BELOW: (Item MR74) A well marked boundary! Statfold Barn Railway boundary
markers alongside the Mease Valley Light Railway. (Ian Mitchell, 19 Mar 2023.)
BELOW: (Item MR77) Bentley Miniature Railway; Class 67 'Charlotte' r NEXT: Llangollen Railway; Class 104 DMU 50454+50528 alongside Carrog sta
rests in at Bentley Central station Platform 1. (Peter Scott, 1 Apr 2023.) ation building (for sale), looking towards Corwen. (Peter Scott, 19 Mar 2019.)
MR72] Telford Town Tramway, Shropshire (MR p32) (BLN 1409.MR187): This 2ft gauge 220yd steam powered tramway is owned and operated by the Telford Steam Railway. The Railway has launched an appeal to raise funds, which will return the steam tram to use. It last ran in 2019 after its vertical boiler was condemned and now funding is needed to replace this as well as give much needed attention to the matching coach. The tram was built by Alan Keef Ltd in 1979 and originally ran in Telford Town Park before moving to the Railway in 1984. There are two main strands of work which the monies raised are needed for. The first of these (estimated to cost £20,000) is the construction of a new vertical boiler, which will have to be contracted out as the Railway are unable to do this on site. After this is completed the second stage (estimated cost £5,000) would see the boiler being fitted to the steam tram and then both the engine and coach would need to be renovated to return them to a serviceable condition. Currently the only operational steam tram engine in the UK is 'Lucie', at the North Yorkshire Moors Railway. Donations to the appeal can be made at: https://bit.ly/3ooVnoa Anyone who donates will become a supporter of the Telford Steam Tram, receive regular updates on how restoration is progressing and also news about when it is running again. (British Trams Online). MR73] Evesham Vale Light Railway, Worcestershire (MR p26) (BLN 1175.MR237): Our correspondent visited this 15" gauge railway on a damp Sunday 26 March, arriving by GWR at Evesham station, a 1½ mile walk. There is a reasonable footpath up the road from the station except the final section around two roundabouts. As usual, the railway was running half hourly, with a journey lasting about fourteen minutes that permits two train operation on gala days - the only day that Platform 2 is used. Motive power in steam was 0-4-2T 'Monty' (Exmoor Steam Railway 300 of 1996 and once named 'Markeaton Lady') with coaches 1, 8 and 7. Coach No 2 was spare under the canopy. Also outside were 4wDM 'Cromwell' (RH452280/1960), R H Lister number JGF 4 'Sludge' with the three open air coaches 3, 4 & 5 (covered for the winter) - peeping out of the shed was N o 3 0-6-2T 'Dougal' (SL 1970). Their other steam locomotive, 0-4-0TT 'St Edwin' (Exmoor Steam Railway 312/2003), was not visible. Ticketing is simple - our correspondent was pleased to see that they only sell Edmondson style tickets, which he was told have been numbered since they started - of five types: adult or child singles and returns plus complimentary. The 1¼ mile railway is for sale as a going concern at £325,000 as the owners wish to retire. It is set in the 130 acre privately owned Evesham Country Park at Twyford north of Evesham. The Railway was built in 2002 by Jim & Helen Shackell, the current owners bought it in 2012. It carries about 48,000 passengers a year with a turnover of £175,000 and provides a transport function around the Country Park, stopping at Evesham Vale station, where there is a play fort and picnic area with an adventure golf course opening this year. Current operation is weekends and local school holidays - 170 days a year. A group of enthusiastic volunteers help with all aspects of operation and maintenance. The main assets are one steam and one diesel locomotive, five closed and three semi-open coaches, plus all equipment on site required to run a successful narrow gauge railway. All equipment is in very good condition and is well maintained. Country Park owners Eagle One Ltd will provide a minimum 10 year lease on the main buildings and track, about a third of which has been replaced with new rail in the last few years. Expressions of interest/queries by email to Adrian Corke: [email protected] MR74] Mease Valley Light Railway, Staffordshire (MR p24) (BLN 1422.MR67) Alongside the newly laid 12¼" gauge railway at Statfold Barn (latest track plan on a PDF with e-BLN 1422), there is an amazing collection of railway boundary markers (our correspondent counted 77 in all) from all over the UK. MR75] Castle Hill Cliff Railway, Shropshire (MR p34) (BLN 1420.MR43): Repairs to the wall were to start on Monday 27 March. Following closure of the railway at noon on 21 December 2022, 14 out of the 16 staff were made redundant. Since then, Bridgnorth Town Council has been ascertaining who is responsible for the wall in a bid to ensure repair work can begin (and who pays). Earlier in March an application was made to Shropshire Council to close Castle Terrace at the top of the railway to allow repair work to commence. Clare Turner, Town Clerk of Bridgnorth Town Council has said: After an extensive review of the various leases in relation to the relevant areas at the Cliff Railway, as well as investigations by a specialist engineering company and land surveyor, our legal advisors have notified the Cliff Railway's operator of the Council's intentions regarding the retaining wall. She added it would not be appropriate to go into detail at this stage. The works will begin with scaffolding being erected.
