 82224 in GNER blue.Mk.3s: Newly converted 12621/3/5/7 are inChiltern livery. 12605 and 10271 were moved toAylesbury on 23rd March. 10272, 12603/5-9,82302 were moved from Wembley to Wabtec,Doncaster on 12th April with 82302 thenmoving on to Loughborough.Porterbrook has awarded a contract for the C6overhaul of Greater Anglia Mk.3s to Railcare,Wolverton. Work will start later this year andall 111 vehicles will be completed by 2016. 10596 and 12142 are now stored at Railcare,Wolverton.

At Brush, Loughborough on 16th April, 12605(which had returned there on 9th), 82111, 82302were present, Mk.2s: 9705/7/13 were moved to RVEL, Derbyon 21st March – 9713 has been sold by theMid-Norfolk Railway to RVEL.Mk.1s: 3131 is now based at Minehead, 3132 atOngar, 4986, 5023 on the G-WR at Toddington.1813 is now in chocolate & cream livery.35457 has been newly outshopped in maroon asa support vehicle for 76084.Royal Scotsman: In this set, Pullman 321(99960) has replaced 1999. 321 has been rebuiltincorporating Mk.1 parts and has two toilets.This is the second use of the number 99960.Charter Train Formations: The followinghave been reported:

3rd April: Compass Railtours “Yorkshire CoastExpress”, Preston-Scarborough: 99312, 99723,99371, 3136, 3058, 3093, 99352, 1861, 4994, 5222,4940, 4973.9th April: VSOE British Pullman Nottingham-Kensington: 99545, 99536, 99543, 99546, 99530,99531, 99535, 99534, 99537, 99541, 6313.13th April: 1Z61 Steam Dreams “The CathedralsExpress”, Kings Cross-York: 35333, 4836, 1859,4831, 13230, 35185, 4832, 4856, 3115, 1730, 3150,3096.

COACHING  STOCK (including LUL)

Correction. In the April 2012 RO the entriesfor 56087/94 should have been HQ-RUWNSO-COLOCl.5757002/12 KM XHSS-XHCK57302/4/7-9/11 KM XHAC-XHVTNew Pool Codes.XHNB DRS Cl.47 Northern BelleXHVT DRS Cl.57 VTWC ThunderbirdsNamed.26038 Tom Clift 1954-2012 (27/4, namedafter its former owner)90004 City of Chelmsford (23/4).Name Removed.60001 The Railway Observer (by 1/3)90004 Eastern Daily Express 1870-2010;name expected to be fitted to another Cl.90.Sales:To Crewe Diesel Preservation Group – 47712.Sold to GBRf – 73136.Hire:On hire to Pullman Rail – 08683.Store:Crewe IEMD – 08888.Returned to service – 09201, 20305, 57002/12.Movements:Barrow Hill – 57012, then returned to service.Bluebell Railway – 09018.Cardiff Canton – 08670/83.Colne Valley Railway – 08503.Crewe Basford Hall – 70099.

Crewe Heritage Centre – 47712.Crewe TMD – 47747.Cut up:Crewe LNWR: 4/13 – 86621.Locomotive Liveries. Changes reported are:BR green – 37905 (D6836).BR green with small logo – 37075.DB Schenker red – 60039.East Coast grey – 43238/99.Freightliner Powerhaul – 66412 (reliveried inPoland and carries Polish number 66015), 66504InterCity – 87035.WORKS REPORTSBrush Traction, Loughborough. Here on16th April were 08645, 56201, 66536/7,70014/8/99,73204/9 (to become 73902/1 afterre-engineering), 92045/6, RFSK V336/1991,shuttle locomotive 9804, Eurostar E3308, DVTs82111, 82302, DMU 150002 and EMU coaches67901-8/11-8 and hauled coach 12605. V336was named Earl of Yarborough by 15th April,and has been allocated rebuild works plateHE9383.Railcare Limited, Glasgow.Arrivals –156508 C6, 170476 C6 and liverychange, coach 9805 C8.Departures – 170394, 170473 and 9805.On 30th April 156508 and 170476 were presentunder repair.Stored 08568.

395

13th April: 1Z70 NENTA “Cheddar Gorge & WelshCapital”, Norwich-Cardiff. 9496, 6115, 6103, 6012,1201, 3395, 3392, 3350, 99679, 3431, 3313.13th April: 1Z73 UK Railtours “The LincolnshireCoaster”, Finsbury Park-Cleethorpes: 35469, 3068,3149, 1651, 3069, 3066, 1832, 5292, 5341, 5322,4946, 5366.13th April: 1Z62 Milton Keynes-Carlisle: 6000,5912, 5991, 3352, 99673, 1211, 99671, 99676, 1659,3312, 3231, 17080.13th April: 1Z39 Cardiff-Llandrindod Wells: 3136,99128, 99316, 3058, 3093, 99352, 4905, 1861, 4994,21266.14th April: 1Z68 Railway Touring Co. “The PeakForester”, Kings Cross-Matlock/Rowsley: 35518,99121, 99125, 99712, 99127, 99122, 99350, 99348,99311, 4984, 99304.20th April: West Coast Rly Co “The WindsorCharter”, Skegness-Windsor: 3058, 3143, 99679,99122, 99674, 3313, 3431, 99677, 1861, 4940. 20th April: 5Z82 (ECS) Southall-Victoria: 99723,99121, 99125, 99712, 326 Emerald, 99127, 3136,3093, 99128, 99316, 99371, 35518. 21st April: 1Z60 from Victoria: as 13th April less1730.21st/22nd April: “Great Britain VI” Newquay-Cardiff-Preston: 35517, 35508, 3128, 3130, 13321,3096, 3136, 3117, 326, 18893, 3113, 3105, 35469.22nd April: 1H69 Edinburgh-Keith “The RoyalScotsman” (BT55 set): 99965, 99967, 99961, 99962,99963, 99964, 99968, 99969, 99960.26th April: 1Z11 Victoria-Truro: 6313, 99541, 99537,99534, 99535, 99531, 99530, 99532, 99546, 99543,99536, 99545.27th April: 1Z07 UK Railtours Letchworth-Shrewsbury: 5322, 5292, 1832, 3119, 3097, 1691,3123, 3066, 3069, 1651, 3149, 3068, 35469.

HIGH SPEED TRAIN. Stock Alterations.None were reported during March and April.DIESEL. Stock Alterations. None werereported during March and April.Cl.121: Arriva Trains Wales has withdrawn55032 and sold it to Chiltern Railways. 977873(ex-55022) is stored at Aylesbury.Cl.122: 55012, presently on the WeardaleRailway, has been offered for sale.Cl.150: 002 was still at Brush, Loughborough on16th April. ATW’s 251 left LNWR Crewe on 4th April innew ATW livery, 236 replacing it there that day.Cl.153: 381, which suffered collision damage on4th December 2012, was outshopped fromrepairs at Neville Hill on 14th March.Cl.156: 412 was outshopped from Railcare,Wolverton in GA livery on 22nd April.508 went to Railcare, Glasgow Works on 13thApril.Cl.158: 715 once again has two Haymarketnameplates.Cl.170: 201 was outshopped from Brush,Loughborough on 18th March and 203 on 8thApril.473 left Railcare, Glasgow on 7th April and 476went there on 14th. 394 left on 16th.Cl.170, 171, 172: Porterbrook is having Leader® Driver Advisory System equipment on its 23LM Cl.170s, 16 Southern Cl.171 and 27 LMCl.172. It is aimed to improve train handlingperformance, saving fuel.

37409 passes through the remains of Wakefield (Kirkgate) with 1Q13 the 06.26 Doncaster-Healey Mills NR testtrain on 16th April. The train was en route to Castleford prior to reversal back to Healey Mills.

Steve Batty

CLASSIC LMS POWER RETUR

With snow still visible on the distant mountains, Black Fives 44871 leg of the “Great Britain VI” tour on 27th April 2013. For the secondwith this outstanding image of steam in the Scottish Highlands.

RNS TO THE THE HIGHLAND LINE

397

and 45407 storm through Dalwhinnie with the Inverness-Edinburgh month running DPG member Keith Sanders scores a centrespread

DLR. The current franchise operated by SercoLtd. was due to expire in March 2013. It wasextended until 14th September 2014 to allowSerco to focus on delivering services for the 2012Olympics. On 17th April 2013 TfL announcedthe names of companies shortlisted to bid for thenew franchise. The bidders are Stagecoach RailProjects Ltd., Keolis (UK) jointly with AmeyRail Ltd., Go Ahead PLC jointly with Colas RailLtd. and Serco Ltd. An invitation to tender wasto be issued in May and a decision is expected inmid-2014. For the London Marathon on Sunday 21st Aprilservices were modified with changes to routesand frequencies. Passengers travelling betweenTower Gateway/Bank to Beckton/WoolwichArsenal needed to change trains several timesand were advised to use alternative routes butthese were not specified. First train times that

morning were Tower Gateway to Lewisham05.33, first return at 06.06. Bank to Lewisham07.00, Stratford to Lewisham 06.54 changing atCanary Wharf, Beckton to Lewisham 06.31changing at Poplar and Canary Wharf andStratford International to Canning Town 06.55.Travel was free for runners and officials all dayup to 17.00.LUL. On 11th/12th and 17th February, 7th/8thand 14th/15th March the Earl’s Court-Kensington Olympia service was bussubstituted without explanation. New ticketgates are to be installed at the latter station inJuly and an additional staircase built to relievecongestion and provide a better route betweenOlympia Way and Russell Road. Three disused‘ghost’ station sites, Camden Tunnels, 206Brompton Road and Down Street are to beopened as tourist attractions during the day and

URBAN & IRISH RAILWAYS

398

ELECTRIC. Cl.315: 802-4/6/9/12/22/7 werenoted in the new GA livery on 1st May, and 813is reported done as well.Cl.317: 667/8 are now in Greater Anglia livery.Cl.319: 364 has temporarily lost itsTransforming Blackfriars nameplates.Cl.321: Greater Anglia has completed itsupgrade for units 421-37 at Clacton, the lastbeing 430 which returned to service on 30thMarch.Cl.357: 227 has been named Southend United.Cl.395: 020-2 have been named Jason Kenny,Ed Clancy and Alistair Brownlee respectively.001 hit the buffers in Ramsgate depot on 16thMarch and car 39016 is at Brush, Loughboroughwith cab damage, noted there on 22nd April.Cl.405: 975601 (ex-10843) was cut up at EtchesPark, Derby in March.Cl.444: 038 was named South Western Railwayat platform 20 at Waterloo on 29th April.Cl.455: The rebuilt 5913 is now formed 77837+67301+71726+77838. Would members pleaseconfirm by observation that 67301 is the numbercarried by the power car.Porterbrook has signed a contract with VosslohKiepe to fit a.c. traction equipment to the SWTfleet. The first will be done late in 2014 and thelast is due in February 2016. Two units will bein works at one time and each unit will take sixworking days to complete. Cl.458: The thirty units will be renumbered8501-30 when extended to five cars by theinclusion of Cl.460 cars, which will retain theirold numbers. The six new units are to be 8531-6and the first two units completed will be fromthis batch. All driving cars from both batcheswill receive new driving ends with propercorridor connections which will be compatiblewith Cl.450s, though they will not normallywork in multiple with them.

74443/4 were nearing completion of theirconversions from Cl.460 at Wabtec, Doncasterat the end of April.Cl.460: 67901-8/11-8 were still at Brush,Loughborough on 11th April. The conversionprogramme will leave DMFLOs 67901/3/7/8surplus, which will be stripped for spares. Cl.465: 917 emerged from Wabtec, Doncasteron 13th April. 928 was due to go north on 18thApril but this is not confirmed. 931 did go northon 27th.Cl.466: 020 had still not returned to SouthEastern from Wabtec, Doncaster early in May. Cl.507: 008 has been named Harold Wilson.Cl.508: 64649 (201) and 64712 (209) have beensold to the Merseyside Rescue Services.LONDON UNDERGROUND. New:Deliveries of S stock to London Undergroundhave continued. Bombardier, Derby to OldDalby Test Track: 8th March: Train 1 (21003/4).22nd: Train 82 (21347/8).Those delivered from Old Dalby test track toRuislip were: 14th March: Train 69 (21321/2).26th: Train 71 (21325/6). 28th: Train 75(21333/4).Later deliveries reported have been Train 73(21329/30) on 11th April, Train 78 (21339/40) on25th, Train 57 (21001/2) returning on 29th andTrain 76 (21335/6) on 1st May.From Ruislip to Neasden: 25th March: Train 69(21321/2). 27th: Train 71 (21325/6).Train 57 (21001/2) was moved from Old Dalbyto Bombardier, Derby for mods on 6th Februaryand units 21007/8 were moved to Derby on 4thApril.Miscellaneous Stock: ‘Tunnel RingReplacement’ wagon RW814, was returned byroad from Railcare, Wolverton to Ruislip on22nd March after further mods.

399

be available for private hire in the evening forparties, receptions, etc. During WWII DownStreet, which lies on the Piccadilly Line betweenGreen Park and Hyde Park Corner, served as anunderground bunker for Winston Churchill andthe war cabinet. 23 other sites are also underconsideration. Sony, Microsoft, Land Rover andHarvey Nichols are the first to apply to hirespace.Virgin Media has signed up O2 as a partner forits tube Wi-Fi network. O2 customers will beable in mid-May to access free Wi-Fi on theunderground from June. Other partners are EEand Vodafone. The network will be available at120 stations (but not on trains) in centralLondon. A major upgrade to power supplies andsignalling is planned for the sub-surface linesfollowing the introduction of new stock. Newsubstations will be built at Vine Street(Farringdon) and Triangle sidings. Existing onesare to be refurbished. Testing of the newsignalling system is underway at the Old Dalbytest track. The Jubilee Line will be closed for more than 30days over the next two years because acidicwater is eating into the cast iron linings of thetunnel walls so that services will be halted inboth directions between Finchley Road andWaterloo for major repairs costing £40m.Closures in 2013 will be on 16th June, bankholiday 26th August, 6th October, weekend of12th/13th and entire Christmas period25th-30th December. On three further Sundays,yet to be announced, services will not start until11.00. Further closures will take place in 2014.The water, similar in strength to vinegar, comesfrom naturally occurring ground water seepingin from the surrounding soil. In particular the

southbound tunnel between Baker Street andBond Street is causing concern and replacementof the lining is required. Unfortunately JubileeLine passengers have suffered a history ofdelays and weekend shutdowns mainly due toproblems with the new signalling system andnow this problem has arisen.PROVINCIAL OPERATIONSBlackpool. Tram 002 has been namedEdmund Wynne, a councillor for 38 years, aformer mayor and former chairman of BlackpoolTransport. This tram is now in regular serviceafter a period used only for driver training.Balloon trams 701/23 can be used assnowploughs, one allocated to each depot.Edinburgh. Eight trips have been run betweenGogar depot and the airport, arranged by thecouncil, to give selected people a preview of thetram system. Included in the passengers were anumber of anti-tram protesters, e.g. the WestEnd Community Council and a spokesman said“we have got trams whether we like or not andmust face the future, not look to the past”. Aspokeswoman for the Ratho and DistrictCommunity Council said “ it was very pleasantand impressive, it is bound to be morecomfortable than a bus”. The council hasrevealed that it has less than £20m left unspentof its £776m tram budget to finish the line toYork Place in the city centre. A total of £86m hasbeen spent on moving underground pipes andcables, one third of which was not provided forin the utilities diversion contract. The moving ofutilities infrastructure has been a major expensein all UK tram projects, something which is notcharged against tram schemes in continentalEurope.

