Number 213 June 2014

The Journal of theRavenglass and EskdaleRailway Preservation Society

The R&ER MagazineNumber 213 June 2014

The R&ER Magazine

The Journal of theRavenglass and EskdaleRailway Preservation Society

Editorial Team: Keith Herbert, Di Chase, Bill Seddon, Mark Harrington, John Taylor

Editorial Designer: Julie Hutchinson Address for Magazine Correspondence: PRESS DEADLINE: Material for inclusion in Keith Herbert the next issue of the Magazine must 7 Dalegarth Cottages reach the editors not later than Boot, Holmrook Thursday 17th July at noon. Cumbria CA19 1TF Please send material earlier if possible. magazine@rerps.co.uk

The R&ER Magazine is always pleased to receive correspondence, photographs and articles for possible inclusion. Most nowadays arrive via our e-mail address, but postal contributions are just as welcome. Please write your name and address on the back of any prints, and give at least the date and location of each photograph where possible. We have scanning facilities for slides and negatives, and will endeavour to return any loaned photographic material.

Society website: http://www.rerps.co.uk

Council Chairman: Sam Dixon, 15 Lyceum Close, Leighton, Crewe, Cheshire CW1 3YB. Email: chairman@rerps.co.ukHon. Secretary: Mungo Stacy, 52 Old York Street, Hulme, Manchester M15 5TH. Email: secretary@rerps.co.ukHon. Financial Secretary: Ian Leigh, 206B Crowfield House, North Row, Central Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire MK9 3LQ. Email: treasurer@rerps.co.ukHon. Membership Secretary: Phil Taylor, 12, Wholehouse Road, Seascale, Cumbria CA20 1QY. Email: membership@rerps.co.uk (1-1299 and 2500-3999)Assistant Membership Secretary: Jim Wilcock, ‘Porthlow’, Neston Road, Ness, Neston CH64 4AZ. Email: membershipassistant@rerps.co.uk (1300-2499)Sales Officer: Tom Whitbread, R&ER Co. Ltd. Ravenglass, Cumbria CA19 1TF Email: sales@rerps.co.ukMagazine Distributor: Cumbria Mailing Services Ltd. Penrith, CA11 9FQ.Heywood House Bookings: Mary Harding. Email: heywoodhouse@rerps.co.uk. Tel: 01229 717080.Volunteers: Peter Mills. Email: volunteers@rerps.co.ukGeneral Manager: Trevor Stockton, R&ER Co. Ltd. Ravenglass, Cumbria, CA18 1SW. Tel: 01229 717171.

Front Cover: Before...: Romney loco Green Goddess and River Mite double-head a train under the tree canopy of Horsefalls, during the gala event of 2011. Photo: Peter Mills

Published quarterly by theRavenglass and Eskdale Railway

Preservation Society LimitedMember of the Heritage

Railway Association

No 213 June 2014

The R&ER

Magazine

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Opinions expressed by contributors and in editorial comment do not necessarily reflect the collective views of the Society.

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EditorialKeith Herbert

There is still no workshop in evidence on the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway, now many months since that devastating fire. As the preservation era dawned – within the living memory of many members – it was Muncaster Parish Council throwing its weight behind the cause to save the line from its sticky end. In recent weeks, the very same has objected to the planning application for the new workshop, owing to dissatisfaction with the choice of exterior cladding, on the side facing the Ratty Arms and main line railway. For some, this decision, reached by a Council of five, will seem nothing short of incomprehensible, as the railway struggles on. Others might sympathise with the desire for visual appeal in anything so much in the public eye within the Lake District National Park. General Manager Trevor Stockton and Society Secretary Mungo Stacy provide updates on the workshop in their respective regular features.

The Editorial Team met at Easter for the first time in many years, and wishes to remind the readership that all submissions for future issues of this publication are very welcome, be they articles, photographs or correspondence. Have you a new idea for an article, or regular feature? Or perhaps an event to celebrate the upcoming centenary [in 2015] of the fifteen inch gauge R&ER? Or maybe you’d just like to see that old photo, a snapshot of the railway from yesteryear, in print at last… The new editorial scanner has arrived (unfortunately it has relegated the editorial biscuit tin from a place atop the desk), which will make it considerably easier to treat non-electronic format photographs in future. Historical submissions, from any era, are particularly welcome. Contact details for submissions are on page 2.

Having been spurred on by Council member David Mosley’s Guest Editorial last time, other members of the editorial group are likely to put pen to paper for the Editorial feature in the next couple of issues. Meanwhile, in this edition (on page 24), Sam Dixon, Chairman of the Preservation Society Council, introduces the work of the Council (perhaps

The Editors - Keith, Di, Mark, John and Bill - enjoy a rare get-together, aboard a ten-coach train on Good Friday, April 2014. Photo: Nicolette Vincer

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helping to run the Society, rather than to fill the pages of this magazine, is for you!).

With the hundredth birthday of the Ravenglass camping coaches Elmira and Maid of Kent already upon us (turn to page 31 for Gerald Elliff’s cherished memories of these), and the centenary of the La’al Ratty now hoving rapidly into view, there remains much to celebrate on the railway. Quite how the latter occasion will be marked remains to be seen; perhaps with a visit from an iconic Romney engine, such as Black Prince, a recreation of the inaugural train, hauled by Synolda, or simply with the re-opening of the workshop!

Sadly, not all of the news can be good. The R&ER Magazine is sorry to record the deaths of two volunteers, Keith Fantham and Norman Waddington. Trevor Stockton and engineer Ian Page have been kind enough to write a few words about two men they knew well, tributes which will you find on page 14.

May they rest in peace.

News from RavenglassTrevor Stockton

It is now twelve months on from the workshop fire; we patched ourselves up and, with the help of so many, ran a successful season – now the challenge is to do it again.

There is some light at the end of the tunnel; with the return to traffic of Lady Wakefield and River Irt, our working fleet of locos has doubled in recent weeks. Northern Rock’s boiler is away in Dorset being re-riveted, and is due back in early May; the driving wheels are being turned up off site. The push will be to try and reassemble the engine for the Whit bank holiday. Perkins is in the middle of a well-deserved overhaul, hopefully to return for the high summer service. River Esk’s overhaul remains the biggest outstanding mechanical challenge.

It is expected to start work on rebuilding the engineering workshop on Monday 19th May; this process will last approximately twenty weeks and will, no doubt, cause some disruption during the operating season, a new building and facilities cannot come soon enough. The finished building will, it is anticipated, be longer and wider, in an attempt to set ourselves up for future challenges.

We could not return to the old, cramped layout, as legislation will dictate that the machinery will need to be set out to current standards. Working areas for various projects need to be considered. The possibility of outside contract work that we can deliver professionally and on time, and future apprenticeships, etc., will only come about if we can demonstrate that we have a workshop fit for the twenty-first century.

The ladies’ toilets at Ravenglass are now open following a winter internal

rebuild, thanks to Dickie Rothery and various assistants. The improvements are a credit to them. For the record, the reopening was carried out by Janet Dickinson, manager of the Turntable Café, at eleven o’clock on 8th April, just in time for the Easter holidays!

The play area at Dalegarth has been resurfaced; hopefully this will be now make it more robust, and stop muddy boots going into the café!

