1415

ified the Bo'ness branch just yet. A hydrogen train on test leaving Bo'ness.

BELOW: In the other direction, looking west, as it heads towards

Manuel. (All three photos by Donald Stirling, Thur 10 Nov 2022.)





BELOW: (Item MR7) Dean Forest Railway; Norchard Low Level looking towards

the end of line, Peter Green right, Ken Rye left. (Angus McDougall, 3 Sep 2007.)

MR4] Cromer Light Railway, Norfolk: The Cromer Light Railway Club is formed of members of the now
closed 7¼" gauge Ashmanhaugh Light Railway (BLN 1359.MR123) - part of which still remains as a
private railway. The club wants to construct a new track and engine shed on land opposite Amazona
Zoo, southwest of Cromer town centre. While the line, which has the support of Cromer Town Council,
would initially only run around a small area next to the zoo, if it proves successful, it could be extended
towards the centre of the resort. Its backers say that the scheme could bring 'significant benefits' to
the area and could help transport visitors between Cromer's various attractions. A planning statement
submitted to North Norfolk District Council said: If approved and then run successfully and with the
necessary backing, the miniature railway also has the ability to expand and create a link to the
Meadow, through the Cromer Hall campsite, which will reduce traffic movements on the Hall Road and
become a more substantial and useful attraction. The Meadow is next to the town's visitor centre and
car park, around 300m from Cromer Pier. Alan Ball, treasurer of the Light Railway Club, said:

There will be a circuit loop, a station and storage at the start. We have a steam locomotive and others
that run on electricity or diesel power. Going through planning is a hard process but it has to be done
and we hope to run a service two to three times a week in the early summer. The Club has already
obtained and refurbished second hand track with new sleepers, meaning members will be ready to
start the project quickly if planning permission is granted. It says other nearby businesses which could
benefit from the railway include the zoo, a football/golf company and a pick your own fruit farm.

MR5] Lincolnshire Coast Light Railway, Lincolnshire (MR p20) (BLN 1412.MR218): Although it has
taken 95 years, finally the unique 'Queen Mary' coach (BLN 1406.MR155) on the 2ft gauge railway has
acquired her nameplates! The coach was built in 1927 on the 1' 11½'' gauge Nocton Estates Light
Railway. This Railway ran for 23 miles around Nocton Fen from the former Nocton & Dunston station
on the Lincoln to Sleaford line to the west bank of the River Witham, opposite Bardney, from where a
conveyor bridge took its deliveries of sugar beet for processing at the erstwhile Bardney Sugar Factory.
https://bit.ly/3zRUmby has some fantastic photos of the railway, including of enthusiasts riding.

The coach's frames came from WWI bogie wagons used to take soldiers and supplies to the fighting in
the front line trenches and some components are thought to have come from ambulance vans built to
transport wounded soldiers in that conflict - the Nocton Railway used a selection of both types.
The coach took shooting parties around the estate (which produced potatoes for Smiths Crisps and
supporting crops) and was equipped with comfortable chairs, drink holders and gun racks for the
shooting parties. However, such was the estate workers' perception of the aloof manner of those
enjoying its comforts, that it was nicknamed 'Queen Mary'. When the line ceased to operate towards
the late 1950s, the coach was sold, becoming variously a taxi office and a scrap merchant's office, it is
believed, in the Sleaford and Boston areas. On closure of the Nocton system, some rails and vehicles
were sold to the Lincolnshire Coast Light Railway at Humberston, near Cleethorpes. The 'Queen Mary'
was eventually rescued by the railway and moved there, transferring to storage at Burgh-le-Marsh
when the line closed in 1985 and then in 1992 to the current site in the Skegness Water Leisure Park.

Extensive restoration and some modifications to make it suitable for public use - and adaptations for
wheelchairs - enabled the coach to carry its first fare paying passengers in 2022. Now two nameplates
have been made by traditional signwriter Tim Fry at his Martin Dales workshops in Woodhall Spa
(opposite the site of Woodhall Junction station). The nameplates will be fitted during the winter.