2559, the last of the six new Stadler Variobahn cars delivered to Croydon last year, approaches Sandilands tramstop bound for Elmers End on a rather wet 15th March. The report on p.462, August RO that the tram was toreceive all-over advertising appears to be incorrect. However, 2554 was glimpsed on this date in advertisinglivery. The only other Stadler car noted in service that day was 2558. Geoff Bannister

400

Manchester. On 16th March 3020 was namedLANCASHIRE FUSILIERS on a circularplaque incorporating the coat of arms. Theplaque is mounted over the centre bogie withunderneath a reduced size replica of thatpreviously carried by 1020 which did not havean “s” at the end. On 21st 1025 was formallywithdrawn after being used as the ice breakerand then moved to Old Trafford depot on 24th.4th April saw the withdrawal of the first T68Awhen 2006 was withdrawn after being in servicethe previous day. The final mileage was 670,911and a week later 2004 was withdrawn, afterdeveloping a fault on 4th, with a mileage of713,652. During the night of 6th/7th the controlroom was moved from Queens Road to OldTrafford, which went smoothly. There was noservice from St. Werburgh’s Road to Victoria allday on 13th/14th and on the latter day therewere no services from Droylsden to Piccadillyuntil after 10.00. Victoria stop was closed allday on 21st with the service from Bury runningto Crumpsall and from Rochdale to Central Parkwith bus connections. Test running of tramsbeyond Droylsden to Ashton Moss began inApril. A decision is still pending from the DfTon the proposed closure of the Woodlands Roadstop on the Bury line. Metrolink were hoping toclose the Mosley Street stop for southboundservices in mid-May which will eliminate theproblem of not being able to run double M5000trams through this stop.Nottingham. The note on p.262, April ROconcerning the new tramway bridge at thestation needs correcting and clarification. Thebridge was built in two sections because theconstruction site at Crocus Street on the QueensRoad side of the station is restricted in size. Itwas the first half of the bridge (technically aWarren Truss structure) that started to move inthe week commencing 11th February, taking thewhole week to move 50m to free the site for theerection of the second half. The first half wastherefore temporarily in a position acrossQueen’s Road, 7.3m above road level. Thesecond half is now constructed and the twoconnected ready for sliding into final positionacross the station later this year. Two piershave been built: between Queen’s Road andplatform 6 and between platform 1 and StationStreet whilst a third is under construction onplatform 5/6. When finished the bridge will beon the exact alignment of the former GCRbridge, removed in the early 1980s. In fact twofoundations of the old bridge are reused afterstrengthening with mini piles. When thecomplete bridge is in position across the stationit will lowered somewhat to line up with theexisting tram viaduct on the city side. As thestructure will weigh 1,100 tonnes and be 104mlong this final sliding operation will move at just2.5m per hour and require temporary supports

as it becomes an increasingly long cantileverabove the tracks below. The finished bridge willcarry two tram tracks and a three-metre widepublic walkway each side forming thepedestrian interchange between the station, thenew tram stop and bus stops on Queens Road. The first 80m of street track for the Chilwellroute was laid in The Meadows during the weekcommencing 15th April. A local campaign hasstarted to have line 1 extended to Kimberley.Sheffield. On 31st March and 1st April theoutbound track was replaced on the centralreservation between the Brook Streetroundabout tunnel and Netherthorpe Road stop.Buses replaced trams between Cathedral andShalesmoor. Trams 105/8/18/9 were notedrunning shuttles between Shalesmoor andMiddlewood/Malin Bridge. The SYPTE haveapplied for urgent finance from the DfT’s “LocalPinch Point Fund” to replace all the embeddedtrack (56% of the network). The design life was30 years but some sections have only lasted 20.It is claimed that some sections are so worn thatif they are not replaced this year part of thenetwork will have to be shut down! Trackwould be replaced in two stages 2013-15 and2017-18. The DfT has already agreed to supplysome funds, as part of the tram-train project, toreplace track on that part of the system to beused by Tram-Trains. However the SYPTEwants all replacement track across the networkto be Tram-Train standard.Tyne & Wear. Services returned to normalafter the Easter weekend blockade fromGateshead to Hebburn and Brockley Whins.Long running repairs to a road overbridge atMonkseaton, which affected road traffic but notthe Metro, were also completed. Monthly seasonticket holders were issued with Pop cards by theend of March, after first being issued to under16 year card holders. Pop cards will work in asimilar way to the TfL Oyster card. Automaticticket barriers have been installed at the 13major stations and a total of 196 validationpoints covering all stations. These devices, tocheck Pop cards, were still under test in April. Wolverhampton. Centro is still working onplans to take Midland Metro along Piper’sRowto the railway station with a stop outside the busstation. A public consultation on the proposedextension, including several exhibitions, wasstaged in April/May. An application for aTransport and Works order will be submittedbefore the end of 2013. If granted and subject tofunding being made available, constructioncould start in 2015, taking two years tocomplete.

Thanks to Bill Turvill, Geoff Brockett, AlanQuayle, Robert Davidson, Stuart Hicks, RobertPayne, Roger Darsley, Enid Vincent and JohnHenderson.

Peter Robinson

401

PRESERVATION & OTHER RAILWAYSAln Valley Railway. Clarification. In theApril RO we referred to an engineless trailer10648/72. In answer to a query, this vehicle wasformerly powered but has had its engineremoved and so is now classed as a trailer withseats now fitted across the former engine space.More than 1,000 visitors to the line over theEaster weekend were able to take short trips atthe Alnwick site, with the Wickham engineer’strack inspection vehicle and said ‘trailer’ takingpassengers on a half-mile round journey. It wasthe first time that trains carrying passengershave run in Alnwick since the 1960s. Thefreezing weather over the previous couple ofweeks had prevented the completion of a lengthof platform sufficient to accommodate alocomotive and brakevans which, it had beenhoped, would have formed the first trains.0-4-0ST 2 Penicuik (HL3799/35) owned by AVRmember Chris Donald was delivered to Alnwickon 8th April from the works of MichaelFairnington in Wooler and shunted into theshed. In a separate move on the same day a16ft. wheelbase van was also transported fromWooler to Alnwick.Beamish. This year’s Great North Steam Fairran from 11th to 14th April. On 12th, apart

from all the steam road vehicles, vintage cars,bicycles and lorries etc. in motion, there were twonew action events; a mobile sawmill powered bya Robey portable steam engine, and a roadmaking gang which used the 2ft. narrow gaugerailway. The tramway ran clockwise (with thebuses running anticlockwise). Visiting tramswere Lisbon 730 and Glasgow 1068. The fourcar tram service was using Lisbon 730, Oporto196 in South Shields livery, Gateshead 10 as BRGrimsby & Immingham 26 and the Blackpooldouble-decker as Sunderland 101. Passengerservices were being worked from the station byreplica 2-2-0 9 Planet (MSI 1992) and its twocoaches from Manchester. In steam in thecolliery yard were 0-4-0VBGT No.1 (HW 1871),and 0-4-0ST 22 (AB 2274/49) from the BowesRailway. Also visible in the yard were 0-4-0VBT17 (HW 33/1873), 0-4-0ST Malleable No.5 and0-6-0ST Newcastle (MW 1532/01). In the collieryshed was 0-4-0ST 18 (Lewin 683/1877).On the Pockerley waggonway 6wG SteamElephant (Dorothea/AK 2001) was the workingengine and the visitor was 0-2-2 Rocket (LocoEnt./1980). The Hetton 0-4-0 locomotive builtc1852 and the Puffing Billy replica (4wG AK71/2006) were in the shed. The narrow gaugeline at the colliery yard had in steam, 0-4-0ST

On 3rd April, BR 9F 92203 Black Prince runs round its train at Holt to form the 15.00 service to Sheringham. Thesignal box originated from Upper Portland sidings, near Mansfield, and the two signals flanking the locomotive areof the M&GN somersault pattern. Bob Ellison

402

Peter Pan (KS 4256/22) and 0-4-0T 9 Jack (AB1871/25). Also present were 0-4-0ST EdwardSholto (HE 996/09) and 0-4-0T 5 Esme (AB988/03). In the colliery shed were 0-4-0T 81Ogwen AE 2066/33 and 0-4-0WT 5 Glyder (AB1994/31). 4wWE No.2 (Siemens 455/08) and tworail cranes were on static display. Considerablebuilding is occurring on the site. For workingthe passenger trains there is a new waterstorage and coal loading stage being built nearthe Ironworks and a loco shed is promised at theother end of the passenger line. Relocated andrebuilt shops are nearly finished in the townarea and buildings are going up in the collieryvillage with a church at Pockerley. The Forcettcoach was due back from restoration by the endof April and the frames for the narrow gaugereplica 0-4-0 Samson have been cut.Bodmin & Wenford Railway. Pannier tanks1501 (from the Severn Valley Railway) and 1638(from the Kent & East Sussex) are known tohave travelled here for a spring gala. No reportshave been received about the event itself. Ecclesbourne Valley Railway. A woodenplatform extension is under way at Duffield toallow locomotive run rounds without shuntingfor steam operations this summer. The heavysnow in the Peak District stopped bus servicesinto Wirksworth on 23rd March. The EVR rana full service and provided the only publictransport into the town, people with bus ticketsbeing offered a reduced £5.00 fare to use thetrain. Cl.122 55006 returned to service from

overhaul on 29th March running to Ravenstor.Restoration work is under way on 0-6-0ST TheDuke (Bagnall 2746/44) with the boiler lifted on17th April. Embsay and Bolton Abbey Steam Railway.An unidentified ex-Yorkshire Water narrowgauge Ruston & Hornsby shunter, which ran atBradford, has moved here from the Abbey LightRailway in Leeds. Can any member providedetails of this machine?Kirkby Stephen East Station. TheStainmore Railway Company has launched a£40,000 fundraising drive following planningapproval for the construction of a restorationworkshop. The 150 feet-long structure will beconnected to the other lines close to the stationand house three parallel tracks plus inspectionpits. The company has almost finished restoringthe first of six vintage wooden-bodied coaches onthe site.North Yorkshire Moors Railway. DuringEaster week the trains were in the hands of44871, 45407, 61264 and 825 with D5061+D7628 topping and tailing on some services.It was hoped LH & JC 29 would be back inservice in time for the 40th anniversary specialtrain on 1st May, although as the boiler wasonly refitted to 29 on 9th April this may bedoubtful. The bogie wheels of 45428 werereinstalled after retyring by Riley Engineeringand essential axle-box work completed. Workprogresses on the boiler of 76079 but thefabricated cylinder block has been abandoned

Unusually the Severn Valley Railway retained some of the engines brought in for its gala in March for a number ofweeks after the event, with 0-4-2T 1450 along with a hired auto coach running an intensive service at the southernend of the line during members’ weekend. On Saturday 20th April, it is seen leaving Highley on the 10.10 serviceto Kidderminster. Paul Chancellor

403

after it distorted during welding. A pattern wasavailable for the identical block being cast forthe standard 3MT tank new build project at theSevern Valley Railway, and thanks to their helpa new block will now be cast for 76079. 75029’styres were turned at Ilford during the winter butthe extent of the flange wear since its return iscausing concern. Discussions are taking placewith Network Rail to determine whether someflange lubricators should be installed betweenGrosmont and Pickering. 60007 has had extensive valve and piston workdone during the winter and was expected toreturn to traffic in mid-April. 63395 is stillundergoing repairs at Crewe but is expectedback by mid-June. S15 825 is being fully useduntil its boiler certificate runs out in early July.Refurbishment of the cab fittings and all theassociated pipework on the 9F is compete andreassembly of the tubes has commenced. Theboiler inspector has agreed that the boiler canbe steam tested back in the frames.Consideration is being given to sending theboiler of 80135 away for repairs in the hope thatthe locomotive would be back in service earlierthan otherwise possible. The outwardappearance of Cl.101 DMU, indicates that thepower cars need both C&W attention andsubstantial mechanical refurbishment and theDMU will not be available this season. D7628is being fitted with GSMR equipment followingthe extensive repair of its power bogies.For the 40th anniversary gala it was hoped thatB1s 61264 and 1306 Mayflower would bepresent along with 45407, 44871, 45428, 62005,69023 and 60007, as well as NER saloon coach1661. However it is not clear if the two Burybased 5MTs will have returned from duties onthe main line. The autumn gala will have anNER theme with 60163 Tornado being apossible guest, and for the LNER weekend atthe beginning of October it is hoped that theengines will be A1 Tornado (in BR blue), 60007,61264 and 63395.Northern Rail began operating Sunday serviceson the Esk Valley line on 31st March. Thismeant that the only signal box on the line (atNunthorpe station) had to be manned with theknock on effect that NYMR were able tocommence a Sunday service to Whitby runningthree return journeys in between the NorthernRail trains.Above the cabside number on each side of B161264, a small vinyl notice has been fixedstating “The Thompson B1 Locomotive TrustCustodian of ex-LNER Class B1 no. 61264”,along with a square mobile phone scanning ‘QRcode’ display to enable smart phone owners toobtain details of the engine on their phone! It isthought that this is the first example of ascanning code appearing on a heritagelocomotive. On 23rd a West Coast Cl.47 arrivedfrom Newcastle hauling a Cl.26 and a Cl.20departing on 24th with the addition of Cl.25

D7528 and a Cl.37 also in the consist en routeto York and then KWVR for their diesel gala.With D7528 away the first train from Pickeringand the last train to arrive in Pickering on 25thwere hauled by 37518.Poulton and Wyre Railway Society. Thisgroup is behind plans to revive Fleetwood’srailway and has said that the link could providea freight service which would take pressure offone of Wyre’s most congested roads. It has alsoproduced a business plan outlining proposals fora weekday diesel passenger service linkingFleetwood with Poulton, and eventually aweekend steam heritage service. The society iswaiting for permission from Wyre council,Lancashire country council and NR, beforeapproaching funding bodies for the scheme.With the cost of new track infrastructureestimated at less than £1m, the group hopes theweekday passenger service could be runningwithin three years.RailWorld, Peterborough. The founder ofthis preservation site, Rev. R. Paten, died in2012 and there is now no external funding tomaintain it. Amongst the exhibits, which wereon view at an Easter opening, are the Britishexperimental tracked hovercraft, 804 X-411,Bo-Bo DE Alco 77778/1950 and 4-6-2 996 (Frichs415/50). The site also houses the Crown Agents’railway records which fitted their world ofrailway’s aim.Severn Valley Railway. A members andshareholders’ weekend was held on 20th/21stApril. At the event it was advised that sharesworth more than £1.3m have been sold since thelaunch of the new issue six months ago. It wasalso said that work should start by the end of theyear on the return to service of 4930 HagleyHall. A swap of tenders has been arrangedbetween 4930 and GCR-based 6990 WitherslackHall so that the former will be paired with aCollett tender and the latter with aHawksworth. For the event an intensive servicewas run using 1501, 2857, 5164, 7812 and 34053with 0-4-2T 1450 running additional push-pullservices, mainly between Kidderminster andBewdley. 0-6-2T 5643 was scheduled to arriveon hire by the end of May and stay until at leastJanuary 2014.Southwold Railway Trust. This group isrelaunching its plan to bring a narrow gaugeline to Wenhaston despite district plannersthrowing out the original application inDecember.Campaigners opposed to the project have vowedto fight the resubmission, which developers sayis of significantly smaller scale than the onerefused planning permission by SuffolkCoastal’s development committee. The originalproposal generated disapproval from the parishcouncil and a number of villagers who objectedto a heritage centre being built on a flood plainand the anticipated increase in traffic.