Many parts of the country, and other railways, have suffered badly this last winter; we seem to have escaped the worst of it. This helped to give the railway some encouraging trading figures over the winter and into the spring. Long may it continue. By the time you read this, Bonnie Dundee will have been on display at the Kendal Brewery Arts Centre, over the weekend of 17th and 18th May, to help promote the railway during the world première of the new Postman Pat film.

The railway mourned the passing of another friend and supporter, in late March, with the death of Keith Fantham, a former seasonal staff member and long-time volunteer. He will be sadly missed. Our thoughts, at this sad time, are with Keith’s partner Fiona and his sister Marion. A service at Morecambe crematorium was well attended by railway personnel as well as friends and colleagues from his professional background.

At the same time as Keith, another volunteer, Norman Waddington, passed away suddenly, at the age of sixty-seven. Norman was one of the small band of engineering volunteers, and had been working behind the scenes for some time. Norman’s skills and experience will be missed, as will his ready wit and humour. Our thoughts are with his family at this sad time. Fuller appreciations of both Keith and Norman appear elsewhere in this edition.

Northern Rock coasts out of Mill Wood, for Ravenglass, in 2011. Photo: Eliot Andersen

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Permanent Way NotesDavid Moseley

When the last Notes were written, the track had been lifted on the Marsh and John Wilson was levelling the old track bed and improving the drainage with his tractor.

Two two-foot diameter pipes have been installed on the straight to act not only as a drain for water running off the field, and the A595 high above, but also to act as a relief to any high tide and storm surge. The track here has of course flooded in the past and has been raised significantly over the years to alleviate the worst risks. With the latest relay it has been raised further and now sits atop a deep ballast base.

A deeper side drain has also been provided at the Muncaster Mill end of the section, where the track has been moved out towards the River Mite. A new, deep eight-inch drain has been added near to the half-mile post and has made the area much drier.

Rails back towards Black Bridge were lifted, and cropped to get the joints parallel, prior to the new section. Further rails were cropped over the relay to keep the rails parallel – new rails were added on the straight to compensate. In all some twelve rails were cropped, with the aid of a hired-in rail saw. Interestingly, there were two rails that, having been cut, proved to be impossible to successfully drill [for new fishplates to be fitted]. These rails, of course, had to be replaced with some spare that we had fortunately brought to site.

Douglas Ferreira crosses the relay on Barrow Marsh, en route for Ravenglass, in April 2014. Photo: Christopher Glover

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The rails themselves are a mixture of ages – some from the late seventies, up to the late nineties, as well as the pair of new rails which date from 2004, the last year of rails being rolled at Workington.

The fifteen lengths closest to Ravenglass, at the foot of Barrow Bank, are laid on pandrol plates on Jarrah sleepers, whilst the rest is on Brazilian hardwood sleepers with rails attached by Ffestiniog Railway clips.

The relay itself was completed over a very successful January Track Week with the entire track ballasted and packed by the Thursday. Once the site was tidied and cleared of redundant materials, we transferred our energies to Horsefalls where a start was made on clearing the felled trees and burning the brash.

We were joined on the last day of Track Week by volunteer Jordan Roberts and his Explorer Scouts from Cockermouth, who contributed enormously to the successful week.

In all, some forty-two volunteer days over the week were contributed, in addition to the efforts of the full-time staff. Again, it was particularly good to have a large number of our younger volunteers around. Thank you, each and every one.

Very many thanks also to Janet [Dickinson] for feeding us – and to the crews who went and fetched the meals to site.

It is proposed to hold another Track Week in January next year (as well as

Lady Wakefield was on logging detail for the track gang, here seen taking the empties back to Horsefalls, February 2014. Photo: Christopher Glover

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November this year) – dates will be in the next Magazine. Please contact the office if you need to know dates before then.

With Track Week over, a smaller team – but still with volunteer support – returned to Horsefalls and continued burning the brash. Some of the smaller and more manageable logs were loaded on to wagons, normally used for ballast, and taken to Irton Road, where they were stacked for onward transhipment.

Prior to February half-term, and the recommencement of train services, a number of minor jobs were completed, and the line checked before handing the railway back to the operating department.

After half-term, we had occupation each week from Monday to Friday, passenger trains only running at weekends; we returned to Horsefalls, where we were joined by John Wilson and his digger with a grab attachment, to start loading the big logs. It is a tribute to the skill of John that this operation passed so smoothly – by Friday we had shifted some twenty-plus train loads of timber and, in so doing, turned Irton Road into a timber yard. John had a tractor at Irton Road, and we used this to unload the train and stack the logs so they took up the least amount of space.

As the loading in Horsefalls and unloading at Irton Road only needed two of our staff, the rest of us made a start on the annual servicing of the points in the passing loops. As the points at Irton Road and Fisherground now have detectors on them, additional checks are needed by our S&T staff. These were completed as required.

The stacked timber has now been collected – the larch was going off to be processed as pulp, whilst the hardwood was destined to become logs.

There is still some tidying and burning of brash, uncovered when the logs were removed, required in Horsefalls, which can be done now the trains are running and when labour is available. We hope to have a gang out over Easter to complete this work. Further clearance work will continue at the same time around Rock Point, towards Walk Mill on the river side of the line. This additional work will open up the views down to the River Mite some distance below.

Whilst John was on site, the opportunity was taken to replace and enlarge the culvert pipe at the bottom of Horsefalls, and to remodel the drainage courses in the area. Over recent years we have been experiencing much greater quantities of water coming down the fellside than previously. As a consequence, we have had to improve significantly our cross-track drains and associated run-offs. This culvert was a case in point: some four years ago a twelve-inch pipe was installed, replacing a restricted stone-built drain which probably dated from the early days of the railway. This drain just about coped with the normal quantity of water, but was almost overwhelmed after heavy downpours. The culvert is now eighteen-inch diameter, which we hope will cope with anything mother nature can throw at us. It is also slightly lower than before, with a greater fall to get the water away.

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The side-track drain here, which was close to the sleeper ends and quite shallow, has been moved back towards the fellside and deepened. The drains back towards Murthwaite have also been cleared out. Once John and the digger were safely off site, the temporary roadway of sleepers [for the digger] was removed and the ballast shoulders restored.

An additional task this year was moving stone from Murthwaite (which had come from Gilbert’s Cutting originally) to Eskdale Green for use in the extensive refurbishment of the station area. This project, managed by the Society, has been funded by a generous donation from the estate of the much missed John Searle, previous Editor of this magazine.

Some four train loads of Eskdale pink granite will form a stone wall separating the platform from a picnic area. This replaces the rather utilitarian block wall that has been there since the West Yorkshire area group built the station building in the 1960s.

The final major track work took place on Hollin How Bank, where the track was lifted in an attempt to smooth out the gradients and reduce the ‘ski-jump’ effect. Additional ballast was dropped here to help keep the track where we want it.

Several lineside sections have now had their first strim of the year; thanks to the Society, which has made a significant contribution towards the cost, we are now the proud owners of a self-propelled flail. Built by Ferrari, with a Honda 8.5hp engine, we are grateful to Rickerby’s, the local agricultural dealers, for getting us such a good deal. The flail will tackle lineside vegetation much more efficiently, this one being able to get to areas outside the reach of the rail-mounted flail. It can, of course, also be used when trains are running. If you fancy a day with a Ferrari in the Lake District, you know where to volunteer your services!