MR6] Nottingham Heritage Railway, Nottinghamshire (MR page 8) (BLNs 1406.MR156 and 1410.2342)
The two new 80 ton decks for the bridge over the A60 at Loughborough were lifted into place over the
weekend of 19-20 November by a crane with a capacity of 500 tons. The original structure, said to
date when the line was opened in 1898, was beyond economic repair and had been struck numerous
time by over height vehicles. The new bridge will accommodate double track, - one for the reunited
GCR and the other for the connection to Network Rail at Loughborough South Jn. An innovative design
means the new bridge has an extra 3'' of headroom, without lowering the road or raising the railway.
Neither of these was practicable. During the lifting operations, two crash protection beams, each 20
tons (sic), were installed. Filled with concrete, they will help protect the bridge from being struck.

MR7] Dean Forest Railway, Gloucestershire (MR p6): The railway's Santa trains were all booked from/
to Norchard High Level. The only exception was the last train of the day, which ran into the Low Level
platform. In pre-Covid years they all used the Low Level platform, which now sees very little use.

MR8] Bristol Harbour Railway, (MR p6) (BLN 1383.MR148): On 20 December extensive work was in
progress at the landslip site by the River Avon, between Vauxhall Footbridge and the Create Centre.

MR9] Great Central Railway, Leicestershire (MR p7): From 24 February until 24 March the railway is
completely closed for 'Major Engineering Projects'. This is replacement of two underline bridges (with
5mph speed restrictions currently) near Quorn. Cafés remain open at Quorn and at Rothley, however.

1415 FIXTURE REPORT (Paul Stewart) [email protected]
162] Summer Steeler No24, Sun 28 Aug 2022: By John Cowburn [For a marked up map, on our
Website Home Page, go along the top to 'Archive', with 'Scunthorpe' in the top right box click 'search'.
It's the second one down.] Aug Bank Holiday weekend approached - it must be time for a trip to
Scunthorpe. Unusually this year, our tour took place on a Sunday with the later start of the train
service meaning that all of our participants either arrived by road or stayed locally on the Saturday
night. The drive across from Doncaster, on an almost completely deserted A18, was very pleasant in
the early morning sun and arrival was in good time. In an exciting and most unusual development,
Scunthorpe's finest - 'Janus' No1 - was heard heading up the bank towards Frodingham platform by
09.00, for the 09.30 scheduled departure!! On arrival there were just the three former British Rail (BR)
brakevans in tow, the 'Shark' having had to be taken out of service shortly before the tour with a fault;
this led to the three vans being a bit busier than normal. There was plenty of time for photographs and
members all found their way onto their allocated designated van, either on a veranda or inside.

[Early bookers had their choice of accommodation and late bookers did where that was possible.]

All aboard, we departed pretty much on time and headed out past Appleby platform and the AFRPS
(Appleby Frodingham Railway Preservation Society) shed, passing Winn's Sidings which contained Di8
No8.712 (NSB* red/yellow) apparently dumped and the ever present and long out of use '81' (the ex-BR
Class 20, 20056). The original and replacement cabs fabricated for 'Janus' No29 - the former removed
before but the latter never fitted after the Di8s arrived - were stored on a wagon. There was also a
short rake of smartly painted (and loaded) internal four wheel scrap carrying 'yard [internal] wagons'
over the back. We were briefly checked at the confluence of lines down to a single track at Dawes
Lane underbridge, also referred to as 'Bottleneck Junction'. Once three tracks, if anything happened
here it would be a big problem. Di8s 8.702 (CargoNet grey) and 8.704 (NSB red/yellow) took a train of
internal bogie wagons loaded with sections rolled at the Rail & Section Mill into Redbourn stocking
area. [*NSB = the former Norges Statsbaner - literally 'Norway's state owned railway enterprise'.]

We continued, reversing and propelling up, towards the Rail Service Centre where we found Di8
No817 (SSI - Sahaviriya Steel Industries - red) parked in front of Bay 3 Entrance 1 but the fan of sidings
shown on the map as Corus Rail Sidings was unusually empty. The opportunity was taken to traverse
Roads 2 & 3 up to the buffer stops, which involved hooking up to a rake of rail carriers on Road 3 and
shunting them out of the way. Before leaving the area, we ran right up to the door on RDL (Redpath
Dorman Long) Road 4, which looked to have seen little recent use. This achieved, at the Rail Service
Centre we ran up to the barrier at 2 Bay Despatch Area on the east line and to the entrance of 6 Bay
West. The service centre was quiet; those in the end van could see that most of the lights were off
with 'Daisy' (the remote control loco based here) stabled at the far end of the building on the east line.