404

France/Spain. A series of trials conducted on14th April has shown that it is technicallyfeasible to operate piggyback services carryinglorries between Perpignan and Figueres on thenew HSL despite gradients as steep as 18%.Fret SNCF supplied a pair of BB 27xxx electriclocomotives hauling Modalohr wagons for tworeturn trips. The next step would be to build aterminal at the Spanish end of the route toestablish piggyback services to and fromnorthern Europe. The HSL can accommodatefreight trains up to 850m long, weighing 2,300tonnes. Malaysia/Singapore. A high speed line is tobe built by 2020 between Kuala Lumpur andSingapore which should reduce the current315km six-hour rail journey to 90 minutes. Theroad journey takes four hours. A new rapidtransit link is also planned between Singaporeand the Malaysian city of Johor Bahru.New Zealand. Kiwi Rail suspended operationof the Coastal Pacific route betweenChristchurch and Picton from 5th May, over thewinter period, because of a fall in tourism sincethe 2011 earthquake. The summer service willresume in October but is currently losing aroundNZ$ 3m a year, with on occasions, only 30passengers on board. Norway. On 21st March a journey was madeon the Ofotbanen from Narvik to Riksgransen,the 26-mile long isolated section of the NSB(Norges Statsbaner) in the far north. This linewith a continuation into Sweden was opened in1902 mainly to provide an outlet for the iron oremined around Kiruna in Sweden to the ice-freeport of Narvik. Plinthed on the platform atNarvik is 4-4-0T 5 Bifrost built by LKAB Kirunain 1901 for the opening of the line. Now the

heavy ore traffic is operated by Co-Co + Co-Coelectric locomotives built by Adtranz in 2001-3.One train was seen passing westwards atRiksgransen in the afternoon. Due to the natureof the country, passenger traffic is light, therebeing two daily train pairs Narvik-Kiruna-Lulea-Stockholm, taking nearly 24 hours. Thetimetable shows a few local services but thesewere cancelled on 21st for reasons unknown.The 11.38 Narvik-Stockholm was a six-coach setheaded by Swedish Bo-Bo Rc6 1336 which madegood time over a scenic route firstly above theOfotfjord and then into the mountains. Thereturn train at 14.47 was headed by Rc6 1335,also on time. West of Narvik the line forks, onebranch going along the inlet to the ore terminal,the other to the goods depot and port. Shuntersat the port were BY 70 742 and B226, 06 ex-SJ(Statens Järnväger). A train of vans, headed byopen access operator Green Cargo Bo-Bo Rc41167 was being assembled and was laterobserved at Riksgransen waiting to enterSweden. Outside the depot was Cargo NetTraxx Co-Co 185.709.On 26th March the Raumabanen was visited fora trip over the Andalsnes-Bjorli section of the77-mile line to Dombas where connection ismade to the Oslo-Trondheim main line. Openedin 1924 this scenic mountain line runs down tothe fjord side with a spectacular climb/descentto the valley floor. The passenger servicecomprises four trains each way M-F withreduced services at weekends. These areworked by three Cl. BM93 Bo-2-Bo articulatedDMUs with 93.02/13/ 14 in use on that day.When a cruise ship calls at Andalsnes one unitworks a return special to Bjorli. Formerly,during the summer, a locomotive-hauled train

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Vintage Carriages Trust. Trust-owned0-6-0WT Bellerophon has been transferred tothe South Devon Railway’s workshops atBuckfastleigh for replacement of all three axles.A routine inspection in 2012 revealed that thewheels were moving on the axles and asubsequent examination showed that the bestform of repair would be to replace the old, wornaxles with new. The work is likely to take untilearly 2014, due to the long lead time for theordering of the new axles. On completion of thework, Bellerophon will hopefully be run in atBuckfastleigh before returning to the FoxfieldRailway.Wensleydale Railway. Services finallystarted on 13th April with J72 69023 Joem onthe 10.00 and noon services from Leeming Bar.A landslip on a remote embankment hadprevented trains running but, after sevenweeks, the damage at Akebar has been repairedand the track relaid across the slip area the siteof which was unreachable by road. The work on

the 300m stretch has cost more than £40,000and an emergency appeal has been launched.Volkerail assisted with the track relaying.West Somerset Railway. On 22nd March a 20year-old lady crashed her car through a bridgebetween Bishops Lydeard and the Nortontriangle on the West Somerset Railway,fortunately the lady concerned escapedrelatively unscathed and delays to the galaoperations of the railway were minimal. Noreports have been received about the galaactivities.Thanks to Ian Cotter, Roger Darsley, David Sills, BillTurvill and David Tyreman for their submissions.Whilst our allotted space has been filled, many itemscome from on-line posts rather than members’ visitreports. Whilst many galas have been held no reportswere received, even for the opening of the BluebellRailway extension from Kingscote to East Grinstead.To remain a journal of record it is important that moremembers submit first hand reports of key events to theRO whenever possible. Paul Chancellor

405

formed this special using a steam engine and aCl. Di3 diesel. It is proposed this summer tobring a Di4 diesel down from Bodo to operatethis train. The two-road locomotive shed stillexists at Andalsnes at the end of the branch pastthe station. An interesting item at the stationis bogie coach 21226 fitted out as a“Togkapeiler”(railway chapel). It is a type CB2built by Linkoping in 1947 and understood to bethe only coach so used in Norway.A brief visit to Bergen station on 27th Marchnoted Cl. 18 Bo-Bo electric 18.2252 on a regionalworking and BM69 EMUs on local workings toArna. Other BM69s and a Cl.220 diesel shuntercould be seen on shed from the station. Trams202/9 were seen passing the station on line 1 toNesttun. Scandinavia’s only funicular, theFloibanen opened in 1918 and refurbished in2002, is operated by two cars carrying 100passengers. It rises from the city centre some1,050 feet to give panoramic views (provided itis not raining with attendant mist) over the city,port and environs. Single track with anintermediate passing loop, it is unusual inpossessing curved track and several tunnels.Turkey. A direct high speed service fromEskisehir to Konya was officially opened on 23rdMarch. This followed the completion of a fivekm west-south curve linking the Eskisehir-Ankara and Ankara-Konya high speed linesnear Polatli. Journey time is reduced from eighthours by the existing line via Afyon or five hoursby bus, to just two hours. After 50 years ofneglect, railway investment has reached record

levels with an average of 137km of new lineadded each year. 3,700 km of new line is underconstruction or planned and the existingnetwork is being totally renewed. In a few yearsanother 13 cities will be linked to the HSnetwork linking 14 provinces.United Arab Emirates (UAE). The first twoof seven EMD SD70ACS diesel-electriclocomotives for the initial phase of the nationalrail network were unloaded at Mussafah port inAbu Dhabi on 10th April. These locomotives willmove to Mirfa by road for the inauguration ofstage 1 (266km) in 2014 which will carrygranulated sulphur from Shah for exportthrough Ruwais port. The China SouthLocomotive and Rolling Stock Corporation issupplying 240 wagons.USA. The first phase of the PHX Sky Trainautomated people mover at Phoenix (Arizona)Sky Harbour International airport opened on8th April. It connects Terminal 4 with the easteconomy car park and the Metro light rail stopat 44th/Washington. The driverless trains runevery three minutes around the clock. A featureof the system is a bridge over a taxiway whichis high enough for a Boeing 747 to passunderneath. Bombardier has supplied anInnovia APM 200 system including six three-carsets and is responsible for operations andmaintenance for the first ten years. Phase 1awill extend the system by 1.1km to Terminal 3in early 2015. A final phase would extend to thecar hire centre.Thanks to Bob Barby and Bill Turvill

Peter Robinson

Andalsnes station in Norway on 26th March. Awaiting departure is a Cl. 93 three-car DMU, three of which operatethe extremely scenic branch to Dombas on the Oslo-Trondheim main line. Bob Barby

The old Chinese curse “May you live in interesting times” certainly applies to the UK electricitygeneration industry. The future of that industry is still inextricably linked to the future ofrailfreight, as it has been since the opening of the Stockton & Darlington Railway in 1825.Only in 2010, for the first time, did a commodity other than coal assume the position of thelargest tonnage generator on the UK’s railways since 1825 (in 2010 intermodal containersgenerated more tonne miles on the British rail network than coal). So what are the prospectsfor railborne coal in the coming years?Superficial analysis might lead one to assume that the future was pretty bleak for the coal-based electricity generators and the UK coal industry. After all we are told the UK must reduceits carbon emissions and coal is a ‘dirty’ fuel that contributes more CO2 to the atmospherethan any other. Not to mention the expansion of all ‘green’ forms of electricity generation,wind, solar, tidal and the untold riches of gas and oil production by hydraulic fracturing(‘fracking’). If you add to this the planned expansion of nuclear generation then surely coal,and its movement by rail, has no future. Well, as the old song said “It ain’t necessarily so”.The events of March 2013 could be interpreted as the beginning of the end for coal-firedelectricity generation. By 31st March four power stations had been decommissioned:1. Fawley, an oil burner.2. Kingsnorth, coal-fired but supplied by sea.3. Didcot ‘A’, coal-fired and supplied by rail.4. Cockenzie, coal-fired and supplied by rail.In order to meet its emissions targets, the UK switched off the equivalent of 5% of its totalgenerating capacity in one month. Now this does not look too good for rail, especially theclosure of Didcot, which, in its pomp, consumed up to four million tonnes of coal a year, nearlyall delivered by rail.Deeper analysis indicates that not everything is as bleak as it seems for the coal-firedgenerators. The closure of the four power stations in March had the effect of ‘tightening’ themarket and the industry regulator, OFGEM, has calculated that the UK now has a mere 5%reserve of generating capacity over the demand on a cold winter’s day. This means that allthe remaining UK generating stations, including the coal-fired ones such as Drax, have to workthat much harder to keep up with demand. Ironically this is happening at a time when theworld price of coal has been falling and the price of gas that the UK has to pay has been rising.Surprise, surprise, coal is the most cost effective method of generating electricity and the UKgenerators have been piling in.Now if things have been complicated for the generators they look positively simple comparedto the state of the UK’s coal miners. Overshadowing everything has been the decision by UKCoal Ltd. to close Daw Mill colliery (near Nuneaton), the largest deep mine in the countrybecause of a catastrophic underground fire that has been burning for over a month. Daw Mill’smaximum output was around two million tonnes of coal a year and the colliery had over 30years of coal reserves. Latterly most of the colliery’s output was railed to Ratcliffe powerstation near Nottingham. Meanwhile at Hatfield colliery, owned by Hargreaves, a major landslip in the spoil heap has closed the Scunthorpe to Doncaster railway line, the main route usedby coal trains from the port of Immingham. Whilst the problem with the spoil heap has notaffected mining at Hatfield, the financial effects of remediation of the problem will be anunwanted cost to Hargreaves. Finally the falling world price of coal has prompted questionsover the viability of a number of Scottish open cast mines.So where does this leave the prospects for coal on rail? Well in the short to medium term itlooks pretty good. The shortage of generating capacity means that the remaining coal burningstations will be working at near maximum output. As all those remaining stations are fittedwith ‘Flue Gas Desulphurisation’ (FGD) equipment, to ‘scrub’ sulphur emissions out of the fluegases, not only will they be consuming high volumes of coal but also limestone, brought in byrail, used in the FGD process. As a result of world market conditions (prompted by low demandfor coal in the USA) prices are likely to remain low, so imports will take the majority of theincrease in UK coal consumption. Hence high levels of coal traffic from Immingham, Tyne,Hull, Liverpool and Hunterston are likely to persist.All in all ‘Old King Coal’ has a bit of life left in him! Brian Ringer

406

THE FREIGHT BUSINESS COLUMNA Future for Power Station Coal?  

407

With the doomed Didcot power stationprominent in the background, 66169 passesMilton hauling the 13.20 Didcot to Avonmouthcoal empties. The date is 14th March andDidcot had only another week of coal deliveriesby rail before the power station closed at the endof the month. Brian Ringer

408

IN CONTROL Part 4By Maurice G. Boddy

The staffing of the control room was unusual. There was no natural progression like cleaner to enginedriver in the motive power department and staff came from a variety of ‘walks of life’ on the railway.They were mostly clerical staff, but we had former shunters, goods guards, signalmen and firemen.One of the latter had been a fireman at Copley Hill in the pre‐war ‘Pullman Link’, when one of hisengines had been Butler Henderson. The unsocial hours involved limited job applications, but in mycase at the time I applied I was currently a shipping clerk at Wellington Street goods depot,permanently on the ’12 noon to finish’ shift. Finish could be anything between 8pm and midnight,and anything was better than that. The outside staff usually settled in well in the control environment, though we did have a formersignalman who decided to return to his former employment. He was afterwards a signalman on theGN main line at Ardsley station. On one occasion (26th October 1959) he forgot about a light enginestanding on the down main line and it was run into by a down express, derailing the engine and thefirst two coaches. The light engine was also partly derailed. By chance one of our Deputy ChiefControllers was a passenger on the train and he went to the signal box to give assistance to the clearlydistraught signalman. The DCC told me the engine was Firdaussi, but whether this was the lightengine or the train engine I cannot recall.The prerequisites for becoming a controller seemed to be knowledge of the working timetable andgood railway geography. The rest could be picked up by going on courses and taking evening classes.Written instructions were few. There was the booklet setting out margins and headways at junctionsfor prioritizing the different classes of trains. Copies of these were held at the appropriate signalboxes, but the control copy was buried in a drawer somewhere and never looked at. Our job was tocontrol priorities in situations where the signalmen were not in full possession of the facts. As thesignalman at Wakefield Road (Leeds) box once bluntly put it: “I margins ‘em and you controls ‘em”.Another booklet, dated 1944 or 1945 from memory, which I found tucked away in the drawer out ofsight, covered engine route availability on the Midland. The system was not as sophisticated as theLNER route availability system, where the RA number appeared on the cabside. Engine classes weregiven codes, such as 5A for the LMS Black Fives, but unless you were steeped in LMS engine types itwas heavy going. Railway enthusiasts in control offices were a rarity, and probably a nuisance, so itwas left to the shed foremen to worry about route availability. The question only reared up when,because of an accident, diversions were put in place. I was caught out once, for a different reasonwhich I shall mention later. On a Sunday morning after finishing work at 6am, when I had to walk home as there was no publictransport, I would sometimes go via Holbeck shed. Occasionally I would walk around the shed andyard with the foreman while he jotted down every engine number so he knew what he had and whereit was. He once moaned to me about a lot of foreign engines in the yard, which of course meantmore hard work shunting engines around to position them correctly for when next required. I thoughtit prudent not to answer that one. At least I knew he wasn’t relying on numbers chalked on the boardby the previous shift. I am not sure whether the same system could have applied at the really busysheds.On one night shift I was Power Controller and it passed uneventfully. That is until about 5am whenan agitated shed foreman at Bolton phoned me to ask what he was supposed to do with Patriot 45522(I think that was the number) which I had sent him on the 12.10am Copley Hill‐Bolton goods. Theengine had been marked up for the job by the late turn shift at Farnley shed and neither that foremannor the night foreman, nor indeed I, had spotted it wasn’t a normal Patriot but effectively a RoyalScot, which mean it was barred from all lines around Bolton. I would have thought one of the Farnleyshed foremen on his rounds would have realised it was unsuitable for the job. Patriots, original orrebuilt, were rare in Leeds, and latterly I only had a note of seeing 45512 Bunsen in Leeds (10th August1961). So the Patriot on Bolton shed would have caused quite a stir among railway enthusiasts ifthey had noticed it. Strays were often reported in The Railway Observer and there was usually a goodexplanation if one only knew. Usually a diversion, special train and so on, but this example was acase of human error, not picked up as it should have been.

409

In due course, after we had become NER instead of LM operating area, a ‘Route Availability’ bookletwas issued, so we now knew that RA9 engines were permitted on our stretch of Midland main linebetween Snaygill (just south of Skipton) and Houghton (just north of Wath Road Junction). We werenot made aware of what appertained between Houghton and Wath Road Junction in the Rotherhamcontrol area, but presumably “it would be alright”. The RA booklet was also consigned to the backof a drawer, the problem still being left to the sheds to worry about. The steam engine fleet was bythen being drastically reduced, track conditions had been improved since the war. The biggest engineswhich had the potential to work down to Leeds were the Beyer Garratt class and I heard of one gettingas far as Stourton in the early 1950s, but not during my ‘shift’. They were more common at York,Normanton and Royston. Incidentally I once saw Beyer Garratt 7978 on the LMS shed at Bristol (24thFebruary 1951), though perhaps this was not such a rare sighting as I then thought.There was quite a lot of light engine working, transferring engines from one shed to another, eitherto work a specific job or on the way to getting them home eventually. I once sent a 9F 2‐10‐0 lightfrom Normanton to Royston, but the crew underestimated how much steam it needed and half‐waythere it stopped on the main line to raise steam. I also sent spare passenger engines to Holbeck,where “they will come in useful for something”. There was a better chance there of finding a spareset of, say, Carlisle (Kingmoor) men who could take an engine back home with them. No wonder theshed foreman at Holbeck wasn’t happy with all these spare engines I kept sending him.With the diesels there was little chance of an error being made; they only worked on the main lines.I did once send Deltic D9009 light to Farnley shed to store it over one cold weekend (3rd February1963), the only occasion I would imagine a Deltic ever appeared on this shed. I visited the shed inthe morning and found it parked with its engines running and a brazier nearby to keep it warm, whichis not what I had expected.I once broke a toe and it was in a splint for a week or two, while I just hopped around. Finishing thenightshift one Sunday morning, when under normal circumstances I would have walked home, I hada better solution. I rang Farnley shed and they sent an engine light to Leeds City station, to pick meup and take me back to drop off at Farnley Junction signal box near where I lived. I don’t think thatcould be done in 2013!