We are also, at the time of writing (early April), making a start on fishplate greasing. This year the section from Ravenglass to Murthwaite is receiving our attention.

We will also be involved in trackwork for the engineers’ workshop once details are finalised.

We make no excuse for inviting additional help on the track. We have been extremely fortunate in the number of people who have come down throughout the year – several railways have made envious comments on the quantity of people helping us, and particularly the number of younger people involved. However we would love to welcome anyone else who would like to contribute to the maintenance of this fabulous little railway. Please do get in touch.

Remember, you can follow our activities and antics on our Facebook page. Search for ‘Rat Track’.

Thanks again to everyone who has been helping so far this year – we are, as always, more than grateful.

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Traffic NewsPeter van Zeller

River Irt was the first loco in steam for trials, before the new season, on 12th February, but a succession of obstacles needed to be overcome. The new safety valves, made at New Romney, have no ‘pop’ setting and don’t frighten the passengers when they blow off, and they should involve less stress to the boiler in the longer term. River Esk’s boiler has had far less trouble in its thirty years’ service because of the lack of regular temperature and decompression changes. However, as first fitted, Irt’s new valves didn’t clear steam fast enough, a fascinating demonstration of the far greater steam raising capacity of our saturated steam boilers compared to the more economical superheated boilers used by the RH&DR. Then, the laws of physics were invoked, as the new left hand side injector refused to feed water while the right hand side just did what it should. The injector uses steam from the boiler to force water into the boiler against that same steam pressure; the apparently impossible normally works because steam has tremendous potential energy and water is incompressible. Small model loco injectors and some main line ones are notoriously fickle, but our Penberthy type

Testing the laws of physics: Ian Page works on River Irt’s injector at Ravenglass, March 2014. Note absence of name plates, steam pipe covers and dome cover. Photo: Christopher Glover

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are generally reliable if there is no leakage of compressible air into the water supply.

The process of changing individually all the elements for components known to work, from Northern Rock, to isolate the problem was prolonged by the need to cool down the boiler to make a change and then raise steam again to try it. Then its steam air brake compressor,

which was working when the loco last ran in December 2012, had a crisis and was replaced by Rock’s. As a result Irt was not to make a trial loaded run until 10th April, entering traffic for the ‘pink’ Easter services the following day. At the close of the following afternoon it stood on the turntable at Ravenglass whistling to greet passengers on the non-stop southbound Cumbrian Coast Express, rolling behind 46115 Scots Guardsman. By comparison to this tame coast past on the main line, Irt was now working as hard as ever for its living. A combination of fair weather and a popular ‘free child with every Teddy Bear’ promotion brought out the crowds in force, and Irt was handling full eleven-coach trains in the week that followed. River Mite, meanwhile, ran the daily half-term services from 15th – 23rd February, weekends up to the start of daily services on 15th March and subsequently, without any issues.

Of the other steam locos, Northern Rock kept the show going as the proverbial ‘Christmas Tree’, loaning spares while its boiler is off site at Shaftsbury Steam Centre, for replacement of rivets and stays. Its driving wheels were turned at Numech and the smaller truck

46115 Scots Guardsman crosses Eskmeals viaduct, just south of Ravenglass, 12th April 2014. Photo: Sam Dixon

The two working passenger diesels cross paths at Irton Road, April 2014. Photo: Mungo Stacy

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and tender wheels at Ravenglass, while the axle boxes have had side faces restored so that the rolling chassis should endure the next five years of its boiler examination cycle when the loco goes back into service for the high summer season. It is interesting to observe flangewear on the centre driving axle linked, potentially, to the change of the loco’s new air brakes, which would restrict the slide action. There is no change with River Esk (the tender and chassis are at Ravenglass; the boiler is off site), but Synolda awaits a boiler examination, and Bonnie Dundee was retrieved from the back of the carriage shed for cosmetic work before starring as the Greendale Flyer at the prospective launch of the Postman Pat movie. While respecting the greater flexibility of having all steam locos capable of hauling up to eleven-coach trains, it is evident that there are weeks on end in the shoulder seasons when Dundee could have readily handled a train if it had been available. While wheel profile flangewear is now the major determinant in how long a loco can run for, all options for limiting this and extending steam loco running availability to fit with the mandatory boiler examination and maintenance periods are worthy.

Among the internal combustion locos, Lady Wakefield took a trial trip to Irton Road on 3rd February, then ran on permanent way duties from 10th February, before working the half-term diesel services, and further trains with the track gang. Since then it has operated indiscriminately with Douglas Ferreira on passenger work with but a couple of issues; the direction control cable detached at The Green on 26th March and a concern arose with a dark smoking exhaust at the same place two days later.

Douglas worked ‘outdoors’ for unusually prolonged periods when it was the only loco available for the track gang’s heavy work, but reverted to passenger work for Fish and Chip Specials on 14th February, 14th and 28th March, and daily from the start of the daily passenger services to cover, first, for the availability of only one steam loco and, then, a need for two diesels for the ‘pink’ Easter services. It even took an overnight occupation, 15th-17th April, to move stone from Murthwaite for the walling project at The Green.

Cyril returned to its usual duties in the station yard after fitting a new clutch, with occasional forays with the permanent way train, while Les has moved little under its own power. Perkins has seen steady progress with mounting the new engine, but awaits new wheel castings before the 1929 wheelsets can be replaced with new axles, sprockets and drive chains. Shelagh of Eskdale, with its almost ex-works overhauled chassis, sits engineless down the headshunt awaiting developments. The expected reliability of brand new engine units as the prime movers of our diesel locos now means that wheel profile issues are, as with the steam engines, the overall determinant as to when and whether a loco can continue to operate. The value of returning Shelagh to operation in due course will not be because the railway needs a spare loco, but to extend the working periods of the other main line locos and to be in control of their maintenance needs.

The Start of the Ravenglass & Eskdale RailwayPeter van Zeller

It’s one hundred and forty years this spring since work actually started on building the Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway, on 18th February 1874. By 15th April ‘the earthworks for the main line had been properly formed for about two miles; and the navvies had commenced to operate upon the fell land, which was of a very rough nature. They had been engaged upon that work for about a week. The bridge laid under the public road near Muncaster Mill was nearly up to the springing stones, and the two further wing walls were nearly finished; and also so were the culverts and creeps which have been provided for. The line was not fenced in, but the posts and rails were partially fixed on both sides of the line for some distance, and the ditches dug. The formation of the line was so far advanced as to admit of the rails being laid and finished for two miles of the Parliamentary section. Preparations are also being made for the commencement of the Ravenglass bridge’ quoted the Engineer’s report of 15th April. ‘The railway company are in possession of all the land up to a spot marked by the King of Prussia [public house], and which is about two-thirds of the whole distance, or rather more…’

The Engineer, George Gordon Page, is one of the little-recognised figures in the railway’s history yet, perhaps, one of the most influential. He was actually born in 1836, to one of the most newsworthy of Victorian engineering projects; his father, Thomas Page, had come from Yorkshire to work on the Brunels’ Thames Tunnel, and his birthplace was the actual tunnel working site. This tunnel was fraught with difficulties that almost killed Marc Brunel and his son, Isambard, as they tried to exploit the tunnelling shield method of excavating in a site reckoned to be impossible. Page was the practical man who completed the tunnel, under the Great Stink, against all odds by 1843.