No Scunthorpe brakevan tour would be complete without a visit to Redbourn stocking area and, with
the Di8s seen earlier now out of the way, this was the time. We returned to Dawes Lane and reversed,
propelling first into Road B1 up to the internal wagons loaded with sections seen arriving earlier.
B2 was full of bogie flats without stanchions so couldn't be visited. Next, we shunted to 'D' Sidings,
where we did all three lines apart from the stretches up to the final turnout and headshunt. An empty
rake of 'Tango' internal bloom carriers and a short rake of bogie internals loaded with long length
scrap were standing on those two roads. Finally, a visit was paid to 'C' Sidings where 'C2' was clear and
traversed right to the blocks.

BELOW: Members wait to join out tour, Frodingham platform at 09.20, looking

g towards the buffer stops. (All photos are ©John Cowburn, Sun 28 Aug 2022.)

BELOW: Di8s 8.702 (CargoNet grey) and, far end, 8.704 (NSB red/yellow) take
into Redbourn stocking area 'C'. That overhead conveyor is part of a lengthy sy

a train of internal bogie wagons with sections rolled at the Rail & Section Mill
ystem originating at the Coal Handling Plant on the other side of the main line.

BELOW: Points 325 where a new line goes off left (which the tour is about
Upper left is the former Mould Shop, the lines to the BOS Plant (off left) run on

t to do) to the new stocking ground at the site of the former P'Way Depot.
n the emabnakment across the background, Bridge 44 is ahead. Looking south.

BELOW: Continuing round the new infrastructure, now facing east, Points 32
as the former Bloom and Billet Mill. Far right is the former Mould Shop and

24 are ahead. Ahead is the former Soakers building which continues, far left,
ahead in the far distance is the BOS Yard (BOS = Basic Oxygen Steel Making).

BELOW: Continuing on new track, with the former Soakers building ahead

d again, Points 320 are in front (new loop) and Points 321 are middle right.





PREVIOUS: Di8s 8.719 & 8.701 are stabled in the short loop between Po

oints 317 (this end) and 318; the former Bloom and Billet Mill is ahead.

BELOW: Hunslet locos 71, 74 & 75 lined up for their next jobs to the west of

f the blast furnaces on the South Melting Shop Running Road and its spurs.

BELOW: The BOS Gantry, looking towards end of line, empty hot metal tor

rpedoes this end and loaded ones waiting to be emptied are at the far end.









PRECEDING IMAGES, FIRST: Queen Mary's bottom (the disused 1938 vintage
PREVIOUS PAGE: The Stores Road line which passes beneath the r

BELOW: Looking east, the Scrap Bay line (round to the left) - single journ

e blast furnace this end that is) looking south beneath the four blast furnaces.
refurbished High Line, serving the top of the blast furnaces, ahead.
neys only perhaps? East Bank siding is right. NEXT: The Scrap Bay itself.





BELOW: Our tour loco shows its power, hauling eight bogie wagons heavily loa

aded with sections, for stocking at Redbourn while propelling the brakevans.

BELOW: The Heavy Repair Bay, High Line Loco No1 is stabled on the Wash Ro

oad (which it clearly hasn't had…) NEXT: Also present (see report for details)...





BELOW: The hidden CEW (Central Engineering Workshops) Dock for scrap, acces

ssed by a headshunt, note metal sleepers. Left is the incline down to civilization.

BELOW: There were just two wagons at the CEW Dock; if we come

e back often enough it may be clear to the end one day… THE END.

At Redbourn stocking ground 'C3' was part occupied by a rake of elderly empty main line BDA and BEA
bogie bolsters and 'C1' had a short rake of main line international bloom carriers at the far end but the
clear sections of each road were duly covered. Redbourn 'A' roads are disconnected and mostly lifted.

