1344

PS Shed Lines 3 & 4 were traversed; Line 4 is the clear one ahead. (Chris Z.)

BELOW: Below Queen Victoria Blast Furnance; both lines were done and en

nd just round the corner; a hot metal suit is needed to enter! (Chris Ziemer.)

BELOW: On the middle line of the BOS Plant itself, looking towards the en

nd of line; left is the hot torpedo queue (empties this end). (Chris Ziemer.)

BELOW: Passing Appleby Coke Ovens (right with its branch) just as some
but you should see how they make the Pepsi. Left

e burning coal is being quenched in a coke car - it is just steam, honestly,
t is Redbourn Container Terminal. (Chris Ziemer.)

BELOW: A line that everyone was very keen to do; the new through line and
the entrance to the former Bloom & Billet Mill ahead. It has turned int

its loop (right). The junction (Points 319) with the existing line is just before
to a remarkably sunny day for the first week in January. (Chris Ziemer.)

BELOW: Trent Yard Siding No9 with the main line on the right (Scunthorp

pe is to the left and Cleethorpes off to the right). (Chris Ziemer and next.)

BELOW: Where are all the wagons? Mills Exchange Sidings; 15 is full but 11-14

4 (here) were covered as were 6, 8, 9 & 10. The Foreign Ore Branch is behind.

ABOVE: Just before entering Rail Service Centre No5 Bay. The klaxon warning system has been
activated hence the green light left of the triangular train sign on the building. A bit of 'impossible
track' is to the left and left of that at the front is AFRPS member and accredited shunter-in-chief, Alan
Sheppard our member, Scunthorpe expert and route director. (Simon Mortimer.)

:Details must be checked 1344 CONNECTIONS (Paul Stewart) [email protected] .Please mention BLN.

337] Sheffield Tram Train 'After 8' Rover [and now just before]: (BLN 1343.190) This £2 unlimited
Tram Train and Supertram evening ticket is now valid on the 19.59 from Parkgate. It can also be used
on Supertram Rail replacement services (but no other buses). The promotion ends 2 May. Passengers
can only buy it from Tram Train conductors when boarding at Parkgate or Rotherham Central stops.

338] Scunthorpe Steelworks AFRPS: ●Steam Hauled Brakevan Tours, Sats 25 Jan, 22 Feb, 21 Mar
and 18 Apr; 11.00-15.00. ●Steam Hauled (DMU) Coaches with toilets (young children permitted):
Sats 2, 16, 30 May; 6, 20, 27 Jun; 4, 18, 25 Jul; 1, 15, 29 Aug; 5 & 12 Sep; 13.00-15.30. A 15 mile
railtour, learn about steel making with an onboard commentary, visit the AFRPS shed, buffet coach
& souvenir shop. These can be combined with summer brakevan trips on Sats 30 May, 27 Jun,
15 Aug & 5 Sep 16.30-18.30. Min age 10 years for brakevan trips, no train toilets. Frodingham
Platform, Brigg Road, Scunthorpe, DN16 1TS, with free parking, just 15 min walk from Scunthorpe
station. No fixed fares, please be generous with donations to support the AFRPS volunteers in their
work. Must be booked via Brigg Tourist Information: [email protected] 01652 657053.

339] Chiltern Railways £5 (£3.30 with Railcards) Single Advance Tickets: http://bit.ly/2ZVNC8X
Marylebone to Moor Street/Oxford etc but not available between Aylesbury Vale Parkway and
London Marylebone or intermediately. Book by 3 Feb (but may sell out before) for travel until 5 Apr.

340] T&W Metro: (BLN 1320.61) Tue 14 Jan ITV 19.30 to 20.00 (all areas, watched by 2.6M people) &
three more weekly episodes; available for a month on http://bit.ly/2sreRff ITV 'Catch Up'. A positive
realistic Fly on the wall documentary, but do we agree that it's the largest (UK) Metro outside London?