Father Tom Page went on to plan and build some prominent river crossings, like the present Westminster Bridge in front of the then new Houses of Parliament, and the Lendal Bridge in York, subject of recent controversy; his final aspiration, before his death in 1877, was to cross the English Channel with a sectional cast iron tube. Before starting his own engineering practice, son George worked in his father’s offices to gain experience, including some minor railway surveys, and left a legacy of ornate arched bridges now listed Grade II, including the hundred-foot cast iron span at Myton on Swale of 1868, the wrought iron Blue Bridge of 1875 at Haltwhistle, the Skeldergate Bridge of 1878 at York, and also the pierhead at Margate before his own death in 1885.

His brief but seminal involvement in what was to be claimed as the ‘shortest railway in England’ is worthy of closer inspection, along with other personalities of the day. You couldn’t make up a Victorian Penny Dreadful story like the tale of the 3ft gauge track!

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Keith Alan FanthamTrevor Stockton

It is with much sadness that the railway records the passing of Keith, who died on 30th March in Westmorland General Hospital at Kendal following a lengthy fight with cancer. Keith was fifty-eight.

Keith was one of the railway’s longest serving volunteers, in a career which started back in the early seventies, the period when the railway was growing rapidly. Keith played his part in the summer seasons through the next two decades, coming on to the summer staff, diesel driving and guarding. Equally at home helping on the permanent way, he would tackle all tasks with good humour and a smile. Underlying, though, was always an effort to do the best, a tidy job that looked the finished article.

By the late eighties Keith had progressed to steam driving; a need for more passed steam drivers meant Keith became the first of the volunteer steam drivers, which today are the accepted norm. Keith enjoyed his time on the footplate but was always insistent that he was doing it to help the railway and that, whilst he enjoyed it, he didn’t want to prevent anyone else from coming forward. This skill was to prove useful some ten years later when Keith was asked to return to help out during a period when the railway was short of passed steam drivers.

Many of the younger volunteers in the nineties had the benefit of working with Keith on the summer lineside fencing gangs; there is many a mile of the railway’s fencing still standing, and which will continue to stand, that Keith was responsible for putting up.

A loyal friend and supporter of the railway, a skilled musician by profession, an amazing wit and raconteur, his tall tales, jokes, japes and wheezes will live on in Ratty legend forever.

Sleep well my friend.

Keith Fantham driving the Murthwaite Locomotive Group’s Cyril on the day of its naming, 16th April 1988. Photo: John Taylor

Keith.

Norman WaddingtonIan Page

Norman Waddington was an apprentice at Swan Hunter’s shipyard on the Tyne. He followed a variety of different paths in his career, including work on AEC diesel engine plant, in the Sulzer marine diesel engine erecting shop, and on steam turbine maintenance at Rugeley power station in Staffordshire.

His time spent in the Royal Navy Reserve saw him in

the engine control room of minesweepers, powered by the famous Napier Deltic two-stroke diesel engines which also powered the Deltic main line locos.

Later, Norman moved to Sellafield, where he was in charge of several different departments, including pipe-fitters and welding inspection. Then, on retirement, he took on the job of caretaker at Thornhill Primary School, Egremont, where he was also a governor.

In 2011 he decided to come as a volunteer on the railway. He was encouraged to train as a guard, but soon decided it was not for him! He came to the workshop, to offer his services there, and liked it enough to come two days per week.

He has helped out with various projects in his time in the workshop, but his outstanding efforts to build the new disabled coach and cycle carrier, along with his native Geordie wit and sense of humour, are the things we will most remember him for.

Norman Waddington, with a young Ben Taylor, at Ravenglass. Photo: Dick Smith

The coach into which Norman and other volunteers have put so much work. Photo: David Gray

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Ruth RetiresRuth Stockton has retired from her position as Assistant Catering Manager, Dalegarth Café. Ruth first worked for the railway, in the Tea Bar at Ravenglass, in 1975 with Mrs Mac. Travelling to work from the cottages at Dalegarth, the journey was made either by hair-raising trips in the then General Manager Doug Ferreira’s Fiat, down the Birkby Road, or impromptu driving lessons on Royal Anchor or Shelagh of Eskdale with Cyril Holland, on the 10.10 from Dalegarth. Ruth’s career also covered many seasons in Dalegarth shop and booking office, and work in the old café, before eventually returning to work in the new Dalegarth Café when it reopened a few years ago. We wish Ruth all the best and, no doubt, will continue to see her around the railway.

The Ravenglass and Eskdale RailwayA DVD review, by Phil Brown

The latest Great Railway Videos DVD production of the Ratty features a cab ride on board Northern Rock, hauling the 10.30 departure from Ravenglass. Filmed in glorious spring weather (in May 2013), using five mini cameras mounted around the locomotive, the line is shown at its best. An informative commentary is given throughout the journey, including some lesser known facts about the local area. Extra content includes a short film ‘behind the scenes’, explaining the operation of our railway. A high-speed run in both directions makes a fun final addition to this professionally produced DVD. Available from www.greatrailwayvideos.com, priced £14.95.

Ruth at Dalegarth, December 2013. Photo: Donald Brownrigg

A shot of Phil at work, from the DVD. Image courtesy Great Railway Videos

Ratty TicketsBob Tebb

Although not a railway ticket connoisseur, I was recently intrigued to see a group of Ratty tickets in the Graham Withers collection, of a type of which I was quite unaware.

These, notionally issued by Narrow Gauge Railways Ltd, appear to be some form of seat regulation ticket, obviously for issue when hordes of visitors descended on Ratty from main line trains.

They allow return from Dalegarth to Ravenglass only on specified trains – in these cases at 4pm, 6pm, and 8pm.

Departures from Dalegarth around 4pm are not unusual today, and those of us volunteers who crew Fish ‘n’ Chip trains are indeed familiar with 8pm departures from the top – but this then also implied departures on the main line from Ravenglass at around 9pm or later!

They are perforated ‘roll’ tickets rather than Edmondson card type, and their use may have continued well into the post-1960 era. Any further information would be welcome.

Just to round this off, here is also a ‘proper’ card ticket, also branded NGR Ltd, for a free pass all-line return.

Visitor Services Officer Lucy Tilsley adds: We now have new tickets, which are much more versatile than the old Edmondson ones, and will allow for advertising on the reverse. The electronic nature of the tickets allows for virtually instant alterations when necessary.

Photos: Bob Tebb and Lucy Tilsley

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Society Projects in Progress

James Waterfield welcomes Katie to Station Road Steam, January 2014. Photo: Bob Tebb

Katie’s frames, post-shotblasting. The fifteen inch gauge Flying Scotsman, a former Ratty visitor, sits behind. Photo: Bob Tebb

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Society Projects in Progress

The Cumbria Branch of the British Dry Stone Walling Association hard at work, 12th April 2014. Photo: Sam Dixon

The new wall at The Green takes shape. Photo: Jackie Pharaoh

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James Waterfield welcomes Katie to Station Road Steam, January 2014. Photo: Bob Tebb

Katie’s frames, post-shotblasting. The fifteen inch gauge Flying Scotsman, a former Ratty visitor, sits behind. Photo: Bob Tebb

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From the Secretary’s DeskMungo Stacy, R&ER Preservation Society Honorary Secretary

WORKSHOP FIRE –A YEAR ON

The railway has enjoyed fabulous Easter weather this year and the trains have been packed out with passengers enjoying their day on the railway.