Not much sun in Cornwall on 21st April 2013, but 44871+45407 heading the Newquay-Cardiff leg of the “GreatBritain VI” rail tour make a fine sight working hard as they climb the Glyn valley on Largin viaduct. Bernard Mills

410

‘What Really Happened to Steam’The RCTS Response to the Railway Magazine Article

By W. Gordon Davies, Society ChairmanIt is disappointing that the article printed in the May edition of this magazine contained a great deal of ill informedcriticism of the RCTS and we welcome the invitation from the editor of The Railway Magazine to the right ofreply.

As always with this type of commentary it contains a number of errors and is economical with the truth. Inreading ‘What Really Happened to Steam’ by Roger Butcher I gained the impression that the RCTS is verymuch anti-HSBT; however, this is far from the truth. The article failed to mention that Mr. Butcher, with the fullapproval of the RCTS Management Committee (MC) was granted space to have a 900-word article withphotographs published in the April 2010 edition of the RCTS magazine The Railway Observer (RO) appealing forinformation from the society’s members. There was no suggestion in that 2010 article that any society branchshould nominate a co-ordinator for the collection of data and the MC was not approached with a request forthat to be initiated. Subsequently a letter was sent to all branches from John Aitchison a South Wales RCTSmember again calling for information. Of the 30 branches it is reported that only nine submitted informationto the HSBT project. However, the MC cannot demand that its members respond to a request for informationfor an independent project not connected with the Society. It is entirely up to individual members who havean interest in this aspect of locomotive history to respond as they so wish.

Many railway enthusiasts considered August 1968 as ‘the end of the world’ when steam disappeared from BRand gave up their interest once these locomotive were withdrawn. As far as many were concerned, that was it,the end of the story apart from those locomotives that were taken into preservation. How, when and wherethe locomotive was disposed of was of no great interest at all and the majority of enthusiasts would not havehad any records of disposal information.

The Society receives many requests from authors and periodicals including The Railway Magazine (RM) forpermission to quote from either the RO or its publications and as a society we are proud to assist and helpanyone by providing information for reference and research. Therefore to state that we have failed to help theHSBT is untrue. Recently an author who has never had work published by the RCTS in the past and who isnow working on a new publication for the society approached a prominent member of the HSBT team for avery small amount of disposal information and received the reply that “It would now not be right for me toprovide the RCTS with disposal data, some of which has been acquired under the auspices of HSBT”. Theresponse continued “I am consulting with the rest of the HSBT team, but doubt there will be agreement to tryto assist the RCTS from HSBT databases. If this proves to be the case it will not be ‘personal’ to you, but areflection of the general relationship between HSBT and certain members of the RCTS hierarchy”. Adisappointing response considering that the HSBT group are of the view that the Society has published in certainbooks incorrect data and here was an opportunity to give some assistance in making sure that we were ableto publish as much up to date information with due acknowledgement.

The Society has a long history and reputation of publishing high quality books on not only locomotives butother railway subjects. Since the first Locomotive Stock Book was published in 1935 more than 120 bookshave been produced, a number of which have become classics in their own right and acknowledged by railwayauthors and historians as the definitive text on the subject.

The article states that John Walford was editor of the BR Standards series; however that information is incorrectand a more thorough inspection of these books would reveal clearly that the well respected RCTS member R.K. (Dick) Taylor held that title and a dedication to Dick’s work is published in Standards Volume 5. John was theauthor of three of the books published in the series and he like all our other authors, including the editors,strive to collate and publish accurate information that they have to hand at the time of composing the material.BR Standards Volume 4, of which John was the author, dealt with the history of the 9Fs; this was published in2008, twelve months before the HSBT project got off the ground. Therefore to condemn the informationpublished in the book is somewhat unwarranted when this represents information contained in just five of the317 pages of text in this book.

Mr. Butcher states the RCTS seems reluctant to help us bring an end to the recycling of errors, so why doeshe acknowledge support from named society branches arising directly from the appeal published in the RO inApril 2010? Also mentioned is Rowland Pittard who is the RO Editorial Representative for Wales, therefore tostate that RCTS members are not assisting the project is false.

In discussions with John Walford he states that the article makes no mention of the fact that the HSBT teamwas offered space in the ‘Amendments to Previous Volumes’ section of BR Standards Volume Five to presentthe results of their researches, let alone why they chose not to take up the opportunity. The reasons for theirdecision, taken at a very early stage in the project, indeed before we had really got started, are still not clear tohim. In a further example of selective presentation, Mr. Butcher has quoted a sentence from one of John’se-mails to RCTS member Keith Gunner (another HSBT member) as follows: “A block statement of this kindshould always arouse scepticism in the mind of the historian”. He does not include the follow-on sentencewhich reads “The information may well be correct but I would double-check if I were you”. Later in the piece,

411

references to re-sales, subcontracting etc. are again misleading. In another e-mail to Keith, John raised theseissues on the assumption that the HSBT team would want to consider them. There was no “attempt to explain”anything. Whilst the only evidence John is aware of on these points is anecdotal, it appears that the team did nottrouble to address them. This is disappointing and represents another missed opportunity.

It is over 45 years since steam was withdrawn from service and my personal view is that all authors have toquestion whether the information now being received by the HSBT from railway enthusiasts is 100% correctand has it or will it be audited by an independent source to ensure its credibility?

It is true that Mr. Butcher, who was a member of the RCTS for nearly four decades and contributed informationto the RO and to its publications but has now left the society. The majority of members who resign from thesociety have the courtesy to submit a letter of resignation explaining their reasons for resigning. Individualsresign for many reasons, some personal, and all resignation letters are reviewed by the Chairman and Presidentwho in many cases respond to the concerns expressed in the individual letters. Mr. Butcher did not offer thatcourtesy to the Society, he just failed to renew his subscription in the 2012 renewals process and is regardedas a lapsed member. He accuses the Society of not understanding that a mixture of the historical and modernhas proved a success for other periodicals. Mr. Butcher fails to understand that there are two distinct facets tothe RCTS to-day; one is the publication of The Railway Observer, which does exactly what it says in the title. Itrecords in detail the railway scene of today in such a manner that it will be a value to researchers and historiansin the future. This it has done continuously since 1928 celebrating its 1,000th edition in 2012. This has been anundoubted success reflected by the demand for back volumes and the digitised searchable versions available onCDs. The other facet, already alluded to, is the publication of all areas of railway history and possibly is bestknown for the locomotive histories. Perhaps Mr. Butcher needs to take a little time to read a current editionof the RO and look at the RCTS website where he will see both historical and modern presented reflectingexactly this approach.

Mr. Butcher states other members of the HSBT group have retained their membership in the hope that the MCand the BR Standards editor change their position. However, there has been no correspondence received fromthese members regarding the information contained in our books. I am sure if they felt strongly about theinformation published in society books they would have contacted our authors or members of the publicationscommittee with their comments and new information as surely would be appropriate for such long standingmembers rather than stand on the sidelines and criticise the society.

Mr. Butcher is less than economical with the truth in his observations with regard to other publishers. Havingspoken to a number of publishers and authors it is obvious that no publisher is going to demand of its authorsthat they must use HSBT data. Publishers will always leave authors to determine their sources of data andmake up their own minds what they should use based on the provenance of the data and their own researchwith due acknowledgement being made in the resulting publication. This is exactly what we do in the RCTSPublications Committee where in the final manuscript review we often question the author’s sources and ensurethat all significant sources are acknowledged. There is no hierarchy, or hidden agendas in the RCTS. The onlyrecent change in policy is that we now invite authors of repute who are not members to write for us.

Such has been the demand that we have recently reprinted The Jubilee 4-6-0s authored by Ray Townsin. Sincethis book was first published in 2006 additional information from readers, members and further research bythe author based on comments received has come to hand therefore the reprint is now a second editiondemonstrating again that if we discover additional or updated information we are willing to publish that data.The Society has a history of updating first editions, Locomotives of the LNER Part 11 perhaps being theclassic example. Indeed BR Standards Volume Five had the role of bringing together all the available updatedinformation gathered since Volume One was published in 1994.

As Mr. Butcher has acknowledged in writing to my predecessor as Chairman ‘’Peter Hands published invaluablebooks in the early 1980s (in his What Happened to Steam Series) to which I refer to the books constantly’’ and‘’as a significant amount of storage and scrapping data has now become available, the RCTS is working on howbest to make this information easily available’’.

Using the RM and other periodicals to criticise a society such as the RCTS is counterproductive and will notwin the HSBT group any friends or respect especially when not all the facts are accurately presented and thisapproach will cause concern to future authors and publishers. Under my Chairmanship the RO would not beused to attack the work of the HSBT group despite what has just been published in the RM and is being publishedin other magazines. We are all railway enthusiasts and since taking on the role of Society Chairman I have foundthat all societies and organisations work well in harmony to a common aim and that is the ‘enjoyment of railways’as a hobby and relaxation whether at home or abroad. The co-operation and assistance that I have had fromvarious individuals and organisations has been tremendous. The RCTS wishes the HSBT team well in its goalsand the Society is willing to assist again as it did in April 2010.

Finally as Chairman of the RCTS I am very willing to host a meeting between the Society Publications Committeemembers and its authors with Mr. Butcher and members of the HSBT group to understand and resolve theissues which concern them and to agree on what basis they can use the copyright information published by thesociety in the RO during the 1960s concerning the storage and disposal of steam locomotives.

W. Gordon Davies

412

Part 7 – Wartime Problems, 1941 and 1942During the Thursday night bombing of Sheffield on 12th December 1940, Ken and I had dealt withincendiary bombs near our house in Gleadless (during the war years our father worked on nightsat the Brightside factory of English Steel Corporation), but fortunately not on the Sunday after,when Sheffield’s east end suffered badly.On the Monday morning Ken and I were to visit Brightside foundry near 19A shed and wereapprehensive as to what we might encounter on our bicycles. It was still dark as we rode down thePrince of Wales Road dual carriageway to Darnall, where the road narrowed to pass under the GCRmain line. Here, an abandoned car, illegally with no lights or white painted bumpers, was parkedby the kerb. In the black-out and with shaded cycle lamps we stood no chance, Ken was outside meand his bike glanced off the offside bumper, but I crashed fully into the car making a huge dent justabove the small oval rear window with my head, then fell on to the steel bumper, broke off my frontupper teeth and I laid unconscious in the road.By a wonderful quirk of fate, my elderly grandfather, who walked from Gleadless to his workshopin Darnall every morning, came across us two minutes later, went into a nearby shop and phonedfor an ambulance.Ken carried on the journey to deliver his site timesheets and mine, but my faithful £2 Raleigh bikewas a complete write-off. An ambulance duly arrived and I was carted off to the Royal Infirmarywhere the stumps of my front teeth were removed; fortunately my head was unusually hard andnothing else was broken.Needless to say, the idiot who had pushed his long disused old car into the downhill road, hoping itwould start, was never located and I never received any compensation.So for my Christmas and 17th birthday present I received a brand new Raleigh “Silver Speed”bicycle with three gears. In the four years I had ridden the old model for pleasure and for work Iestimated I had pedalled some 12 to 13,000 miles. So for some weeks I was somewhat toothless atwork with some jovial banter from workmates, before embarking on a lifetime of false teeth,currently some 71 years.As I was now 17, wages rose again to 9d per hour and as so many of the smaller specialist steelworks in Sheffield had been bombed we were kept extremely busy rebuilding mechanical servicesinstallations, involving overtime and Sunday working.Both Sheffield stations had been badly damaged in the ‘Blitz’, as had much of the extensive tramwaysystem, each requiring rapid repairs and rebuilding.As Ken was over 18, he was obliged to join the Home Guard and I spent more and more time awayfrom home on sites at Doncaster, Scunthorpe, Brough, Darley Dale, the Hope Valley and Manchesterareas. Many involved daily rail journeys, others meant lodging overnight. I still recall SentinelRailcar True Blue at Brough, regular Compounds and some Jubilees on daily trips to Hope, journeysto Doncaster brought a wide variety of Directors and GN Atlantics, but more about these later.So into 1942 with a rise to 10½d per hour and regular trips to a greenfield site in Doncaster, whichwas to become known as the Tank Factory; the large new complex was built adjacent to the GC &H&BR Joint Line running north/south.We travelled from Sheffield Victoria on the 6.40am local train with stops at Broughton Lane,Tinsley, Rotherham Central, Rotherham Road, Parkgate & Aldwarke, Kilnhurst, Swinton,Mexborough and Conisbrough on the one-hour journey.At various times we used the 8.00am train with similar stops, the 6.40 train was a Neepsend turnand the 8.00 a Doncaster turn. The Sprotborough bus service outside the station took us to the siteand returned us after work in time for the 5.30pm from Doncaster; a Hull to Manchester semi-fasttrain, this was a Mexborough turn. Having travelled regularly for some weeks, I had noticed thewide variety of locomotives hauling these trains and decided it may be worthwhile making noteswhen possible. So from Wednesday 11th March 1942 until 4th August 1942 I took details of 217either up or down journeys including some 90% of the engine numbers. During the first four daysI recorded engines of classes K3, C1, B17 and D10 on down trains and B2, B5, C4 + J11 and C1 +B5 on up trains.The 5.30pm train was due into Victoria at 6.13pm with stops at Mexborough and Rotherham Centralonly, but if loaded to more than nine coaches took a pilot engine from Rotherham for the long 1 in60 bank through Broughton Lane to Woodburn Junction.This happened on 24 occasions, the usual pilot being the N4 0-6-2T shunting in the goods yard, butB5, B6, J11 and J39s were also noted.Sheffield turns were usually by D10 or D11 Directors (41 runs with 13 different locomotives),Doncaster turns were C1 Ivatt Atlantics (44 runs with 25 different locomotives) and Mexborough

PLUMB’S RAMBLINGS

413

turns were B5 Fish class (79 runs with 6 different locomotives), with 5181 and 5183 being used 30times each. So in the recorded period of 217 runs, 82 different locomotives were used representing19 classes, namely: B2, B5, B6, B7, B16, B17, C1, C4, C5, C7, D9, D10, D11, D49, J11, J39, K3, N4and N5. Named engines were well represented, mainly Great Central of course. Herewith listedwith number of times used:

Loco Used Times 5423 B2 Sir Sam Fay 35426 B2 City of Chester 15427 B2 City of London* 12831 B17 Serlby Hall 12847 B17 Helmingham Hall 22853 B17 Huddersfield Town 12867 B17 Bradford 25258 C5 The Rt. Hon. Viscount

Cross G.C.B., G.C.S.I. 15430 D10 Purdon Viccars 15432 D10 Sir Edward Fraser 55433 D10 Walter Burgh Gair 7

Loco Used Times5434 D10 The Earl of Kerry 25435 D10 Sir Clement Royds 15436 D10 Sir Berkeley Sheffield 55437 D10 Worsley-Taylor 15501 D11 Mons 35502 D11 Zeebrugge 55503 D11 Somme 15506 D11 Butler-Henderson 45508 D11 Prince of Wales 15509 D11 Prince Albert 5205 D49 The Albrighton 1* name was removed in 1937

22 named locomotives used on 54 runsAfter these marathon travels, meaning I would leave home about 6am and get back by around6.50pm, six and sometimes seven days per week, with workman’s fares of 11½d return (rising to1/0½d later, we were paid 19/6d per week lodging allowance), I was very pleased to ease down.The push to get the new factory into production (it manufactured urgently needed cast treads fortanks) by August 1942 was largely completed. Rail connections and sidings had been laid and abrand new 0-4-0ST shunting locomotive arrived (Bagnall No.2660/1942). I seem to recall, raw materials and finished products being rail-transported.Our large contingent of ‘Journeyman Craftsmen’ and labourers was run down and finally, althoughbeing an 18 year-old advanced apprentice, I was retained on site with my mate, a local ex-miner. Idecided to lodge with his family at Bentley, having ridden my new Raleigh bicycle from Sheffield.So we plodded on, doing general installation of gas and compressed air facilities in the melting shopsand casting bays until the end of 1942, when I was recalled to transfer to a new project at Wellingborough Iron Co. Ltd. There was a prize, my employers Brightside Foundry & EngineeringCo. had started an incentive bonus scheme and as I had been at Sprotborough almost twice as longas any of the craftsmen, I received a handsome bonus of £46 (around £1,200 in today’s money). Istarted my first bank account and never looked back! to be continued

The Foxfield Railway held a celebration of Bagnall locomotives, on 6th/7th April. Visiting Port of Par locomotivesAlfred and Judy are seen descending the 1 in 18 bank to Foxfield colliery somewhat dwarfed by the brakevan on7th April. Jon Hughes

414 414

DONCASTER DIVERSITY!Doncaster has long been one of the most popular locations for rail observation and its attraction seems to haveincreased recently with the current troubles at Stainforth. During a two-hour mid-afternoon session observationseeing over a dozen freight movements has been a common occurence. Above - One of the many freight workings diverted through Doncaster due to the Stainforth slip saw 66510 withempty coal hoppers crossing the middle roads through the station heading for Belmont yard on 19th April 2013.