341] Keighley & Worth Valley Railway NR connection, Sat 22 Feb: Steam-hauled with 'Bahamas' from
Oxenhope (08.15/20.25) via the K&WVR main line connection and Appleby to Carlisle (12.55/15.30).
Return from Keighley on a K&WVR steam train back in the evening. First Class £149 with refreshments;
Standard £79; http://bit.ly/2Ty5JRe has details and to choose seats or 01535 645214 (£3.50 fee).

342] Sat 7 Mar, The Hacienda: Swindon 05.30/22.25, Kemble, Stroud, Cheltenham, Bromsgrove,
New Street & Stafford 08.35/19.20. Our member Ian Loveday has written the specification for this
loco-hauled Pathfinder tour to Manchester. It visits various waste and stone terminals, some never
visited before and we are informed it will be the final chance to visit at least one terminal. So this
trip is not to be missed; there will not be a re-run! A good number of rare loops are also included.
http://bit.ly/30sNuxW has full details and to book or  01453 834477. There is the opportunity to
do this tour, then travel to London to join our Devonian Crompton tour next day (BLN 1341.2891)

X.17] Greater Anglia Hare Fares: (March as well!) LEFT: Zoned
Off-Peak Day Returns are available to purchase from 20 Jan to
9 Feb for travel between 21 Jan and 5 Apr. Zone 1 is Liverpool
Street to Cambridge via Bishops Stortford and to Chelmsford
and Southend Victoria. Zone 3 includes Cambridge again,
Ipswich and everything north. Zone 2, on the east side, is
between Zone 1 and Zone 3 and includes Colchester/Clacton
etc. Cambridge is in Zone 1 and Zone 3. Any one zone is £10
Off-Peak Day Return; any two zones is £15 and all three zones
are £20 - for a specific journey (for example Sheringham to
Liverpool Street £20 - but would be £15 if you could travel via
Cambridge!). Available from/to any Greater Anglia station on
Greater Anglia Website only in limited numbers. No time
restrictions at weekends or Bank Holidays. For more details
and to book see: http://bit.ly/3awZMdg

343] And now for something completely different, Angola 1 - 18
Jul: The Locomotive Club of Great Britain is offering an
enthusiasts tour with travel by service passenger train over most
of the Benguela Railway in Angola, from Lobito to Luena
(976km). The Lobito to Benguela coastal section will by a charter
of CFB's 1930s restored Vintage Train. On the CF Moçamedes
travel is by service train over the highly scenic line between
Lubango and the coast at Namibe. There will be a short journey
on the suburban section of the CF Luanda. Visits to the
workshops of all three railways (CFL, CFB and CFM) are planned
and also to the majority of known plinthed and surviving
dumped steam locos. For the full itinerary, email or write with an
SAE (A5 size) to Geoff [email protected] or by
post at 40A Elsley Road, Tilehurst, Reading, RG31 6RP.

344] Irish Rail Trekker Ticket: Only €110 (about £94), as since 2014; four consecutive days of unlimited
Irish Rail travel. Includes 'Enterprise' services to Dundalk and Dublin Area Rapid Transit. From ticket
offices only. It is possible to cover all the network at Baker level in four days. Also Irish Explorer: 5 days
of unlimited Irish Rail travel in 15 consecutive days: €160 Adult, €80 Child. The advice is not to base
yourself in Dublin due to the main train service pattern (to Dublin in the morning, out in the evening).

345] West Midlands Day Ranger: One day of unlimited train travel centred on Birmingham radiating
to: Crewe, Alsager, Kidsgrove, Stoke-on-Trent, the Hixon route, Rugeley TV, Lichfield TV, Tamworth,
Nuneaton, Northampton, Leamington Spa, Stratford-upon-Avon, Redditch, Bromsgrove, Worcester
Shrub Hill, Hereford, Kidderminster, Stourbridge Town, Shrewsbury, Gobowen, Penkridge, Stafford,
Stone or direct to Crewe. Not valid Crewe to Gobowen or Shrewsbury to Hereford directly. Any train
weekends/Bank Holidays, otherwise after 09.00. Great value: Adult £27.30; Child £13.65; Railcard
£18; (buy on the day) at any staffed station, even outside the area, or train conductors for unstaffed
stations. For comparison just Birmingham to Crewe Off-Peak Day return is £29.20; Railcard £19.30.