It was a year ago on Maundy Thursday that the workshop caught fire. It is an amazing testament to the strength of the railway, its staff, volunteers and supporters, that the scheduled services have run almost entirely as advertised in the intervening year, with minimal impact on our passengers.

However, the operational effects are still being felt and will continue to be felt for some time: the Easter service required and used all four of the currently operational locomotives, the two steam engines River Mite and River Irt and the two diesels Douglas Ferreira and Lady Wakefield. Thought is turning to the summer service and the probable need for a visiting steam locomotive to assist over the high season.

Across the car park, the shell of the workshop still bears witness to the fire. Although the progress on site may appear disappointingly slow, considerable work and planning is happening behind the scenes. The most important decision is what form the rebuilt workshop should take.

Further to the report in the last Magazine, the Society has now agreed terms with the Company for a loan at low interest rates of an initial £50,000 with facility to increase up to £100,000. This loan will allow the workshop to be rebuilt with a significantly increased footprint, to allow for an ideal arrangement of tracks and workshop machinery. This will considerably improve the way the workshop can be operated when it reopens. The extension is not funded by the insurance payment which will only allow for reconstruction of the existing space.

Other development includes finalising the insurance claim, identifying the replacement workshop machinery and obtaining planning permission for the workshop extension (the planning permission which was noted as granted in Magazine 212 required an amendment to suit the enlarged footprint; permission was granted for the amendment on 1st May 2014).

RAILWAY OPERATIONS

The timetable this year includes an additional early morning and late evening diesel round trip on the pink and yellow services. This is intended to allow passengers a longer day out using the railway, either out walking in and around the valley, or connecting to the main line services along the coast. It also features

a double-diesel cross on the first and last trips – to what extent this proves a draw for the gricers out there remains to be seen.

The new turns mean it is possible to make five round trips of the railway in a day should you wish! Volunteer guards and diesel drivers will be gladly appreciated to fill these early, late and regular turns (though I hasten to add, not usually for a five-trip day unless you are particularly keen. I tried a seventy-miler myself over Easter and couldn’t remember which way we were heading by the fourth trip!). Please contact the controller if you are available.

NEW STEAM LOCOMOTIVE

The basic concept of a new 2-6-2 tender locomotive with narrow-gauge outline was presented in the last Magazine. The concept has been refined taking into account the voice of the drivers and engineers at the railway, external expert opinion and general views of members through correspondence to the Magazine and online comment.

The next step being taken by the Council is to work up terms of a formal hire agreement with the Company, as it is fundamental that an acceptable agreement is made prior to major expenditure being incurred.

Discussions are also occurring with the Company about the potential to undertake the build of the new locomotive in the reconstructed workshop at Ravenglass. Clearly the viability of this depends on the demands on the workshop to maintain the existing fleet, but this arrangement could provide many benefits including positive publicity and keeping skills and resource within the railway.

Fundraising will be essential for the project to proceed, and we are seeking someone to lead a fundraising campaign. Please contact the Secretary (details on page 2 of this issue) if you are interested in being involved in or leading this campaign.

MUSEUM

Steps continue to be taken with the museum project, and several activities reported in the last Magazine have now been completed. The Society Trust has authorised a grant of £10,000 towards the museum project, and it is expected that this will allow greater matching funding to be leveraged from other grant-awarding bodies.

A tripartite agreement has been signed between the Society Trust, the Eskdale (Cumbria) Trust and the Railway Company. This agrees the transfer of ownership of Katie to the Society Trust, to be on long term loan to the museum which is run by the Eskdale (Cumbria) Trust, and operation for special events on the railway. Works to complete Katie are currently being carried out at Station Road Steam, Metheringham, funded by the Society Trust. There will be an open day

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at Station Road Steam on Saturday 9th August, where Katie’s progress can be inspected.

The Trust has also awarded a grant of £500 to the Boot Riverside Action Group, to support a proposal to renovate the former Gill Force tramway bridge over the River Esk to a standard where it could be adopted by the County Highways Department, thus securing its future.

HERE AND THERE

The Society has provided match-funding to the Company to allow the purchase of a new trackside cutter. Volunteers have already made use of the machine to keep the lineside clear. The foreman is particularly pleased with his new set of keys – the machine is made by Ferrari.

New format tickets have been introduced this season [see page 17] to integrate with online sales and accountability for tickets. The Edmondson card tickets will therefore only remain in use from the intermediate stations when these are manned. It is intended that the space on the rear of the new tickets will be used to promote the Society.

Initial works have been completed at The Green as part of the Society project to improve the station. Trees have been felled to the rear of the station and this makes an amazing difference to the amount of light reaching the station and platform. A new dry stone wall was completed the weekend before Easter.

On 21st April 2014, River Mite pulls away from Dalegarth with a busy 14.50 train. Photo: Derek Walmsley

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Proposals are being developed to improve the halt at Fisherground as another Society-funded project. Options are being explored to formalise the platform area with a platform edge and infill, and this may be followed by an improved shelter. The point-set indicators at Fisherground have been installed over the winter by the volunteer S&T team.

MEMBERSHIP

The Council is amending its policy on retaining personal data of members. Details of members will be kept on the membership database until the August of the year following a lapse of membership (i.e. for fifteen months). This will allow reminders to continue to be issued, which is expected to be successful in increasing the retention rate of members. Personal details will be removed sooner than this should any member request so in writing or by email.

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

A notice of the Annual General Meeting is enclosed with this Magazine. The AGM will be held at Dalegarth on the evening of Saturday 19th July. A train will be provided from Ravenglass, departing at 18.30. The AGM commences at 19.30, and food will be provided at Dalegarth for members in attendance. We would like to hear the views of our members, so please do attend if you are able.

River Irt snakes down grade towards Rock Point, on 21st April 2014. Photo: David Mart

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Running the Preservation SocietySam Dixon

As members will know, the Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway Preservation Society is pledged to support the Railway Company with the operation of the railway by providing financial support, practical help and through running of the Society’s own locomotives, River Mite and Douglas Ferreira, and own open coach 287. The Society also owns and operates its volunteer hostel Heywood House. Volunteer members of the Society help to operate the railway as guards and drivers, and by maintaining the track, and many more activities.

All this activity requires direction, organisation and planning, a responsibility that falls to the Preservation Society Council. The Council consists of up to twenty people who meet quarterly in Ravenglass. Meetings review, and receive reports on, the finances of the Society, contacts with the Company, projects, membership, Heywood House, Society rolling stock, the Magazine, sales activity and any other business arising. Minutes are taken of every meeting and held on record for future reference. All Council members also act as Trustees of the Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway Preservation Trust, the charitable arm of the Society, and Trust business is also transacted as part of the main meetings.

Council members are elected by the membership at the Society’s Annual General Meeting, which is held in July each year. Council members serve for three years and then retire by rotation (although they can offer to stand again), so the membership has the chance to elect one third of the Council at each AGM.