David KelsoBelow - A pair of DRS Cl.20s (20312+20304) head south towards Decoy yards on 2nd April bracketing two ofNetwork Rails Windhoff MPV multi purpose maintenance vehicles. Mike Rhodes

415

BRANCH NEWS Bristol. On 5th April Keith Strickland showed b/wphotographs “In Search of Steam”, taken from hislatest book of the same title. A photographer ofrailways in the landscape, we visited Argentina,Austria, Bosnia, Brazil, Burma, Chile, China,Cuba, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary,India, Jordan, New Zealand, Pakistan, Paraguay,Peru, Poland, Serbia, South Africa, Syria, Turkeyand Ukraine, having started in the UK at ChardJunction and Kilmersdon colliery. Keith’sphotographs were taken over the last 40 years andthe majority showed working steam. Highlightsincluded a weekly train in Argentina, the famousJing Peng Pass in China, a colliery in Bosnia stillusing steam in 2012 (including a USA 0-6-0T) and,in preservation, “The Kingston Flyer” in NewZealand. A fascinating evening of superb images.As an ambassador for the charity, Keith gave ussome revealing facts into the work of the RailwayChildren charity.Cambridge. In April we welcomed Chris Bankswith his ever popular “Engine Sheds in SteamDays”. This time we visited 13 London sheds,starting at Bricklayers Arms with locomotives fromclasses V, C, E1 and N on shed. Nine Elms,Norwood Junction and Stewarts Lane held a widerange of SR power ranging from BR Standards toa G16 4-8-0T and Bulleid Pacifics, some inimmaculate condition. Hither Green presented theunusual sight of a clean Q1 33010 in March 1960.Camden revealed 46225 Duchess of Gloucester and71000 Duke of Gloucester, although not at the sametime. Willesden produced a 9F, Duchesses, RoyalScots, Jubilees and Black Fives and of special notewas Standard 5 73014, a regular Cambridge-Bletchley performer. Cricklewood held Garratt47981 in May 1955 and Kentish Town had rebuiltPatriot 45532 Illustrious. At Kings Cross theiconic line-ups included A4s, A1s, V2s and even a9F, 92180, plus a collection of N2s. Plaistowhoused 3Ps 41969 and 41986 and a line oflocomotives awaiting their fate in 1958. Cheltenham. On 16th April we held our AnnualBusiness Meeting at which the present committeewas re-elected en bloc, which was taken by thosepresent to be a great compliment to them.Regrettably there were no volunteers to take overany posts, so Steve Wilson continues as Chairman,with John Howland (Secretary.) Richard Morris(Treasurer), Paul Gearey (IT matters) and CliveDavies (outdoor visits). After the 40-minutemeeting entertainment was provided, firstly byJohn Champion with monochrome slides from the1950s having mainly a West Country flavour, plusa few taken at Blisworth, and Mike Burdge with amixture which included his favourite industrialbackgrounds in places such as the Phurnacite plantat Penrhiwceiber and Buildwas power station.Digital contributions, after some delay with thecomputer being abnormally mulish, came fromStewart Blencowe (Egypt), Colin Willats (some oldstation buildings and infrastructure includingSelby swing bridge) and Richard Morris (Swissscenes, plus a few shots at the Cobham bus rallyon a very wet day). It was agreed that the

revolutionary ‘Borismaster’ was not exactlypleasing to the eye! Steve Wilson gave us a fewlocal shots plus a fine view of the Coal Tankrunning as LMS 7799 at Bridgnorth. Chichester. In April Douglas Irvine presented“The History of St. Pancras Station”. Finding anappropriate area of land of sufficient size for arailway terminus between Pentonville Road andEuston Road posed many questions. Despiteseemingly insurmountable obstacles the desiredobjective was completed with remarkable speed, by1868 for Barlow’s magnificent train shed and by1874 for George Gilbert Scott’s Midland GrandHotel. Adjacent to Cubitt’s 1852 Kings Crossstation, the land presented a major problem giventhe potentially prohibitive escape gradient fromthe terminus. Raising the terminus high aboveground level upon columns solved the problem,providing a vast storage space beneath designed toaccommodate beer barrels from Burton. The hotelenjoyed a relatively short period of celebrity status,followed by an agonizingly long period ofalternative use and ultimate dereliction. Recentlythe building was restored to a condition ofexceptional magnificence. Barlow’s grand trainshed survives to enjoy a similar renaissance;beautifully restored, it now serves the needs ofEurostar, Southeastern and East Midlands Trains.Douglas took us from start to finish in anaccomplished, accessible presentation, deliveredwith conspicuous attention to detail. Croydon & South London. Our afternoonmeeting at Redhill on 27th March welcomedNicholas Owen, television presenter, newsreaderand Driver Standards Manager of the Volk’sElectric Railway, Brighton with his talk on “SixtyYears of Loving Southern Electrics”.Chronologically he took us from his first sightingof a Southern electric train at Kingswood at the ageof eight; geographically he took us fromTattenham Corner to London Bridge and Victoriaand back to Brighton; technically he took us from4-SUB units to Cl.377 Electrostars. Nicholasdescribed his involvement with the formation of theSouthern Electric Group and his work as avolunteer driver on the VER. He explained thebackground to his passion for electric trains ratherthan for steam despite being fascinated by the fewremaining local freight workings in and around theSouthern Region and his work for the BluebellRailway. For this particular audience hisreminiscences were mainly railway related – butalways fascinating!At our regular evening meeting in Croydon on 8thApril Geoff Potter gave us “An Introduction to theFascinating World of Railway Simulation”. No, notthe multi-million pound simulators used by TrainOperating Companies to train drivers, Geoff toldus about his enjoyment of computer simulations asa hobby. Early commercial simulations were fairlybasic requiring a lot of imagination to obtainmaximum enjoyment. He described thecharacteristics of early simulations such as TrainSimulator, designed for use on a PC, and onthrough Trainz and other commercial programs

416

with free or low-cost add-ons providingsupplementary rolling stock and track features.Although it was abandoned by Microsoft soon afterit was launched, Train Simulator remains popularwith what Geoff described as ‘the virtual railwaycommunity’. He showed how to build a virtualmodel railway using components from websites tosupport his own programming activities. It was afascinating insight into the hobby, but did Geoffinspire us to try this for ourselves? Who can tell?East Midlands. Stephen Gay visited us again on26th March with “Railways in a YorkshireLandscape”. Leaving Sheffield for Hull, Stephen’skeen eye for detail was soon evident and we sawshots from unusual vantage points aroundDoncaster taken from some high-rise residentialflats. Also shown were dramatic photographs ofthe recent landslip at Stainforth, marine transporton the rivers crossed and views from the HumberBridge. A trip to Harrogate revealed his patiencein striving to get the perfect picture - he will get offthe train or bus somewhere that has a very limitedservice, resulting in a very long wait before or aftertaking the desired shot. We then had an equallygood journey along the Settle & Carlisle, withphotographs of the obvious and less obvious.Again, Stephen would be out in freezing weatherand exposed to the elements to get his photograph.Throughout the presentation we were treated tosome of his poetry relevant to the journey. Asplendid evening once again, and thanks too toWrawby, Stephen’s faithful dog – but not quite outin all weathers!Phil Lockwood and Enid Vincent returned in Aprilto present “Diverted – Rotherham to Doncaster andShirebrook”. Starting at Rotherham Masborough,whilst still in use as a passenger station, we weretaken on this roundabout route through SouthYorkshire, Nottinghamshire and Derbyshirevisiting many collieries and industrial and linesidelocations. The photographs were taken from the1970s to date including current and firstgeneration diesel classes on freight duties, divertedpassenger and excursion trains. At severallocations the present-day image showed how muchthe infrastructure had changed over the years. TheMickleover test track, where the images weretaken on our branch visit, marked the extremity ofour journey before returning north to bypassDoncaster on the South Yorkshire Joint to KirkSandall Junction and Doncaster.Hitchin. The Gloucester-Warwickshire Railwaywas Bernie Holland’s subject on 26th March.Bernie, a member of the G-WR movement for over30 years, explained the line’s development from itsvery earliest days and started by showing familiartraction including GWR Castles and Granges, LMR8Fs, 9Fs, Black Fives and WDs. Prior to closure agreat deal of traffic was always seen on race daysat Cheltenham. The first locomotive to run on therestored line was Cadbury No.1 and as the linedeveloped resident and visiting engines came toinclude many and varied types of traction such asFlying Scotsman, Green Arrow, City of Truro andex-S&DJR 7F 88. Fund raising events haveincluded Thomas weekends, vintage vehicle rallies,brake van rides and film work for various

television series. Bernie showed slides from bothcab and brakevan rides detailing various projectsand the problems that have beset the railway. Thepreservation group is now looking forward tofurther developments to the north and south,hoping eventually to connect with NR atHoneybourne.On 10th April Steve Ollive gave us a superbaccount of the railways around Berlin during thevery cold new year of 2009. To set the scene wesaw views of the city’s wonderful buildingsincluding the exterior and interior of the recentlycompleted Bahnhof station, which covers part ofthe old Berlin Wall. We saw traction using thestation varying from the S-Bahn units to the ICEtrains and including the many and varied singlerailbus units that run almost everywhere. Afterseeing Cologne, Bonn, Koblenz and their railwayswe saw scenes of Steve and friends using aRhineland period ticket over an Easter holidayfollowing and travelling on steam specials. It wasfascinating to see how others cope with crowdswatching and filming their railways - far morerelaxed than in the UK, no barriers and fewrestrictions preventing you from getting close andallowing much more personal discretion in thesematters. Steve finished with a look at the exhibitsin the Koblenz Railway Museum on a special openweekend, with many classes of locomotive old andnew. A really good evening, enjoyed by everyone.Ipswich. On 8th April we welcomed Peter Groomwith “East Midlands around 1960”. Peter showedus B&W slides starting in his home town of MeltonMowbray which then boasted two stations, one ofwhich did not welcome train spotters! NearAshfordby tunnel we saw many steam-hauledworkings including the Royal Train behind twoimmaculate Black Five 4-6-0s, ex-MR 4-4-0spiloting Jubilees to St. Pancras and Garratts on thelong coal trains to London. Moving south throughWellingborough, Bedford, Seaton Junction andHarringworth viaduct we saw more unusualworkings including an ex-LTS tank locomotive ona mixed train at Uppingham and the ex-HR JonesGoods at Bedford for filming purposes. Peter hada lineside photo permit (except for the WR) and heused this at Rugby to record many steam and earlydiesel workings from the station signal boxes. Ourfinal call was at Derby including an open day,scenes at which would have given today’s HSEnightmares. Amongst many locomotives seen werethe withdrawn Lickey banker, a visiting ex-GERClaud 4-4-0 from Lincoln and the unique Fell dieselin operation. We ran out of time to visit theNottingham area, but it was enjoyable to see asomewhat under-recorded part of the country. Lancashire & North West. On 27th Marchmember Graham Roose presented slides takenbetween 1978 and 2007, showing main line diesels,a smattering of multiple units and a few steamlocomotives. Graham prefers the quiet of thecountryside to the bustle of towns and cities andthis was reflected in his photography. We enjoyedscenes along many branch lines including Redmire,Warcop, Cauldon Lowe, Rylstone, Severn Beach,Merehead, Radstock, Wenford and some from theSouth Wales valleys. Main lines included those

417

west of Bath and Salisbury and a Scottish selectionranging from Thurso to Stranraer. Graham hadsearched out locations where nature as well as therailway could be enjoyed. This was an outstandingselection of material from comparatively recentyears, although the vast majority are nowunrepeatable.Merseyside, Chester & North Wales. Sevenmembers gathered together at the south end ofDoncaster’s platform 3 to watch the intensity ofrailway activity on 9th April. With the temporaryclosure of the Scunthorpe line there was aprocession of freight traffic throughout the day,with many trains being held south of the station.Additional DRS light engine workings alsocontributed to the scene. Passenger services wereusing different platforms to those normally seen,and the weather was generally kind for our group.Two members journeyed to and from Adwick inorder to have first rides on certain EMUs and thehumour was flowing as thick and fast as ever onthe platform.Fifteen members and friends participated in theannual Chester Model Railway Club/FfestiniogRailway (Dee & Mersey Group) rail tour of 20thApril. Starting out from Hooton the train headedvia Shrewsbury and Bath to Weymouth, where anafternoon of virtually unbroken sunshine wasenjoyed. 67029 Royal Diamond was the motivepower for both outward and return journeys.Thanks go to John Feild for arranging the RCTSstandard class party group booking.

Milton Keynes. Society member David Walkergave a slide show on 4th April entitled “All Coloursof the Rainbow”. This took us right back to theearly days of BR, with modern traction of the timemostly being black except for Southern green10201-3. All classes of locomotives were then seentogether with the early DMUs, some of which hadrather short lives as traffic decreased. The draboverall blue livery spoilt the very attractive liveriesmost of them carried from new, but things changedin the 1980s with the arrival of sectorisation.Liveries started to change, the most startling beingat NSE under Chris Green’s influence, but this wasnothing to what happened following privatisation.David brought us up to date with examples of allcurrent liveries, some of which sit very pleasantlyon the rolling stock and others which are not sopleasing to the eye. A night of both happymemories and reminders of what our railway hasbeen through over the past 60 years.Northampton. John Chalcraft gave a digitalpresentation of superb photography entitled“British Railways Archive 1948-1968” on 18thMarch, consisting of work from many well knowntop-flight photographers and including some of hisown photographs. Commencing with a newMerchant Navy Pacific hauling “The Bournemouth

Below - Giesl ejector-fitted Bagnall 0-6-0ST built in1954 for the NCB, Florence No.2 climbs the inclinefrom Foxfield colliery at the railway’s Bagnall gala on7th April.

Above - The Port of Par duo of Alfred and Judyclimbing the 1 in 18 bank from the colliery site; theywere banked by the railway’s Bagnall Myfanwy. Thesize of the Par engines is emphasised by the 16-tonmineral wagon behind. both by Jon Hughes

FOXFIELD FOLLIES!