346] Statfold Barn Railway (MR p24): (SK 241 064) Statfold Barn Farm, Ashby Rd, Tamworth, B79 0BU.
An incredible 2ft gauge three mile private railway with a tramway and a very well stocked museum.
Sats 21 Mar & 13 Jun 09.00-16.00: 'Original' style Enthusiasts Days, many locos operating. Includes
opening of the new workshop, storage areas (not normally open to the public) open, the boiler shop
and engineering departments. Driver for a fiver, Burton & Ashby Tram operating. Food and drink
available and an all day bar. In advance see website: Adult £13; Child 10-14 £8; Family (2A & 2C) £35;

Carers free with proof. On the day: £15; £10, £40 & free
respectively. There are also many other public events this
year as this expanding location diversifies.

Giant Miniature Weekend Fri 8 (VE Day Bank Holiday) -
Sun 10 May: 100+ miniature engines from across the UK in
steam, operating alongside steam trains on the 2ft gauge
Statfold line and Tramway with ex-Burton & Ashby Tramcar
No14. Trains also run for the Peppa Pig, 1940s, Statfold Barn
Festival and Road & Rail weekends - see website.

347] :WANTED PLEASE!: The Holcombe Brook Branch, by
CA Cowan, A Branch Line Society Publication: The Society
published this 32 page illustrated booklet with maps in July
1965 at 4s 6d (=22½p). Your Editor remembers when we
had some left. Our local member Dr John Hampson has a
particular interest in the branch and would like to buy a
copy, or at least look at one. If you can help please email
[email protected] or via BLN Editor (below).

348] Time for the Tyne Tunnel: After a six year closure for refurbishment the historical Grade II listed
Tyne Tunnels (built in 1951 at a cost of £833K) are open again, one for pedestrians and the other for
cyclists (part of National Cycle Network Routes 14 & 72) seven days a week 06.00 to 20.00. Access is
via new vertical glass sided lifts each end. When constructed the 200ft wooden step escalators were
the longest in the world. They are just west of the A19 tunnels between Howdon (NE28 OPD) in the
north (NZ 3289 6615) and Jarrow (NE32 3PS) in the south (NZ 3295 6577) with free admission.

●Bookings: Mark Gomm [email protected] 84 Mornington Rd, STOKE-on-TRENT, ST1 6EL. 07983 541887.
●Fixtures: Kev Adlam :POSTAL CORRESPONDENCE C/O THE EDITOR BELOW: [email protected] @BLSGeneralSec
●Iain Scotchman (Sweden May 2020): [email protected] 102 Shenfield Place, SHENFIELD, CM15 9AJ.
●Tom Gilby (Kent June): [email protected] 69 Regent St, BARWELL, Leicester, LE9 8GY.
●Paul Griffin (Germany June): [email protected] School Bell Mews, Church Lane, Stoneleigh, COVENTRY, CV8 3ZZ.
●Sales Officer: Graeme Jolley [email protected] Dolbryn, Penegoes, MACHYNLLETH, SY20 8NN. 07484 646542.
●Paper BLN Problems & Membership Secretary: Lisa Sheppard [email protected] 186 Anlaby Park Road
..South, HULL, HU4 7BU. Text or Phone: 07873354464 (note this phone is mostly turned off when at work.)
●MAPS: By permission of the National Library of Scotland http://maps.nls.uk/index.html
●Editor: Paul Stewart [email protected] 4 Clarence Close, MALVERN, WR14 3HX. 01684562862 07790652351.
●General Secretary: Tim Wallis [email protected] 10 Sandringham Rd, Stoke Gifford, BS34 8NP.
●Published by the Branch Line Society, 10 Sandringham Rd, Stoke Gifford, BS34 8NP. ISSN 1354-0947.