There have been some changes to the use of the Redbourn stocking area, with ISO [International
Organization for Standardization (sic)] containers now loaded at a new terminal on the site of the
demolished Plate Mill. The former Redbourn container terminal and other parts of this area are now
used to store sections of various sizes, some of which had clearly been there for some time, given the
rust. The area between 'B' and 'C' Sidings was being used to stock semi-finished blooms. However, the
scene is still surveyed by the classic (brutalist style?) Redbourn office block, a remarkable survivor.

Retreating to Dawes Lane bridge, our Janus propelled us first, briefly, onto the short clear section of
the line to the Appleby Coke Ovens coke car line, before shunting back out and running through the
Coke Oven Weighbridge Loop. The blast furnaces High Line approach ramp was not on the menu
today as there was a stop board in the four foot. We continued south along 66 Road, passing the line
of increasingly dilapidated out of use locos dumped in the siding served by Points 527 adjacent to the
ramp. Since the author's previous visit, the year before, Janus 94 has been added to the north end of
the line, which also contained Hunslet 80, Januses [Jani perhaps?] 92, 95 & 44, High Line 4, Januses 91
& 90 and Steelman locos 63 & 61 (unnumbered) in that order. We continued, propelling along 66
Road, diverging left down Plate Pit Hill but there was no activity at the actual Plate Pits. Hunslet locos
72 & 75 were heading two empty torpedo ladles back to the blast furnaces along the higher level lines.

Approaching the BOS (Basic Oxygen Steelmaking) and Concast (Continuous Casting) area, it was
apparent that very significant changes had been made to the track layout. The old Permanent Way
Yard had gone* and, in its place is a new semi-finished steel stocking area, with extra unloading tracks
and a run round loop. Significant tonnages of recently cast blooms were laid out in the stocking areas.
We diverged left at the new Points 325 then methodically covered all the new lines, except the slightly
realigned track closest to the former Mould Shop (the Mill Shop Running Road on the plan). For most
this was the highlight of the tour. [*Not so permanent then The new Permanent Way Yard is on part
of the former Plate Mill car park, near where the Class 20 20056 Loco '81' is stabled in Winn's Sidings.]

Di8 Nos8.702 & 8.708 (CargoNet grey) were initially noted moving around light as we headed into the
Concast area, with 8.719 and 8.701 (both NSB red/yellow) parked in the short loop between Points
317 and 318 a little way to the north. Returning to Points 325 to traverse the extended and realigned
5 Bay Loop, we had to wait for 8.708 and 8.704 to clear the points as they headed a set of recently
cast blooms on Tango wagons from Caster 4 towards Plate Pit Hill, no doubt for Redbourn stocking
area. By the time we then reached Caster 4 at the west end of the Concast, Roads 2, 3 & 4 had been
set up with empty Tangos and loading of blooms was in progress on Road 3. We continued towards
the Caster 5 loading area, noting that all tracks in the area of the Billet Caster had been lifted with
work happening in the area - hopefully relaying or remodelling rather than removal. In the distance
Caster 5 loading sidings had a mix of empty wagon types, including some former plate mill 57XX series.

We didn't get very far and reversed at Points 314, our loco then hauling us north onto the perimeter
line before almost immediately stopping past Points 312, then propelling us to the buffer stops on the
unusually empty loading line on the north side of the Slab Stockyard. [These tours take opportunities
as they arise.] Then it was time to head north again along the perimeter line and through the Welfare
Loop as the main line was blocked by bogie internal wagons loaded with long length scrap. We took
Road 10 through Mills Exchange Sidings and over the weighbridge by '9 Control' building. We had a
short pause to wait for 8.704 and 8.708 to emerge, separately, light engine from under the Foreign
Ore Branch, presumably after dropping their train of Tangos at Redbourn stockyard for unloading,
before continuing anticlockwise around the perimeter. We took 'The Angle' around to Dawes Lane
(again!) and back past Winn's Sidings to shunt onto the AFRPS Appleby platform at 13.00 for lunch.

Punters rapidly detrained to the toilets or the buffet car for lunch as appropriate! With it being
summer, the steam heat to the buffet car wasn't required. Is this the last rail vehicle on the planet
where it is possible to be steam heated by a shore supply in the winter? Answers to the Editor please.