Amongst the twenty council members are three officer positions elected annually by the membership at the AGM – Secretary (currently Mungo Stacy), Financial Secretary (currently Ian Leigh) and Membership Secretary (currently Phil Taylor). The Chairman of the Council is appointed by the Council at the start of its September meeting each year. This role is currently held by Sam Dixon.

The Council also appoints a Director to the Board of the Railway Company. He attends the quarterly company board meetings, held at the Company head office in Kendal, to represent the interests of the Preservation Society and contribute to the discussions and decisions made about the railway. This post is currently held by Iain Aldred.

This is your Council – running the Society on behalf of its members. Any member of the Council would be pleased to discuss any issue with you and raise it on your behalf at a meeting. Please feel free to approach any one of us. Dates of forthcoming Council meetings can always be found in the Events Diary.

We also welcome new members who wish to stand for election to the Council. If you would be interested in joining the Council to contribute to the running of the Society and its future direction, please contact the Secretary, Mungo Stacy, at secretary@rerps.co.uk.

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The Council, on a tour of the Newton Heath depot arranged by Council member and depot driver Terry Williams. Photo: Stephen Bennett

Society Officers contact details available on page 2

Mr Sam Dixon Chairman 29th July 1997 (date elected to council)

Mr Ian Leigh Hon. Financial Secretary 18th July 1992Mr Mungo Stacy Hon. Secretary 22nd July 2006Mr Phil Taylor Hon. Membership Secretary 11th July 1987Council MembersMr Iain Aldred Nominated Railway Director 9th September 2006Mrs Sarah Bennett 31st October 1999Mr Daren Chandler 11th September 2004Dr Di Chase 22nd July 1995Mr Neal Glover 16th June 1973Mr Stuart Harrison 20th May 1967Mr Mike Jenkins 21st July 2001Mr Peter Mills Volunteer Liaison Officer 11th September 2010Mr David Mosley 14th July 1984Mrs Jackie Pharaoh 20th July 1996Mr Richard Robinson 21st July 2012Mr Andrew Thompson 21st July 2012Mr Peter van Zeller 10th June 1972Mr Tom Whitbread Sales Officer 20th July 2013Mr Jim Wilcock Assistant Membership Secretary 18th July 1998Mr Terry Williams 11th September 2010

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What The Driver SeesDavid Dixon

Shortly before Easter I was fortunate to ride the line in the comfort of Doug’s cab; with a north wind enough to freeze your extremities, it was no day to ride the opens, so I was doubly blessed. Travelling to Dalegarth has always been a pleasure, but I was struck this time by how much has changed since my first visit as an eighteen-year-old, a lot of years ago; most of it for the better.

I’ll start, though, with a change on which opinions may vary. In those days I recall few if any lineside notices or equipment. Now they are everywhere: telling drivers where to radio in, where to whistle, where to stop, where a footpath or track is crossing the line. The tiniest halts have names, warnings not to walk along the track from them (and invitations, Soviet-style, to report anyone who is, with a reward for shopping your fellow citizens), and (more positively) fine new illustrated information boards about their history. There are mileposts, gradient posts, emergency phones and even photo-voltaic panels. Sensibly, there are tools to beat out anything that catches fire (from those pesky steam engines, you know). In the old days everyone just knew where they were, how to behave, and what to do if anything went wrong! (I know some of it is required by those who insist on railways being über-safe, but one can still regret the proliferation of clutter).

The track is enormously better than it was, both in alignment and in solidity, much of it relayed recently, but I was intrigued to find in use three methods of securing rails to sleepers, one of the most recent using Pandrol clips as on big railways. As a result the ride is generally excellent these days, despite the narrowness

of the gauge. (The venerable and erudite civil engineer of the Ffestiniog who I met over breakfast in my B&B told me he was much impressed). In places the line twists and turns to follow the contours – less evident when riding in the train. And stone bridges, probably from the nineteenth century, stand as solid as ever.Clutter at Beckfoot. Photo: David Dixon

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The views of rivers and mountains are much improved by recent felling of trees (there are plenty still left!), and the Company has been able to sell much of it to boost income, though some has doubtless found its way to those pesky steam engines! I particularly welcome this clearance, as some heritage lines in the Midlands carry their passengers, boringly, through endless forest.

Muncaster Mill, sadly, can be visited no more (is it true that they got European money to rebuild it so that the public could see it in action?), but The Green was a hive of activity as an army of volunteers, many like me of a certain age, slaved away in the rain to build splendid new dry stone walls. And the two termini are much more substantial than in days of yore, feeding both the inner man (and woman, and child!) and their compulsive need to shop.

What hasn’t changed is the natural world all around. No deer or red squirrels that day, but plenty of birds – heron, duck, oystercatchers and even a snipe on the marshes, goldfinches racing the train near Fisherground, a buzzard in the woods. Two horses were grazing at Spout House, stripy cows stood in a field by The Green and a sheep waited patiently on the platform at Irton Road. By the line, masses of seasonal primroses and daffodils, and the prolific gorse; in the distance, the wonderful fells of England’s highest mountains. The driver was of course concentrating on his task, but even he could spare a glance at the wonders round about, which added to the joy of driving an engine, dreamed of since childhood.

Many of our members and visitors just like little railways, and it is one of the best. But for those whose spirits are not lifted by such simple pleasures, preferring the natural world, there is plenty for all to enjoy by our lineside in this delightful part of the Lake District.

Twists and turns at Rock Point. Photo: David Dixon

An unewesual passenger at Irton Road. Photo: David Dixon

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Ratty ElectrificationGraham Worsnop

We’ve all heard the one about the mother who told her child not to step on the rails at Dalegarth because he’d get a shock (obviously basing her knowledge on his toy train, or dad’s ‘model railway’).

Periodically, there are suggestions on Ratty Chat and the Facebook page that we should electrify the line – but once the raucous laughter has died down, amid comments about frying passengers on overhead lines and cooking them on the third rail, the suggestion goes quiet again for a while.

So it’s a silly idea that will never see the serious light of day, then. Well, it might surprise you to know that it has been seriously considered.

This all came about while the bankrupt [Owd Ratty] railway was still running some trains, and trying to work out how to pay off its creditors. The line had debts of £6,974 16s and 7d. Round about £700,000 in today’s money. And as it was still running some trains, there were ongoing expenses and staff costs.