418

Belle” at Clapham Junction, we moved year byyear to finish in 1968 with a great selection oflocomotive types engaged on crack services and onthe more mundane duties. The introduction of theStandard steam classes was shortly followed by theintroduction of new diesel locomotives and multipleunits. There were excellent shed scenes atWillesden (with 20+ locomotives visible), Camdenand many more lesser places. We saw Standardlocomotives under construction at Crewe andSwindon together with older locomotivesundergoing repair. It was sad to see the cab of arecently scrapped 70007 (built 1951, withdrawn1965), lying on its side in a works yard after just14 years of service. The years covered were timesof great change in our quest for ever faster andhigher capacity trains and these too had beenmasterfully caught by the photographers in topquality B&W and colour and then ably transferredto digital format.Unfortunately our guest speaker Keith Haltonbecame unavailable a few days before our meetingon 8th April, but he sent the presentation on discto allow committee member Jack Knights topresent “The Thirties in Black and White” from theRisdon-Prentice collection. Jack had obviouslydone his homework, but he warned the largeaudience that he would need help to identify someof the locomotives and most of the locations. Thereis nothing like an emergency to bring folk together,some joined in with less than knowledgeableenthusiasm and sometimes there were as manysuggestions of locations as participants, but Jackkept on course in great style. We started withmainly LNER locomotives, with conjecture overclass E4 2-4-0 444 and the number of re-numberings the locomotive had suffered. Ex-GCRand M&GN, Port of London Authority andMetropolitan types provided more ammunitionbefore a series of terrific shots of locomotives inHolland and France which attracted littlecomment, doubtless our members knew aboutthese but decided to keep the details secret! Thefinal part of this superb collection was principallyfrom the Southern Railway, with Brighton Baltictanks and track-straddling signal boxes; noproblem to our resident ‘Brighton’ man who soonsaw them off, locations and all!North East. On 11th April at Newcastle BillFawcett told us about about Thomas ElliottHarrison. Bill described Harrison’s interesting lifeand times as an engineer responsible for manyviaducts and bridges, most of which still survive.Unfortunately an electricity supply problem causeda change of room at very short notice whichdetracted from the evening a little, but this was avery well researched and presented talk about asomewhat neglected engineer. We all gainedquite a lot of local knowledge.Ian McInness presented “Railways andRemembrance” on 18th April at Darlington. Thiswas another talk with a difference, the first halfdescribing the railways’ wartime contributions(particularly to World War I, which we could noteven approach today) and the second half coveringthe various locomotives named in remembranceand monuments to be seen in sometimes

unexpected places on the railway system today.This talk highlighted how easy it is to forgetnowadays just how much we owed to the railwaysand railwaymen through those dark days.Peterborough. The last indoor meeting of thecurrent winter programme saw an audience of 22members and friends welcome local speaker DavidGunning with his presentation titled “Steamaround the World”. Due to some personal problemsDavid had to widen the scope of his show, and abetter title would have “Transport around theWorld”. We did see steam but also shots of moderntraction, usually whilst he was waiting for steamto appear. Countries visited included India,Germany, Switzerland and Cuba, as well as theUK where we visited the WCML, the S&C inCumbria and the fenland country of Lincolnshireand Cambridgeshire. Other transport modesincluded the last days of the London Routemasterbuses, trams in a number of places and thesteamers on Lake Lucerne. David also includedsome interesting shots of unusual railway signs, ofrailway personnel and of some tourist sites,including the Taj Mahal and some stunning viewsof sunrise over Mount Everest. This was a veryinteresting show and we look forward to a returnvisit.Scottish. In April we welcomed noted railwayphotographer Ian Lothian, whose presentation “AYear’s Adventures Through the Camera Lens”rendered a most interesting evening’s viewing,including indigenous and North American images.UK machinery included Cl.47s, 66s and 67s on adiverse variety of diagrams and in various colourschemes. Cargoes included coal from Hunterstonto Longannet at Stirling and alumina from NorthBlyth to Fort William. The Royal Train with aCl.67 at Grangemouth, “The Royal Scotsman” atDunfermline and “The Northern Belle” Pullman atFauldhouse were illustrated. Classes 158, 170, 334and 380 were displayed. Steam haulage included46115 Scots Guardsman showing its mettle onDalgetty bank, a Black Five and coaches atGartcosh on a WCRC ECS from Carnforth to FortWilliam and a GWR Castle with GWR coaches atBo’ness before working a rail tour across the ForthBridge. The North American section produced avariety of locomotives and cargoes in a number ofscenic locations. The commentary furnished alarge quantity of background information, whichwas much appreciated. The enjoyable eveningconcluded with a Q&A session.Sheffield. The inclement weather reduced ournumbers on 25th March for Stewart Donohue’sslide show entitled “A Brush with Sir Nigel”,relating the numerical comparison between theGresley Pacifics and today’s Cl.60s. Starting at60001 the slides alternated between diesel andsteam up to 60100, thence steam only to 60112 andstraying slightly to include the renumbered 60500and the original A2. The different liveries, namechanges, modifications, experiments andallocations for steam and diesel locomotives wereshown, and the country-wide locations of the Cl.60shighlighted the different traffic worked by theselocomotives. The final shot showed many of theclass stored at Toton. This excellent evening’s

419

entertainment satisfied both steam and dieselenthusiasts. Better weather combined with thelocal subject of “Penistone to Nottingham Victoriaand Derby Friargate” gave an increasedattendance for Mike Eggenton’s slide show on 8thApril. Using a map to show the lines covered, wewere transported to Penistone to begin the journey.Mike did not strictly follow the GCR and GNRroutes and occasionally diverted to MR lines for theout and home trip. The slides were a mixture ofB&W and colour shots and included manyonce-familiar locations and a range of locomotivesfrom industrial shunters to the LNER Garratt,with many pre-Grouping classes. We also sawCl.76 and Cl.77 electrics, a few early diesel classes,rail tours, depots and scrapyards. The show madeeveryone realise just how much has gone in the last50 years as many of the locations shown do not nowgive any indication of a railway ever having beenthere. An excellent evening of nostalgia and ourthanks to Mike for such an expert presentation.Solent. The term ‘community rail’ is a reasonablyrecent innovation, and in our area one such serviceis the Salisbury to Romsey local service. In AprilMark Miller gave a presentation on “The ThreeRivers Partnership”. He explained the nature ofthe stakeholders involved (councils, train operatorsand local businesses) and funding (grants,donations, sales), production of leaflets (includingone on pubs near the stations) and the organisationof a free Sunday bus service from the stations tolocal attractions. Besides the stations served bythe local service three stations on the Fareham lineare now overseen by the partnership, with threemore about to join and so taking the influence toBursledon. Volunteers are being recruited to lookafter the stations, plant gardens or clear overgrown

areas. Ideas are still being explored to provideextra car parking at Dean and Mottisfont &Dunbridge stations. During the course of questionsMark was seen taking notes as general questionsbecame short discussion points and thenconstructive ideas. Community rail now meansmuch more to us.South Essex. Worldwide traveller Godfrey Gouldpresented “Third World Steam” in April. Startingin Burma in 2002 we saw steam power, oftenBritish-built, interspersed with scenes of local lifeincluding passengers riding on roofs and in sugarcane wagons. Cuba in 1995 revealed the wonderfulHershey Railway, a 1,500 V d.c overhead systemwith ancient and typically American cars andsteeple cab locomotives. The sugar cane railwayswere in full use with a huge variety of standardand narrow gauge tender and tank locomotives,nearly all built in the USA. The steeply graded linefrom the port of Massawa in Eritrea climbs 7,500feet to the capital, Asmara, through spectacularmountainous country and the Italian tanklocomotives have to work very hard. India’s varietyof locomotives and gauges, the hill railways toDarjeeling and the Nilgiri rack were particularlyinteresting. The big contrast in living conditionswas shown with shots of slums very close to themagnificent Mysore Palace. Brief visits to Nepaland Peru were followed by the classic British-builtGarratts in Zambia. Neighbouring Zimbabwe alsohad Garratts aplenty, with one posed on a specialatop the Victoria Falls bridge. The Wankie CoalCompany were using massive NB- andHenschel-built 2-8-2s and even a cement workshad a 4-8-2 shunter. Godfrey’s pithy andhumourous commentary completed an excellentevening.

O & K 0-6-0WT 11784/1928 Sao Domingos repatriated from northern Portugal stands in the upper yard of theGreat Bush Railway at Tinkers Park, West Sussex, home of the Claude Jessett collection on the occasion of theNGRS visit on 6th April 2013. David Kelso

420

South Wales/De Cymru. In March Jeff Morganpresented “The Barry Railway”. Formed in thelate 19th century, the Barry Dock and RailwayCompany was created by coal owners to overcomecongestion at Cardiff docks. The Barry’s difficultroutes required two long tunnels, two stoneviaducts and three substantial girder viaducts.The expansion to the Rhymney, Ogmore and Llynfivalleys was covered with mention of proposals toreach the Swansea valley and the Western valleysof Monmouthshire, both thwarted by World War I.The extensive locomotive fleet showed a surprisingdegree of standardisation, but included locomotivesbuilt in Belgium and America and the first British0-8-2T. Decline followed in the 1920s andduplicated routes were reduced after 1923.Although the main line from Cadoxton to thevalleys closed in the 1960s, the branch to Coganand Cardiff continues to thrive. The Vale ofGlamorgan line closed to passengers in 1964 butre-opened in 2005. A small amount of freight runsto No. 2 Dock but the principal flow is coal and oilto Aberthaw power station. The Bridgend-Barry-Cardiff route is still used by diversions from theGWR main line. A fascinating presentation; whereelse could be found a dock and railway whichexported 13,000,000 tons of coal in one yearwithout directly serving a single colliery?On 10th April Sheffield photographer, poet, doglover and railway raconteur Stephen Gaypresented another of his “Picture PostcardRailway Rambles”, covering the Sheffield-Edalesection of the former MR line to Manchester.Stephen gave a detailed history of the line and itsmotive power but with an entertaining and diverseselection of ‘picture postcard ‘ views of stations,infrastructure and trains in the landscape. Thephotographs covered the last seven years and allseasons in the Peak District, and departed from themain line to cover long-disused quarry inclines, theremains of a seven-mile line built solely for theconstruction of dams and the stunning scenery,especially the long walk over the hill throughwhich Totley tunnel was driven. He has anenviable eye for a viewpoint but the tales of hispatience, persistence and perseverance to achievethe desired shot would shame the vast majority ofphotographers. Rarely can a shot of a mundaneDMU cause much interest, but Stephen succeededin doing so. Some of his snow scenes were trulyexceptional, but then as we started to shiver wewere advised where to obtain the best breakfastand a pint of tea along the line. A thoroughlyentertaining evening, and we look forward toanother visit next season.Surrey. Brian Ringer returned on 23rd April with“Strictly Freight - Part II” to continue the story ofrailfreight operations. Brian concentrated on coaltraffic from the 1960s to the present day,describing the development of specially-designedwagons and equipment, new and more powerfullocomotives to haul greater capacity trains and thedevelopment of the MGR system. Currently mostcoal goes to power stations to produce electricity,hence a continuous and reliable supply is essential.Interlinking social history and the considerablechanges of recent times, Brian described how largescale deep mining in the UK has become

uneconomic and the vast majority of coal is nowimported. The MGR trains now mainly operatefrom ports to power stations and the innovationshave been adapted to meet today’s requirements.Coal is not the only product to be moved in bulkand aggregate traffic was also covered in thepresentation. As before, this was an excellent,coherent and interesting presentation with goodtechnical detail and social context.Sussex. For our March meeting we welcomedback John Blackwell to continue our journey alongthe Coastway West. We started where we left offat Durrington-on-Sea, where John discussed thevery brutal Art Deco styling which makes it lookmore like a bomb shelter than a station! Weproceeded along the line to Portsmouth Harbourand John showed photographs of stations thatremained long after they became disused atLyminster, Woodgate and Drayton. These hadoriginally been built as the railway expandedwestwards but fell out of use as the line reached toits final terminus. Drayton was built to supportthe Goodwood races, but was superseded by Lavantwhen the Chichester-Midhurst line was built.John took us down all the associated branches toLittlehampton, Bognor (Bognor Regis from 1929),Hayling Island and Southsea East. He alsocovered the The Hundred of Manhood & SelseyTramway of Colonel Holman F. Stephens fame,upon which one of the LCGB members present wasable to tell us that as a very small child he hadtravelled on the line in one of the Model T Fordrailcars. We ended the evening discussing how therailway had to breach the various harbour defencesto enter Portsmouth.The booked speaker for our April meeting was BertMoody with “The Railways of Southampton”.Unfortunately, Bert was indisposed on the day buthis friend, Paul Gosling, gave the presentationinstead. We saw various stations within an areabounded by Sholing, Southampton Airport andRedbridge, all illustrated by a variety of shots fromthe earliest times to the present day. Bert hadtaken shots of many signal boxes and somemagnificent signal gantries prior to thecentralisation of signalling in the area, togetherwith scenes around 1966 just prior to electrificationwith the insulator pots by the trackside awaitinginstallation. The docks area was discussed and wewere shown Southampton Central station beforethe Western Docks were constructed in the 1930s.Who today would believe that the beach was oncea road’s width away from this station? Aninteresting series of shots showed the originalCentral, the 1930s rebuilding, bomb damage, 1970svandalism and the recent works that have repairedthe war damage in a most sympathetic manner.This was a talk that was full of interest and wethank Paul most sincerely for stepping in. We alsohope that Bert has made a full recovery.Thames Valley. In a change to the advertisedprogramme, Garry Kennor had to postpone his talkon the Great Western electrification. Hesubstituted this with a talk on the railway archive,a project he is in the midst of to produce a websiteof all railway accidents in the UK. The workloadis obviously immense, from producing the original

421421

TOP ‘O’ THE ‘TOONThe Castle Keep at Newcastle has long provided one of the most spectacular views of rail operations in the UKand, despite layout simplification and the transfer of most coastal commuter services to the Metro, continues to doso. At 12.55 on an extremely wet 25th April, HSTs pass with (above) the southbound “Highland Chieftain” restsat platform 4 whilst the “Northern Lights”, with 43238 leading, departs for Aberdeen. A few minutes later (below)220024 works the 13.00 departure to Reading out of platform 3 and over the High Level Bridge towards the site ofthe former Gateshead shed, now the site of a riverside apartment complex. For such views, the Keep is well worththe £4.00 admission - even on a dismal day! Mike Robinson