After an hour to eat, drink, be merry and inspect AFRPS's Hunslet No58, parked in front of the shed, it
was time to resume. We headed back out towards Frodingham platform beyond Points 501, reversed
and propelled towards the Stores Road, noting from a distance Hunslet locos 71, 74 & 75 poised for
action to the west of the blast furnaces on the South Melting Shop Running Road and its spurs.

From the Stores Road we diverged right at Points 117 onto the lines which run along the east side of
the four blast furnaces. These are rarely visited as public tours are not permitted to access the hot
metal (molten iron) loading areas, even on the 'bypass line' which is the easterly of the lines through
the area. [Hot metal suits etc are required.] We stopped after less than 200 yards on Points 119, some
distance short of the long out of use loading spouts for end blast furnace 'Mary'. Before a quick retreat
those on the end veranda were treated to a rare and brief glimpse right through the stygian gloom of
this area to the torpedo ladles which were set for loading under 'Anne' or 'Victoria' in the distance.

Regaining the Stores Road, we resumed propelling and, after passing under the viaduct carrying the
High Line ramp, briefly digressed via Points 166 into the empty portion of the short siding housing
some internal flats and an old High Line coke car. As ever, a number of blast furnace charging skips of
different dimensions were present here. No1 hauled us back out onto the Stores Road and we were
then propelled along 65 Road, continuing right though to Points 156 where 65 Road joins 66 Road.
We passed the former Hot Metal Control building and headed for the BOS Gantry along the Up line,
crossing over at Points 147 to come to a stand on Points 160, alongside a rake of (hot) empty torpedo
ladles and, for safety reasons, well short of the hot metal pouring pits at BOS Reception.

The loco leading, we headed for the Rod Mill, on the western edge of the Scunthorpe site, taking the
right hand road then the left hand side of the loop. Reversal was close to entrance Door RM14 and, on
our return, we took the other sides of loop and double track, as well as running up to the entrance
door 'Caparo Gate 7' of the Liberty (formerly Caparo) Bar Mill. With also covering the short siding
opposite, this area was fully 'inked in' for first time visitors. The tour propelled back out over Bridge 44
onto the perimeter line, anticlockwise round the corner on the left hand (inner) track with flanges
squealing. Down the hill, we diverged left towards the BOS Scrap Bay, always an entertaining visit.

Internal yard wagon 8107 was noted parked very neatly (and with an immaculate coat of paint) at the
side of the BOS Approach Road (of the tarmacked variety) but, off the rails, perpendicular to and some
distance from the railway! This could have been a 'gate guardian' but seemed more likely to be a less
planned state of affairs. We took the 'Scrap Main' line and, after crossing the second roadway very
cautiously, without having to clear the flangeways, visited the entrances to first the left hand and then
right hand Scrap Bay unloading lines, before escaping through the 'Scrap Loop' line. The view from the
right hand entrance gave a very welcome look along the full length of the bay, which was full of scrap,
and each unloading line had a good complement of yard wagons present. It was very good to see the
internal movement of scrap in these vehicles to be in an apparently good state of health. Indeed, the
short 'East Bank' siding here contained three particularly smart yard (ie internal) wagons; these may
have been cripples but could equally have been in use for a very short distance flow of scrap from the
scrap burning area, where it is cut up, into the Scrap Bay. The other line not traversed here was the
Dead End Road, occupied by a rake of bogie internals loaded with long length scrap.

No1 pulled us out onto the perimeter line again and we continued our anticlockwise circuit, passing
Caster 5 where some of the aforementioned old plate mill wagons had been loaded with blooms.
As ever, we found the 'New Loop' on the south side of the Slab Stockyard full of wagons (main line
type being loaded with slabs). The other north side loading line, traversed earlier (you have to do them
when you can), was now also full of external wagons being loaded with slabs. We continued propelling
around the perimeter again via the Welfare Loop and soon found ourselves back at Mills Exchange
Sidings. On our approach, 8.702 was busy shunting a rake of empty internal flats and, in a most
unusual piece of Groundhog Day theatre, we took the same Road 10 through Mills Exchange Sidings.