The line was, physically, a mess. A report on 6th December 1909, by David Rutherford (the Furness engineer who had inspected the line on the 2nd December), found that: all the fences along the line needed replacing and about two miles of stone walls needed repairs; the cuttings and embankments were all in good order, but needed to be widened to allow sharp curves to be eased; the bridges and culverts all suffered from masonry in poor condition for want of pointing; the underbridge at Ravenglass main road needed strengthening. The permanent way used flat bottom rail at 45lb/yard spiked to cross sleepers. All the sleepers were ‘done in’ and all but two miles of rail was worn out. 45lb/yard rail was light for anything over 10mph, and was difficult to keep in proper line and level. The advice was to upgrade to 65lb/yard rail, spiked on the straight and with fang bolts on curves with sleepers 6’ by 9” by 4 ½”, ballasted with broken stone or similar. This would prove to be a cheaper option in the end. Platform walls needed repair and the station buildings were in bad condition, but could be repaired. There were no conveniences on any platforms and the Board of Trade may request such be provided. Cost estimates were:

Improvements on curves £1,000Relay as above £9,200Buildings £200Conveniences £200Platforms/bridges/culverts £150Ravenglass road bridge £60Fences £1,500Contingency £690Total £13,000 (£1,300,000 today)

A scrap value of £700 was placed on the old materials.29

The reason for this survey and estimate was to allow a new share offer to be raised, and a new company formed to pay off the debts and get the line going again. By 1909 a proposal and act were prepared, and a prospectus was issued to try and raise £28,000. By 16th May 1910, concerns were raised that the process was getting nowhere; insufficient shares had been sold and the suggestion was made to abandon the line, to stop money trickling away to no purpose. This seems to have been what happened, until one creditor managed to lease the line (with absolutely no authority) to Bassett-Lowke, who converted it to 15” gauge.

An indication of the shambolic state of the line can be gained by the fact that a number of records could not be found – minor things, such as those relating to the payment or otherwise of tax!

Against this background, and while trying to confirm what the costs would be to get the line up and running again as a going concern, the question of traction was seriously investigated.

One B. Sankey A.M.I.E.E, the Borough electrical engineer for Whitehaven Corporation Electricity Works, produced a report on the proposed electrification of the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway on 21st October 1909. This was quite a thorough report, and considered quite a number of options, some being quite radical at the time. The Ratty would have been a UK - if not a world - leader, had some options been followed. The report considered how best to produce the necessary power and how to use it in propelling the rolling stock. Given that there were no sources of cheap coal, he considered water power, diesel-type oil engines using crude residue oil, or by suction gas (now called producer gas) produced from anthracite or gas coke.

The only useful source of water would be Whillan Beck at Boot. Going up stream and putting a dam across the ghyll at the western boundary of John Vicar’s land, of a height not to interfere with the working of his sawmill, could give a 230-250ft head. Assuming a 200ft head, a fourteen-inch pipeline, half-a-mile long, would be needed. The costs would be:

Pipeline £900Dam £150Water Turbine £250Dynamo £220Total £1,520 £152,000 today

This did not include the costs of land, buildings, wayleaves, or compensation for water rights at Boot Mill – but it put the scheme out of consideration. The fact that, in drought conditions, there would not be enough water was also a factor in rejecting the scheme.

Diesel and gas plants would be at Ravenglass on land owned by the directors. A diesel system would have advantages, but would be 25% higher in initial cost, and have a 30% higher fuel cost, so was ruled out.

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That left a suction gas system, housed in suitable buildings consisting of a producer house (containing gas generator, scrubbers, etc.), fuel stores/bunkers, engine house (with engine, dynamo and switchboard) and a small battery room (housing a battery for lighting buildings and the yard, supplying power for the producer fan, workshop lathes, etc.). He also advised to erect a light, corrugated tin building to use as a car shed and workshop adjacent to the generating station.

How to apply the power to move the trains, then?

The two usual methods of overhead line and third rail were considered unfeasible. There was a high capital cost in relation to traffic levels, there would be difficulties in getting the OHLE (Overhead Line Electrification) below bridges, and the third rail would be a danger to livestock and public. The necessity of keeping the generating plant running and the system energised even when trains were not actually travelling was also prohibitive.

So, what to do? The only practical option was accumulator traction, by means of an electric loco, each with its own battery and forming a complete and independent unit. There were several such working successfully on the continent, but none in the UK. The capital outlay would be less than OHLE, the only other feasible alternative, but the working costs would be much higher. So much so, that the traffic on the line would be insufficient to make the scheme financially viable.

Some of the technical data make for interesting reading:

Total weight of loco and battery - 20 tons. It could drag two cars, each with thirty-six passengers and weighing 14 tons when loaded. Also a 9 ton van, giving a total weight of 57 tons. The loco, fitted with twin 50hp motors, would be able to haul a full train at an average speed of 12mph, excluding stops. The locos would cost £850 each, and the batteries (two per loco) £640 each, making a cost per unit of £2,130 (£213,000 today). Projected battery life was not quoted, but would be unlikely to exceed two years. Maintenance costs, based on Prussian practice, were 5d per mile – but the rail should be not less than 60lb/yard.

Not surprisingly, Mr. Sankey could not recommend that electrification be proceeded with. However, he did urge that relaying with heavier rail be carried out anyway. In the meantime, one option which he did want to pursue, if the directors agreed, was the use of self-contained passenger cars, electrically driven. Now, of course, known as an EMU (Electric Multiple Unit), these were said to be very economical on branch lines with intermittent traffic, with no waste while standing at termini, no steam raising, and they could be worked by just a driver and conductor. Any mineral traffic could be worked by the existing steam locos. No indications exist that such investigations were undertaken. For producing this report, the company was charged £5 5s 0d with 15s 0d expenses. Would that such reports could be obtained for that price today, when even £600 (today’s equivalent) would be cheap!

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Maid of Kent and Elmira’s CentenaryGerald Elliff

Seeing Jackie Pharaoh’s note in the last Ratty Magazine, about the camping coaches being one hundred years old this year, made me realise that my family and I had been sharing in the last fifty years of their life at Ravenglass.

Early in 1963 my mother (who was seventy) decided she would like a railway camping coach holiday. Brochures having been sent for, we found that the best was, of course, a Pullman coach, and the only ones available were on the North Wales coast and at Ravenglass. These coaches were part of the fleet belonging to British Railways (London Midland Region).

So, we plumped for Ravenglass, a decision that we have never regretted. The cost of hire of the coach was in the region of £15 for the week. The only other thing to consider was the luggage. The brochure advised “luggage-in-advance” – collected and delivered to the holiday site for 5/6d per package; a bargain, compared with today’s prices.

We arrived at Ravenglass station on an August afternoon that year, to be met by the station porter, who conducted us across the (then) BR goods yard, complete with its cattle-loading dock.We discovered that, although the bedrooms were fitted with sinks and taps, there was no running water. Gas was supplied to the gas mantle lighting units from a cylinder outside. Water was available from a stand pipe which was against the iron railings outside. There were no toilets inside, and we would be obliged to use those provided in the BR station! As ‘elfansafety was unknown in those days, we were able to use the level crossing between the main line and station platforms. Also, a night (chemical) toilet was provided in the small building at the entrance to the (present) car park. The two coaches were there, as today, but with the kitchen and the corridor windows overlooking the Ratty station. Provisions had been ordered through the Station Master, and awaited us in the coach.

The adjoining coach was occupied by a family with three children, a little bit older than ours, but they all got on very well. We joined them one evening for a boat trip up the River Esk, which was organised by Mr Pharaoh from the garage [in Ravenglass].