422

list of accidents to scanning the original documentsfor loading on to the web. Garry explained theproblems he faced, not the least being the timeinvolved. A lively discussion followed, giving Garrysome useful clues for future investigation. Manythanks are due to Garry for producing aninteresting talk about a subject that was a closedbook to most of the audience. We look forward tohearing his planned talk at a future date.Watford. On 2nd April Bernie Holland presented“Chunnel – The Inside Story”. After finalagreement in 1986 Eurotunnel employed anAnglo-French consortium, Transmanche Link, toconstruct the tunnel. Aerial views of Cheriton andCoquelles and interior views showing the tunnelboring machines revealed the scale of the task, allcontrolled from a computerised centre at Sangatte.The budget of £4½ billion grew to exceed £12billion, most of which was written off leaving manyprivate shareholders with losses of 80%. Passengerand freight shuttle trains are gauge-restricted torun only between Cheriton and Coquelles. TheEurostar services brought forth WaterlooInternational terminal and North Pole depot, bothlater decommissioned with the opening of St.Pancras International. Another comedy of errorswas the Nightstar fiasco, where millions were lostbefore the rolling stock was sold for a song to theCanadian ViaRail. A visit to Dollands Moorshowed the ghost of a freight depot, with Cl.92slying idle alongside GIF-liveried Cl.37s recentlyreturned from Spain. At Samphire Hoe thereclaimed land platform at Shakespeare Cliffwhich had been used as an engineering base is nowa nature reserve, complete with a plaque showingthe names of the 11 workers who lost their livesbetween 1986 and 1992.West Riding. Two splendid shows were organisedfor April, both of which concentrated on pre-Beeching times. The first, on 7th , was another ofour bi-annual afternoon meetings which was givento a nicely-sized audience by regular attenderKeith Preston with a steam-all-the-way renditionentitled “Before the Days of Beeching”. Using acollection of slides passed on to him by a colleagueand others from Colour Rail, Keith put together avery varied collection of colour illustrations datingfrom 1950. Scenes from the Somerset & Dorset,Scottish branch lines and the Waverley route weredisplayed. Tours covering WCML metals fromnorth to south, MR main lines and the L&YRadded to the delights. To finish matters offphotographs taken in the West Country, Wales andthe Welsh borders took us well away from our morenortherly regions. A wide variation of motivepower was evident, admirably complementing thiswell received programme.David Kelso gave the second of these presentationsto a well attended evening meeting on 17th Aprilwith his “Scottish Steam 1950-61”. Again from thepre-Beeching era, this was a digital programmemade up entirely of B&W photographs. Initiallyconcentrating on the industrial areas aroundEdinburgh and Glasgow the wide range of motivepower was very striking, many being survivingtank engines from most of the Scottish railwaycompanies. Eastern Region Scots, Glens, Directors

and an ex-GER B12 appeared whilst Midlandenthusiasts enjoyed sights of un-rebuilt Scots, aCaledonian class 60, Midland 4-4-0s and regulationBlack Fives. By making use of football specials andlater on riding a Villiers-engined James motorcycle he made his way around much of the country.Pacifics were seen on west and east coast expresseson Beattock and on the Aberdeen route, andlesser-powered locomotives in more northerly areasof the country. The best shot was that of K2 61764Loch Arkaig at the old Fort William station in thecompany of period buses – a real gem, as was thepresentation.Windsor & Maidenhead. A sizeable attendancebraved unseasonal temperatures on 25th March tohear long-standing society member Geoff Plumbtalk about “50 Years Behind a Lens”. An unusualfeature of this presentation was the prologue,delivered by an even longer-standing member (65years, no less!), Geoff’s father Derek, telling ofRCTS steam specials of bygone days and proudlydisplaying the Sirocco nameplate of which he is thecustodian. Geoff’s pictures and narrative weresheer delight, starting with him as a toddler withhis siblings, already clutching notebook and pen.The first shot he took himself was truly historic,the final run of the last Atlantic Beachy Head.There followed images of service trains andspecials all round the country, including from ourarea Cookham and Windsor & Eton Riverside. Hisinterest in photography quickly grew to a seriouslevel, culminating in a career as a televisioncameraman and taking him around the world.Geoff always found time for the local railways,hence we saw unforgettable sights such asGarratts in South Africa and Mozambique, anastonishing 2-12-2T in Java and trains inGermany, Spain, Portugal and so on. All this wasdelivered unscripted, showing superb knowledge ofevery date and detail. A great evening.The development of railway safety throughaccident investigation is a fascinating subject,which many of us have followed since reading Redfor Danger. Since 2003 this responsibility hasrested with the Railway Accident InvestigationBranch, part of the DfT, and we welcomed ChrisFord, Principal Inspector, in April. The RAIB’s roleis independent investigation, not consultation,allocation of blame or enforcement. Thesearrangements stem from the 1999 Ladbroke Groveaccident, when the need for independence becameclear. The scope of the RAIB includes all NR lines,Northern Ireland, London Underground, tramsand heritage railways. Based in Derby andFarnborough, it always has inspectors on call torespond to the phone calls the railways are legallyobliged to make should something occur. Twoincidents, ballast coming out of a wagon passingthrough Romford, and the rail grinder runaway onthe Northern Line were used to illustrate the oftencomplex route an investigation can take. Designand testing of equipment, writing, verifying andimplementation of instructions, recruitmenttraining and monitoring of staff, these and otherfactors may all need independent examination todetermine the cause of an accident. This was avery worthwhile evening, thanks to Chris’spresentation of some very serious stuff lightened,when appropriate, with a dash of humour.

423

Cambridge Main Line Through Time - Part1: Cheshunt to Audley End by Andy T.Wallis. 96pp, 165x235mm softback, 103 colour82 b&w photographs plus map. Published byAmberley Publishing at £14.99.

ISBN 978 1 4456 0767 2.This publisher claims to lead the way in localinterest and niche history publications and theThrough Time series is a full-colour publicationwhich includes railways in the many titles.There is a brief introduction giving thebackground to the railways which is followed bya photographic record station by station of theline with up-to-date equivalent photographstaken from the same vantage point wherepossible.It is soon evident that most of goods yards havegone or been replaced by car parks, apart fromthe stone terminal at Harlow Mill. This ismainly a commuter line also serving StanstedAirport so there is a good selection oflocomotives and stock illustrated over the years,the earlier sepia photographs sometimescontrasting starkly with the current view,though occasionally showing little change.There is a nice local touch with a picture of aWickham DMU at Newport. The variety ofsubjects chosen for illustration includes signalbox interiors and steam special workings –Britannia in 1993 and Hereward the Wake in1955 being types appropriate to the line.This publication is slightly cheaper than theMiddleton Press publication “Broxbourne toCambridge”, which also includes the Thaxtedbranch. My personal preference would be for thelatter, but this author has done other books inthe series and has a website providing newcopies of old signal box diagrams for stations inEast Anglia, so there may be an appeal in theseries for those generally interested in localhistory with a railway theme. (PFC)Each a Glimpse (2nd edition) by Colin T.Gifford. 96pp, 290x287mm hardback 223 b&wphotographs. Published by Ian Allan at £30.00.

ISBN 978 0 7110 3529 4.If ever there was a photographic evocation of thesteam railway in the mid-twentieth century,this is it. This 2012 slight revision of the volumefirst published in 1970 is as good as the original,if not better. Colin Gifford records the totalrailway, the locomotives, the trains, the scene,the environment and the personalities. And hesees the whole not just with the eye of a railwayenthusiast, but with the eye of a true artist. Themonochrome images always suit the subjectmatter well giving the appropriate degree ofcontrast, for which colour does not necessarilyquite work.What you get, therefore, is far from the standardthree-quarters front, rods down, smoke thrown

high, pristine clean locomotive, but of a realrailway, warts and all. The train, still less thelocomotive, is but a part of the total, and theimage is none the worse for that. Great varietyis accomplished with pictures of the train in thelandscape, rural, urban and industrial, and thevery railway infrastructure itself. This is a bookwhich one can go through again and again andeach time still find yet more to delight.In 1994 Colin Gifford published a companionvolume “.... and gone forever” at £25. Goodthough that is, this new volume is, perhaps,even better.It is rare for me not to find something aboutwhich to quibble, but this book has myrecommendation without demur.

(GRG)Oxfordshire Railways Through Time byStanley C. Jenkins. 96pp, 165x235mm softback,103 b&w 84 colour photographs. Published byAmberley Publishing at £14.99.

ISBN 978 1 4456 1001 6.In the Amberley local history series this softbackbook is by a local author who sets out toillustrate 68 Oxfordshire stations with then andnow photographs. The area covered is thatdefined after the 1974 local governmentreorganisation. Photographs in both black andwhite and colour are each accompanied by anexplanatory paragraph.The author must have spent a great deal of timeporing over his selection to reduce each to twoper station. His selection has howeversucceeded in giving a flavour of the stations inthe area and the book is a useful introductorywork for researchers and historians. Howeveran index would be a useful addition to anyreprint. (REB)Southern Rails on Southampton Docks:Including the Industrial Lines ofSouthampton by Ian Drummond. 160pp, A4hardback, 176 b&w 75 colour photographs plusdiagrams. Published by Holne Publishing at£22.95. ISBN 978 0 9563317 4 8.This is the fourth book written by this author onthe transport infrastructure of this part ofHampshire and the Isle of Wight and, based onthis, his latest volume about the docks, theearlier titles will need to be sought out and read.This is an excellent book, by a locally born andraised author who now resides in Manchesterbut obviously has a deep interest in the subject.The book is presented in a semi-pictorial format,the map content being of a high standardshowing the various dated stages in the dockshistory. The pictorial content, which includesephemera and annotated pictures, shows a verycomplete record of the history of the docksprogressing up to the present day.

PUBLICATION REVIEWS

424

There are chapters on subjects which include:the early history, world wars, train ferries,commodities transported, liners, the railway’sinvolvement in some detail and, interestingly,several independent wharf tramways, each withtheir own maps and history.This volume is a truly interesting book,especially if you have a penchant for docks andshipping as well as railways, which Irecommend to members. (SCW)Southern Counties Branch Line Steam byMichael Welch. 112pp, 227x256 hardback, 135colour photographs. Published by CapitalTransport at £18.95. ISBN 978 1 85414 359 4.Michael Welch has established a reputation forproducing high quality colour albumsconcentrating on the south of England. Thisvolume which complements his earlier‘Southern Counties Main Line Steam’ is well upto previous standards both in content andreproduction.The author has drawn on a large number ofsources and almost every rural branch formingpart of the Southern Region is featured. Wherepossible, the everyday scene is portrayed,although in some cases only rail tour picturesare available, such occasions having alwaysattracted photographers of course. The onlymajor omission is the Bluebell Line but this hashad several albums of its own so this is quiteunderstandable.All the pictures, most of which have not beenpublished before, are reproduced well withextended captions putting the locations andtrains into context. There is a good mix ofstation and ‘train in the landscape’ type shots,the only minor criticism being that some of thelatter would benefit from tighter cropping toprevent the train being rather insignificant inwhat were then the rural expanses of theSouthern Region.

Highly recommended – no need to view beforeordering (AE)

DVDsSteam in Holland a DVD by Ton Pruissen.Distributed by Camden Miniature SteamServices, Barrow Farm, Rode, Frome, SomersetBA11 6PS. Running time 49 minutes. Price£18.25.Ton Pruissen is an archive railway film producerin Holland and in this DVD he turns hisattention to the wonderful array of steamlocomotives that were to be found on the DutchState Railways during the inter-war period. Thefootage is dubbed and is narrated in English andit is remarkable in that the original film wastaken by Jack Stretton-Ward who was Presidentof the RCTS from 1932 to 1958. His interestswere far reaching, two elements of whichcombined his profound interest in all thingsrailways with that of early cinematography. His films were frequently shown at societygatherings in both Leamington Spa and London.In 1931 he travelled to Holland where herecorded their railway scene. His obituary of1958 refers to his film-making qualities fromwhich an extract quotes “His wonderful filmshows – remember those superb Dutch Railwayscenes”. This DVD is a derived from that film.Amsterdam was the main focal point fromwhere he radiated around the country. The filmis a fine record of many of the locomotives thatwere to disappear during World War IIincluding the famed 4-cylinder 3700 class 4-6-0sand also footage of engines of UK origin.This is a much to be enjoyed productionespecially for those who knew Jack and whichwill give the current membership a glimpse ofRCTS activities in its very early formative years.

(WRG)

WHAT HAPPENED TO STEAM - Railway Magazine ArticleI have read with some concern the article in the May issue of Railway Magazine byRoger Butcher which is very critical of the RCTS for what is seen as the society’s lackof support with regard to the work of the HSBT project and, as the NorthamptonBranch’s co-ordinator for the project, I feel entitled to ask why the RCTS policy hasapparently changed to the current position where it is not wholehearted in ensuringthe correct facts are finally to be made known and published. If this is the case whyappoint branch co-ordinators who, certainly in my case, have not been told of anysociety decision not to help the project go forward.I understand that the article is ‘very soft’ and was edited down before publication wasallowed. The inference is that the society is now actively hampering progress of theconsiderable work involved whereas at the outset the society asked its members tohelp by ensuring all known facts and photographs were brought to the attention ofthe project personnel – one of whom has now resigned his 40 years RCTS membershipin protest at the society’s current position. Whether this is due to the person, known as “Zulu”, who generated and supplied the

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

425

On the north coast of Norfolk, the 10¼ in. gauge Wells & Walsingham Light Railway is a four-mile line which owesits existence to the determination of retired naval commander Roy Francis. It was built on the track bed of the formerWells and Wymondham branch, the southern part of which is used by the Mid-Norfolk Railway. On 6th April, WWLRNo.3 Norfolk Hero, a 2-6-0+0-6-2 Garratt is filled with water at Wells between services. Bob Ellison

QUERY CORNER

Written queries and answers should be sentto the QCE, Mike Gayton, at: 11 TrubridgeRoad, Hoo, Rochester, ME3 9EN or viaE-mail to: QueryCorner@RCTS.org.uk. A version of Query Corner also appears onthe society website.

NEW QUERIESQ13.17. LNER Class O6 Stanier 8F 2-8-0Works Plates.The LNER had 68 of these locomotives built.48705-29 were built at Brighton in 1945 andcarried standard LMS-built brass platesshowing LNER-built 1945 SR.48730-52 were built at Darlington in 1945/6

with standard LNER brass plates showingLNER in full, works numbers, works and datebuilt.48753-62 were built at Doncaster 1945/6 usingold works numbers not previously used.Publications indicate that the locomotives didnot carry this number and that it appeared tobe a paper exercise. If they carried worksplates, what was the material, size and theinscription on them?48763-72 were built at Doncaster in 1946 usingworks numbers 1991-9 and 2001. Again didthey carry works plates, and what thematerial, size and inscription on them?

(AW:9027)

mass of bogus information to Peter Hands was, we were told, a Northampton Branchmember has any bearing on the society’s current policy I cannot say. Perhaps theManagement Committee would set down their views if only to refute the heavycriticisms published in the Railway Magazine that the RCTS “seems to be reluctantto bring to an end the recycling of errors” and also that it is the only major publishinghouse that is still “holding out” despite receiving initial personal support from thethen RCTS Chairman, John Redgate. Ian P. Lyman (9925)

Members will no doubt have read the RCTS response to the Railway Magazine article onp.410, that states our position. As far as we are aware ZULU was NOT an RCTS member.Ed.

Q13.18. Luton Football Specials.Information is requested of the haulinglocomotives, and routing of the following Lutonreturn specials:Bournemouth 15th November 1969, BoothferryPark 9th November 1970, Stockport 31stJanuary 1970, Rock Ferry 21st March 1970,Preston 8th January 1971, Blackburn 15thJanuary 1971, Nottingham 1st February 1971,Sunderland 27th February 1971 and 17thMarch 1973, Carlisle 13th March 1971 and 12thFebruary 1972 and Cardiff and Cheltenhamduring this period. (JVS:17974)Q13.19. North London Railway Signal Boxes inMillwall and Poplar Docks.Millwall and Poplar had a very complex systemof railways involving many companies which allhad their sidings, goods sheds and signal boxes.Much of it is now a part of the Docklands LightRailway. There were at least five NLR signalboxes in the area.Boxes are believed to have been at East IndiaDock Road Junction, High Street Junction (onthe western curve to Harrow Lane sidings), LoopLine (connecting to the GER at MillwallJunction and the docks ), Preston Road (givingaccess to West India Docks, GNR goods, GWRgoods, and the LNWR goods depots),andBlackwall Bridge (above the GER lines).Confirmation of the names and locations of thefive boxes is requested. (DW:8794)

Q13.20. LMS Compounds.The final lot of the LMS Compounds ran from900 to 939. The Vulcan Foundry delivered 900to 934 in 1927 but then there was apparently afive-year gap before another five, 935-39, werebuilt. These were built at Derby. Why didDerby suddenly built these? Can Stanier’sarrival have some bearing on it? Our member’s records show that 936 had ahigh-sided tender, capacity 3,500 gallons, but itwas built in 1925. Was it transferred from 1053or 1054, and was 1054 one of the engines usedin the post-grouping trials to establish whichtype of engine should become standard forexpress passenger trains on the LMSR? As iswell known, the Compound beat the competitionfrom the LNWR and the L&YR. (SH:5589)ANSWERA13.12. Special Trains for Luton FC in 1959.Four specials ran for the Ipswich Town v LutonTown FA Cup 5th Round tie played at PortmanRoad on 14th February 1959. These producedBlack Fives 45137 and 45139 (both Bedfordengines) and B1s 61331 and 61393 (Kings Cross)which worked through to Ipswich but theroute(s) they took is not known, although twoprobably came from Bedford. It was extremelyrare in those days for any non-GE basedlocomotives, let alone LMS types, to reachSuffolk as changes usually took place either atMarch or Stratford. (GH:10618)

THE RCTS PHOTOGRAPHIC COLLECTION

Over its 85 year history the Society has amassed an impressive archive of photographicimages covering a wide range of rail subjects and operations around the world. As aresult of gifts and bequests the archive is continually expanding, and copies of around36,000 of these images - dating from the 1930s to the early 21st century - are nowavailable for sale to both members and non members.