We continued propelling north along the left hand (inner) perimeter line to Anchor Exchange Sidings
up to the NR boundary along Road 5, returning the same way to Brick Shed Jn. A second traversal of
the (quite full) sidings took us along Road 13 to the NR boundary beyond Points 475 before returning

along Road 15. Roads 11 & 14 held sets of main line BBA wagons loaded with outbound slabs, while a
set of MBA 'monster box' wagons was probably bringing in imported slag for local distribution.
This complete, we were unexpectedly hauled back south along the (now left hand) outer perimeter
line, crossing to the right hand line at Points 447, just before Mills Exchange Sidings. Why? Read on…

There now followed, for your correspondent at least, the highlight of the day. After waiting a little
while for 8.702 to move out of the way, No1 pulled us forward and coupled up to a rake of eight bogie
internals stabled on Road 13, heavily loaded with sections bound for stocking at Redbourn. Showing
the very significant capabilities of the Rolls-Royce twin engined design, the loco put its 440hp to good
use and hauled the set out while propelling the brakevans (also well loaded with 56 members).
We continued in this format, the loco absolutely flat out and sounding superb even from the far van,
north up the inner perimeter. Then it was round 'The Angle', over Dawes Lane into Redbourn sidings
where, after just under 1½ miles we came to a stand just short of Points 590. Here, 8.702, which had
followed us at a safe distance, coupled up to the rear, our train dropped off the front and ran ahead
towards 'C' Sidings; then the Di8 propelled the loaded train into dead end siding B1 for unloading.

This was a great example of the fantastic surprises that pop up our Scunthorpe tours. The move was
entirely 'real' - using our Janus to head the train, avoided waiting for a second Di8 to become available
to 'top & tail'. The AFRPS team could 'give something back' to British Steel. As well as being fascinating
and educational, it was an extremely rare opportunity to witness and listen to a Rolls-Royce engined
Janus approaching its 60th birthday, flat out and 'doing its stuff' on a big load, as it was designed to.

We made our way back out to … Dawes Lane bridge and, after reversing, propelled around the north
side of the demolished Plate Mill site, the northern part now been repurposed as a container terminal.
Three former plate mill 57xx bogie wagons were still in the siding labelled 'Pig Caster Stay Road'.

We ran into Road 8 at the northeast end of the Heavy Repair Bay and found it occupied, as often the
case, on this occasion by a set of four yard wagons. The nearest of these (2078) contained the cut up
remains of a 55XX bogie internal reduced to furnace sized pieces, as parts of the steel industry put it so
eloquently. With a bit of time still available, these were shunted out of the way to enable the line to
be traversed almost to the door, producing a lot of smiles all round. With the yard wagons replaced,
plate mill wagons blocking Road 7 and cold torpedo ladles blocking Roads 4 & 3 (there is always next
time), we quickly visited Roads 5 & 6 before propelling back towards Frodingham platform through
Barclay's [Bank] Loop, the main line containing more yard wagons and some former plate mill wagons.

However, this was not the end of our tour and, having passed Points 503, we stopped and reversed.
With the loco leading, we headed round to the opposite southwest end of the Heavy Repair Bay which
presented a sorry sight. The area was littered with non-operational locos. Di8 8.718 minus bogies and
cab was sitting on a bogie internal and a bogie-less and part dismantled Hunslet No76 was perched on
and between two former casting car translator bogies. Di8s 820 and 8.716, parked behind Janus No51,
seemed to have been temporarily relieved of spare parts. Di8 8.703 and High Line loco No1 appeared
to be spare on the Wash Road, with the heavily rebuilt Hunslet No30 also present here on its bogies.
We visited as much of each of Roads 1 to 5 as possible, in most cases nearly reaching the bay doors.

The final diversion was an ascent of the heavily tree encroached single track up to the CEW (Central
Engineering Workshops) Dock where, after reversal, we found two yard wagons stabled. It wasn't
possible to shunt these out of the way to reach the actual end of line without taking them down to the
bottom of the hill. It was good to see this very traditional internal obscure scrap loading point in use.

With that, it remained just to descend the incline, return to Frodingham platform and the tour was
over. It had been an excellent day with lots of interest and weather that had been quite kind to us.
Those who keep track of these things reported that the tour included 99 reversals (but no setbacks)!
Although we hadn't encountered much rail traffic moving, as it is easy for working locos to keep out of
sight on such a vast 100 mile system, we still saw three Di8s working Concast and Mills traffic (and two
spare at the Mills) plus four different Hunslets on the torpedo ladles. Not bad for an industrial railway
in 2022. Although we didn't encounter it, Janus 93 was reportedly regularly used on internal scrap
traffic in yard wagons Mondays to Fridays.