Maid of Kent and Elmira. Photo: Gerald Elliff Ravenglass in 1963. Photo: Gerald Elliff

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Six years later, Roger (my son) and I walked the Dales Way, Ilkley to Windermere, then added on Coniston and Eskdale youth hostels, ending up on the Ratty to Ravenglass. There, we found the two Pullman coaches, returned to the goods yard sidings with their escape to the main line now cut off. On enquiry, we found that they now belonged to the R&ER and were available to hire. Since then, we have been in most of the school holidays (except Christmas) – but not every year. The babies, who once were bathed in the ‘kitchen’ sink, are now grown up – one, indeed, enjoyed his (very respectable) stag weekend in Maid of Kent. The coaches have had many improvements: electricity throughout; cold water now flows to all the taps; one vestibule has been converted to toilet and shower cubicle; the kitchen has been brought up-to-date with cooker, fridge and hot water (though sadly through removal of some of the original fittings); new, in-house, joiner-made bed frames and bunks. In fact, our first job on taking over the coach is to look for the new improvements! The recent re-roofing has made quite a difference to summer temperatures – not too hot, as it once was. We still prefer Maid of Kent, but don’t always get the choice!

The outside area has improved: we now have a ‘garden’ front and back! When we first came, the area between the goods yard and the road was thickly wooded, there was a timber hut (old sleepers, heavily tarred), which eventually burned down, and the outlook from the coaches was rather dark. In due course, the area was felled, giving a clear view to the main line. A garden was created in the middle, and there was room for the children to picnic and play on the grass – a 1000% [sic] improvement!

Ravenglass village was also a much quieter place, with fewer cars lining the Main Street than today. But it did have more varied facilities: a pub (The Pennington Arms); a Post Office (Cowan’s); a butcher (Fenwick’s); a general store for day-to-day needs; a garage (Pharaoh’s) with petrol at about 1/5d a gallon; a reading room; a village hall (as now); plus two railway stations, which is something not many places can boast!

My wife and I are looking forward to celebrating our Diamond Wedding next year, and there is one thing we never disagree about – holidays at Ravenglass! Maid of Kent wins every time!

River Irt at Dalegarth.Photo: Gerald Elliff

Royal Anchor at Ravenglass.. Photo: Gerald Elliff

33

Forty Years AgoJohn Taylor

Edited highlights of previous editions of the Society’s Newsletters/Magazines:

Issue No. 54: dated Summer 1974

The cover picture was entitled “Inside the Ratty Arms”.

Ratty Arms Sets Off on the Right Track

Reprinted from the Whitehaven News of Thursday 20th June.

Lakeland’s newest public house, the Ratty Arms, was set off on the right track on Thursday evening June 13th, when it was officially opened by Mr Pat Cook, Chief Executive of the English Tourist Board. Lord Wakefield explained that the new venture came about when British Rail decided some time ago that they had no further use for the station buildings at Ravenglass because it had become an unmanned halt. So the Company, whose famous “La’al Ratty” miniature railway runs just a few yards away, bought the buildings and under the guidance of their general manager, Mr Douglas Ferreira, they have been converted into the “Ratty Arms”. A vote of thanks was given by Mr John A. Robinson, chairman of the Ravenglass & Eskdale Preservation Society, who presented Mr Cook with an inscribed copy of Keith Davies’ history of the railway.

News from Ravenglass

The grand weather at Easter gave us a good start to the season. The weather was kind again over spring Bank Holiday and the figures for April and May showed a healthy increase. The number of passengers during June however is slightly down on last year. There was an increase in the school part traffic but the number of visitors to the area seemed to be less than usual.

Routine work, the preparation of wheels and bogies, and the making of couplings for the new coaches have kept the engineers very busy. All the locos are in good order, except Shelagh of Eskdale. There is some fault in the hydraulic system which has so far confounded both our engineers and the manufacturers. A large sum has been spent on a new pump and motor of a later and more robust design.

Readers of the “Bedside Ratty” will have seen the photo of the boat lying on its side which once served as a shelter at Miteside. Now that the GM has moved to Miteside and the Company has bought Miteside Cottage, the halt is being used more than for a long time. The bows of the boat now lying beside Ravenglass turntable is to be erected at Miteside to protect waiting passengers, thus turning the clock back most pleasantly about seventy years.

The winter and spring working parties spent time on various projects including:

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washing the interior of the awning and the BR station shelter; chipping and painting Ravenglass footbridge; digging out a siding site so that Quarryman and the two spare Dalegarth coaches can be stored clear of the existing siding between the walls; patch re-sleepering near Black Bridge and Muncaster Mill Bridge; preparing the surface of the floor in the ex-BR Goods Warehouse which is destined to become the Joiners’ Shop to relieve pressure on space in the existing workshops; and during the May Bank Holiday weekend operated car park and shed duties.

Another complete telephone exchange has been brought from Germany, and it is intended that this will be installed to cover the upper half of the line. It is to be linked in with that already in operation at Ravenglass to give complete automatic coverage of the whole line. A supply of telegraph poles is being organised by the S&T Department and it is hoped that all materials for the pole line will be to hand by the autumn. It is hoped that volunteers will undertake the planting of the one hundred and twenty-five or so poles. Having our own telephone system will have many advantages. Not least will be the considerable annual saving in the expense of renting the all stations omnibus line from the GPO. The new system will be far more positive and will make it easier to contact the person you want. Plug-in points will be provided at say each half-mile post. Incidentally, having telegraph lines for the length of the railway will also enable us to bring into operation some form of train control – yet to be decided. The system of telephones is slightly unusual and has one rather amusing feature. To dial a number on the other exchange from which you are speaking, it will be necessary to press a button on the phone. Whether or not you do this, the telephone tells you which exchange you are dialling into. At present on lifting a phone on the Ravenglass exchange, Uwe-Jens Jansen’s Germanic tones announce “Ravenglass . . . Ravenglass . . . Ravenglass”!

Richard (Benny) Benstead has handed over the controls of River Mite to Trevor Stockton and has taken over the equally responsible task of keeping the line and lineside in order during the season. Peter and Katie van Zeller have moved from Ravenglass Station House to the wilds of Miteside Cottage. We welcome John and Pauline Tucker who have taken on the managing of the “Ratty Arms”.

Keith Fantham, with Ben Taylor, aboard the abovementioned Quarryman in 2007. Photo: Eliot Andersen

35The R&ER Magazine is published by the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway Preservation Society Ltd. 2014.

Registered office: The Station, Ravenglass, Cumbria CA18 1SW. Incorporated in England. Registered No. 697768. Printed by Craven Design and Print, Shropshire. www.cravendesignandprint.co.uk

Back Cover: ...And after: River Mite rolls down Horsefalls, three years on from the time of the front cover photo, following a winter of logging activity here. Photo: Peter Mills

Ratty Diary 2014E&OE. Please check dates and details nearer the time before travelling.

DATE EVENT CONTACTJUNE

JULY

SEPTEMBER

OCTOBER

Saturday 14th

Thursday 17th

Saturday 13th

Saturday 4th -

Sunday 5th

Saturday 19th

Sunday 15th

Council Meeting, Ravenglass

Press deadline for September issue

Council Meeting, Ravenglass

† Postman Pat and Jess the Cat

Society AGM and evening social event,Dalegarth (train available from Ravenglass)

† Father’s Day

Secretary

Editor

Secretary

Ravenglass

Secretary

Ravenglass

Full details of all Railway events can be seen on the website: http://ravenglass-railway.co.uk/events/

† Please book in advance

A last glimpse of Horsefalls as it was: Northern Chief (RHDR) and River Esk double-head at the 2011 May Bank Holiday gala. Photo: Eliot Andersen