Details of the images available are provided on the RCTS website by accessing the photoarchive pages http://www.rcts.org.uk/features/archive - and a powerful search function isprovided which, after brief loco and / or location details are defined locates and displays all appropriate images.

Postcard size prints and jpg image files are typically priced at £1.10 each plus postage

and orders can be made either on the website or via e mail to .If you are seeking a specific loco image for you collection do visit the website

426

427

Friog Avalanche ShelterPhoto Acknowledgement

Peter Green - RCTS Courtney Haydon collection.

Extended CaptionLooking back north east at the avalanche shelter built after the fatal accident of 1933,caused by the collapse of the road, whose rebuilt section can be seen above. More ofthe retaining walls can be seen. There have been two accidents here where thelocomotive and tender have been swept over the wall, killing both driver and fireman.The accident in 1933 was on 3rd March, following which the line came close to beingclosed due to the light patronage. Only one passenger was on the early morning trainfrom Machynlleth to Pwllheli when the accident happened. After this 1933 accident, thehighways people suggested that the blast from the engine had loosened the cliff face,causing it to fall on to the train. The investigation used a model, one of the first timessuch a model had been used. Every time the model train was hit by falling debris, it wasderailed, but stayed on the trackbed, pinned against the parapet wall. When it was runon to a pile of debris already on the track, it mounted the wall and fell off, every time.Thus the investigation concluded that the landslip had happened before the train arrived.There is an accident report on the Railways Archive website for this location but it is underthe location of Vriog.

This area is very difficult to access legally but not impossible. Fairbourne is seen in theleft distance.

Caption AcknowledgementExtended caption compiled from comments by Andrew Dyke, Max Birchenough,Richard Pike and Mal Hammond

Every Picture Tells a Story !

See more examples from the RCTS Courtney Haydoncollection at www.rcts.org.uk/features/mysteryphotos

428

OBSERVER’S DIARY Society Branch Meetings & Events

HITCHIN

Meetings held at Hitchin Christian Centre,

Bedford Road, Hitchin SG5 1HF (opp.

Christchurch Methodist/URC Church and close to

junction of Bedford Road and Brand Street) at

19.30 and at the Methodist Church, Ludwick Way

(junction with Cole Green Lane), Welwyn Garden

City AL7 3PN at 14.15.

12th Jun. (Wed.) Hitchin: “Days out in 2012” by

Tom Gladwin.

25th Jun. (Tue.) Welwyn Garden City: “A look at

Swiss railways” by David Cole.

10th Jul. (Wed.) Hitchin: “A walk around Shildon”

by Norman Hill.

SOUTH EAST

Meetings held at the Elwick Club, Church Road,

Ashford TN23 1RD (opposite the Central Library)

at 19.30.

10th Jun. (Mon.) “A history of Eastleigh Works”

by Colin Boocock.

SOUTH ESSEX

Meetings held at the Shenfield Parish Hall, 80

Hutton Road, Shenfield CM15 8LB (300 yards

from Shenfield Station) at 19.30.

17th Jun. (Mon.) “The Kelvedon and Tollesbury

Light Railway” by John Manning.

SOUTH WALES/DE CYMRU

Meetings held at the Old Church Rooms, Park

Road Radyr CF15 8DF adjacent to its junction

with the main road through Radyr at 19.30.

12th Jun. (Wed.) “Narrow gauge in Great Britain”

by Arthur Turner.

SUSSEX

Meetings held jointly with the LCGB at the

Brighton Model Club Room, London Road

Brighton Station, Shaftesbury Place, Brighton

BN1 4QS at 19.30.

24th Jun. (Mon.) “Pakistani steam in 1990” by

John Borrowdale.

WATFORD

Meetings held at St. Thomas’s United Reformed

Church Hall, Langley Road, Watford WD17 4PN

at 19.30.

2nd Jul. (Tue.) “A tribute to Jim Shuttleworth” by

Rob Freeman. Addition to published

programme.

WEST RIDING

Meetings held at Saltaire Methodist Chapel,

Saltaire Road, Shipley BD18 3HH.

Members are also invited to attend meetings of

the York Railway Circle in the Old Drama Room,

Archbishop Holgate’s School, Hull Road, York

YO10 5ZA. Both commence at 19.30.

20th Jun. (Thu.) Saltaire: “The Scarborough Spa

Express” by Ron Tibbits.

WINDSOR & MAIDENHEAD

Meetings held at Cox Green Community Centre,

Highfield Lane, Cox Green, Maidenhead SL6

3AX at 19.30.

20th Jun. (Thu.) “The railways of Scotland” by

Les Nixon at Bourne End Community Centre,

Wakeman Road, Bourne End SL8 5SX. Please

note address for this meeting.

SOCIETY OUTDOOR EVENTS6th Jun. (Thu.) Visit to Rugby SCC at 18.00. Meet on station, party limited. Contact Bob Ballard, tel:01908 562195 to book a place.

11th Jun. (Tue.) Day trip to Southend and Shoeburyness, meeting at Liverpool Street station at 10.00.Details from Alan Turton, tel: 01606 854227.

17th Jun. (Mon.) Day trip using Anglia Plus 1 Day Pass and group travel by train from Northamptonarea. Details from David Pick, tel: 01604 810613, e-mail northampton@rcts.org.uk

19th Jun. (Wed.) Observation at Eastleigh station from 17.00.

20th Jun. (Thu.) Evening observation at Reading station for Ascot trains. Details from AndrewJenkins, tel: 01793 783749, e-mail: hc-acjenkins@tiscali.co.uk

22nd Jun. (Sat.) Visit to Isle of Wight Steam Railway, travelling by minibus from Northampton area.Details from David Pick, see above.

1st Jul. (Mon.) Visit to Bombardier, Derby, using group travel by train from Northampton area. Detailsfrom David Pick, see above.

3rd Jul. (Wed.) Observation at Banbury station from 18.00.

9th Jul. (Tue.) Visit to Strathclyde area using Day Tripper ticket. Details from Alan Turton, see above.

429

Colour‐Rail

Withdrawn Slides to be Re‐issued

Colour‐Rail are making more long withdrawn slides availableagain for a limited period

‐ send SAE or e‐mail for detailsAlso your last chance to

order slides that are to be withdrawn in SeptemberListing in catalogue 20, £10 post free.

Give your slides and B&W negatives a good home at

www.colour‐rail.com558 Birmingham Road, Bromsgrove, B61 0HT

WANTED: To achieve “Total TOPS” - photos of 03104, 08009, 24074, 27115/6/20, 31140, 47126.

Contact Geoff Corner, tel. 0161 962 8156, e-mail TOPSie@TOPticl.com

BRANCH SALES STANDSThe Ipswich and District Branch will be attending the model railway exhibition at the Colne ValleyRailway, Yeldham Road, Castle Hedingham, Halstead CO9 3DZ on 9th June.

The North East Branch will be attending the Richmond Railway Collectors Fair on Saturday 6th July atRichmond station, DL10 4LD.

ADVERTISEMENTS

15th Jul. (Mon.) Canal trip, using two boats from Cosgrove wharf MK19 7JR. Details from David Pick,see above.

15th Jul. (Mon.) Evening visit to Mangapps Farm Railway Museum. Details from Jim Waite, tel: 01277652818, e-mail: jameswaite932@ btinternet.com

16th Jul. (Tue.) Evening observation at Didcot Parkway station. Details from Andrew Jenkins, seeabove.

17th Jul. (Wed.) Observation at Eastleigh station from 17.00.

18th Jul. (Thu.) Visit to the Vintage Carriage Trust, Ingrow at 18.30. Details from Bob Green, tel: 0113284 3604, e-mail: boblol@bramhope16.fsnet.co.uk

20th Jul. (Sat.) Visit to Keighley & Worth Valley Railway, travelling by minibus from Northampton area.Details from David Pick, see above.

28th Jul. (Sun.) Visit to Adrian Shooter’s Beeches Light Railway. Very limited numbers available.Details from Derek Morris, tel: 01926 855069 or David Walker, e-mail: WALKER_D20@sky.com

29th Jul. (Mon.) Visit to LT Museum, Acton, using group train travel from Northampton area. Detailsfrom David Pick, see above.

1st Aug. (Thu.) Visit to The Quadrant, Network Rail’s new national office centre in Milton Keynes at19.00. Meet outside main entrance in Silbury Boulevard. Contact Bob Ballard, see above, to book aplace.

430

Visit our Website! www.gcrauctions.com

£1,600

Future Sales:13th July12th October

£32,000

Tel:01327 263633

£1,200

WE NOW INVITE ENTRIES FOR THE ABOVE SALES

Following our highly successful sales in March and April 2013, we nowwelcome entries for our future sales in July and October 2013.Our commission rate is 10% of the sale price + VAT (total 12%) whichincludes cataloguing, photography (100% of lots colour illustrated),insured storage and advertising. We give a guaranteed payment date tovendors seven working days after each auction. With over 3,000 collectorson our mailing list, we can guarantee maximum exposure for items enteredin our auctions. We provide comprehensive advertising in this and otherspecialist magazines and on the web. In dealing with specialist railwayanaauctioneers you will benefit from the highest prices, avoid the uncertaintyof selling privately or on line and know that your property is being handledby experts with an intimate knowledge of this specialist field. In certaincases we can arrange collection of auction entries.

£24,000 £6,400

Our sales are held in a spacious modern venue with free parking, bar andcatering and railwayana sales stands. Catalogues are available a fortnightbefore each sale, free on application.These sales contain a wide cross-section of material reflecting every aspectof railway operations. We offer everything from Main Line Nameplates,Works and Number Plates to Station Signs, Lamps and SignallingEquipment. We aim to include a huge variety of rare and unusual material,not merely based on value but on interest and rarity. You will findrailwayana to suit all budgets and pockets.

FOR ENTRY DETAILS PHONE FOR AN INFORMAL CHAT ORWRITE TO THE ADDRESS BELOW

We welcome entries in, but not restricted to, the following categories:

Highest CatalogueCirculation 3000 +

£340

100% of EntriesIllustrated in Full

Colour

£9,000

GuaranteedPayment Date for

Vendors 7Working Daysafter Auction

£2,200Steam and Diesel Locomotive

NameplatesCarriage Prints

(landscapes and advertising)

Collection ServiceAvailable

£110

Extensive andProminentMonthly

Advertising

£1,500

Listing of Entriesin This and ManyOther Magazines

£3,700

£720 £1,350 £240

431

432

The following are extracts from The RailwayObserver of June 1963. Under RAIL TOUR REPORTS – R.C.T.S./P.R.C. JOINT TOURS – THE NORTHCORNISHMAN & CAMEL VALLEYMAN –Saturday, 27th April, 1963.The North Cornishman, consisting of three-carset No. 519 and hauled by restored T9 120departed from Exeter Central at 10-10 a.m. forWadebridge. To help turn back the clock thefireman was sporting a bogus moustache andlarge red and white neckerchief. After calling atSt. Davids a brisk run was made to Okehamptonwhere more passengers joined. A stop was madeat Halwill for photography, before continuingacross the border into Cornwall to Launcestonto pick up more passengers. After a stop ofseveral minutes at St. Kew Highway to allowthe 12-58 p.m. ex-Padstow to cross, the specialarrived a few minutes behind time atWadebridge.Here many more passengers joined to bring thenumber up to nearly 170 for the CamelValleyman which required twelve brake vansand was hauled by an immaculate 1369. Aftercrossing the 2-0 p.m. ex-Bodmin North atBoscarne Junction the special proceeded on tothe Wenford Bridge line at Dunmere Junctionand wended its leisurely way around sharpcurves amongst picturesque woods and riverscenery. A stop at the now famous “water column” in thewoods at Penhargard gave ample opportunityfor photography as did several other stops beforeWenford Bridge was reached. Before the traincould return some complicated shunting wasnecessary owing to the train being too long forthe run-round loop. Upon return to Wadebridgethe majority refreshed themselves at a local cafébefore joining the North Cornishman for theshort run to Padstow behind 120. After turning,the T9 removed the stock from the singleplatform to allow a branch train from BodminRoad to arrive. This was headed by a D63XXclass diesel; the crew not to be outdone by theday’s special trains had “The Westernman”inscribed on the front end.Departure from Padstow was a little late, localpassengers detrained at Wadebridge and thenan endeavour was made to regain time asWadebridge had been left some ten minuteslate. Beyond Okehampton the T9 was allowedto show its paces and a speed of 70 m.p.h. wasattained with ease. In true South-Westerntradition the special was halted at CowleyBridge Junction to allow the 6-30 p.m.ex-Paddington to run unchecked into Exeter. Ingrand style 120 topped the 1 in 37 to CentralStation, and after all passengers had detrained,

disposed of the stock and made its way toExmouth Junction shed. As the glow of 120’stail lamp faded into the night one was broughtrapidly back from history to the realities of thediesel age. (A.J.W.) Under BRITISH RAILWAYS – SOUTHERNREGION – SOUTHAMPTON. – On 27th April,Southampton Central probably witnessed thelargest assembly of main line steam engines itwill ever see. No fewer than fourteen specialswere run for the F.A. Cup Semi-Final betweenSouthampton and Manchester United at AstonVilla’s ground. Thirteen of the special trainswere routed via Basingstoke and Reading West.One train started at Eastleigh, ran toSouthampton Central and then proceeded viaSalisbury and Westbury. A fifteenth trainstarted at Brockenhurst, and was routed viaBournemouth and the Somerset and Dorset line.Motive power used was West Country most ofwhich all worked through to Birmingham, andcertainly gave the Midlands the sight of themost of these ever seen in the area. Under BRITISH RAILWAYS – NORTHEASTERN REGION – WEST AUCKLAND. –This shed now has complete monopoly ofmineral traffic over the Shildon-Newport lineand uses seventeen Q6’s and five standard Cl.4’s. This standardization followed thewithdrawal of J39’s, which could not cope withthe hauls of 30-40 loaded hoppers as well asQ6’s. The local pick-up and branch goods to TowLaw, St. John’s Chapel, Cornsay andButterknowle are now mainly Q6 workings but77003 and 78016 are also used. West Auckland has no passenger duties excepton two days of the year; on Whit Sunday the tworegular excursions from Bishop Auckland toSeaton Carew via Spennymoor and back, and onWhit Monday when all the local passengertrains to Middleton-in-Teesdale, Crook andRichmond revert to steam haulage. The five Cl.4’s—76021/45/6/9/50—are then used.MALTON. – The last turn to be worked byMalton shed was the 4-0 p.m. to Whitby andback on 13th April, with 43055 on loan toMalton for some weeks prior to the closure dateand retained afterwards to handle wagons ofashes, coal, stores, etc., during clearing upoperations.Surprisingly the 5-20 a.m. and 4-0 p.m.Malton-Whitby and their return workings at8-55 a.m. and 6-54 p.m. are still steam hauled,worked by York engines and men.This historic, hilly, and scenic branch is wellworth a visit before it also succumbs todieselisation or extinction.

Peter Clark

NOSTALGIA CORNER

433

BLUEBELL RAILWAY EXTENDS TO EAST GRINSTEADThe Bluebell Railway’s ambitious project to reconnect to the ‘national network’ at East Grinstead officially openedon 28th March with a re-opening special, 1Z85 the 09.40 from Victoria. The train, hauled by 66739 with 73207+73119 at the rear, is seen above on the Bluebell Railway near Three Arch Bridge between Horsted Keynes andSheffield Park. At Horsted Keynes 66739 was named Bluebell Railway after which the Cl.73s were used oninternal Bluebell services including the 14.05 East Grinstead-Sheffield Park, seen below at Horsted House Farmbridge with E4 0-6-2T 473 also in the formation to provide steam heat on a very cold day!

both by Len Walton

434