All that remains is, as ever, to thank our Society and the AFRPS teams for continuing to organise and
successfully deliver these fascinating railtours, and British Steel for accommodating them. To any
member who still hasn't partaken, you should. [The plan is to continue run these quite unique twice a
year, while we can, provided there is sufficient support from members - next one Sun 27 Aug - PAS.]

:Details must be checked 1415 CONNECTIONS (Paul Stewart) [email protected] .Please mention BLN.

163] Trên Bach y Llan, The Little Train to Llan Ffestiniog
Chris Jones; hardback, 27.5 x 20.5cm, 208 pages Lightmoor
Press. 'A History of the Festiniog & Blaenau Railway (F&BR)
The Area and its Community'. This is the latest in a series
of high quality publications relating to railway and local
history in the top left corner of Wales. The author, Chris
Jones, may already be familiar to some as the co-author -
with Peter Dennis - of Little Giants, a detailed study of the
Ffestiniog Railway's (FR) George England engines and their
origin. He is also a keen F&WHR archivist and volunteer.
The narrow gauge F&BR opened in 1868. It ran only 3½
miles from the village of Llan Ffestiniog to a junction with
the FR at Dolgarregddu (Blaenau Ffestiniog). It mainly took
quarrymen to and from work in the Blaenau quarries and
transported slate from Graig Ddu Quarry, the one large
quarry not previously connected to the FR. Interestingly,
the F&BR prospectus also made mention of tourist traffic,
only three years after the FR started passenger services.

The F&BR was considered by many of its contemporaries as a branch of the FR, which wasn't averse
to profiting from it but it was always an independent concern. Enmity between the FR and F&BR
resulted in the formation of the Merionethshire Railway Co in 1871 by some original F&BR board
members, as competition for the FR. This led to construction of the standard gauge Bala & Festiniog
Railway and eventually conversion of the F&BR to standard gauge by the GWR in 1883. It helped
(with the slightly earlier L&NWR Conwy Valley branch) to break the FR slate traffic monopoly from
Blaenau. The first part of the book deals with the history of the F&BR from inception to closure and
gauge conversion, set against the history of the Ffestiniog area and its personalities. The second
part has detailed appendices of the design, layout and operation of the railway, its two Manning
Wardle locos, passenger and goods stock, track, signalling and the transporter wagons provided by
the GWR to avoid transhipment of slate at Manod. As with Little Giants, Chris Jones's style is clear
and readable. There are high quality historical photos and plans; many have not (as far as I'm aware)
previously appeared in print. There are also striking 3D digital reconstructions of the locos and scale
drawings of locos and carriages, which will delight modellers. With a foreword in Welsh and English
and fully indexed, this book maintains the high standard of publication set by Little Giants, which
will hopefully be followed by other railway books in future. Worth £35 for the quality - Bob Zeepvat.



164] Appeal: The Colonel Stephens Society is looking to make contact with Rye & Camber Tramway
enthusiasts who would be interested in working with them to set up a Rye & Camber Tramway Group.
This could lead to the Tramway route being revitalised with new signage along the trackbed from Rye
towards … Camber. It could also result in guided walks which would bring in other interested parties to
the area increasing visitor numbers. Anyone who remembers this line (which closed in 1939) or who
has an interest in offering their expertise and knowledge to this proposal can they please contact Dana
Wiffen who is Colonel Stephen's Publicity Officer [email protected] or post via your BLN Editor.

CONTACT DETAILS: A full two page directory is provided with this BLN - please save for future use.

●Editor: Paul Stewart [email protected] 4 Clarence Close, MALVERN, WR14 3HX 01684 562862 07790 652351.

●Printed by Willow Printing & Design Ltd [email protected] 75/79 Back Cross Lane, NEWTON-LE-WILLOWS,

WA12 9YE 01925 222449. ●Published by the Branch Line Society, 10 Sandringham Rd, STOKE GIFFORD, BS34 8NP.