MR76] Hayling Light Railway, Hampshire (MR p18) (BLN 1395.MR35): On 19 February the railway announced that, to start its 20th anniversary celebrations (it opened on 5 July 2003), a new locomotive - steam outline 4wDH AK11 - will join their locomotive fleet of 'Jack', 'Egwin' & 'Alan B'. It was built by Alan Keef Ltd, as works number 11 in 1984. The locomotive was supplied to Thorpe Park along with sister loco AK12 to operate the theme park's Treasure Island Railway from 1984. After it closed in 1992, AK11 was kept at Thorpe Park as a maintenance and rescue loco for the then newer Canada Creek Railway (CCR - opened 1989; closed 2011). With works underway for the theme park's brand new rollercoaster codenamed 'Project Exodus', Thorpe Park generously donated AK11 to the Hayling Light Railway. Currently, AK11 is back at Alan Keef Ltd being completely rebuilt and it is hoped to welcome it to the railway later this year. (The three steam outline locos built for the CCR and its rolling stock were retained on site, unused since its closure. They have also been moved to Alan Keef Ltd.) MR77] Bentley Miniature Railway, East Sussex - new Apr 2023 track plan at: http://bit.ly/3nQQlk2 - (MR p16) (BLN 1410.MR192): A visit was made to this 7¼" gauge railway on Saturday 1 April - the first running day of the 2023 season - and our two visiting members were the only passengers on the first train! In use was battery electric 67027 'Charlotte' with a set of four sit-in coaches. The fare was £2 for which a titled roll ticket was issued. The friendly volunteers on site explained the history of the railway and showed the visitors around the extensive sheds. The new layout mentioned in BLN1410.MR192 at Glyndebourne Wood Junction was successfully covered - the signalling here is fully automatic. On the first pass of Glyndebourne Wood station the train ran through Platform 2, while on return from Bentley East, it ran through Platform 1. A good visit to an interesting railway, on a dull if dry day. MR78] Llangollen Railway, Denbighshire (MR p9): The railway has announced that the extension to Corwen is to open on Thursday 1 June 2023. At Carrog the station house, ticket office with central booking room, café and most of the Up platform (to Llangollen) is for sale at £400,000. Facilities at the station have previously been leased to the railway for some years. Cavendish Estate Agents of Ruthin is marketing the three bedroom house. The station house with ticket office dating from c1865 had been purchased some years earlier as a private dwelling and has been in the current ownership for over 30 years. The owner leases the platform, tearoom, central booking hall and ticket office to the railway on an annual seasonal basis, usually from March until the Christmas and New Year period. MR79] Elsecar Steam Railway, South Yorkshire: An IRS member reports on a 13 March 2023 site visit. Standing next to the level crossing was 4wDH 'Elizabeth' (TH138C/1964) with brake van 68499 'Exeter' behind it. These are on a short length of track with rubble piled behind. All track in the rest of the yard has been lifted. Standing beside the security fence is the burnt out remains of a standard gauge wagon - now a chassis only. Alongside is the small wooden narrow gauge tub standing on a short length of track. All other locomotives and items of rolling stock have gone but the loco shed still stands intact. Next door at the Heritage Centre, the white tub and the green pump wagon were both seen. MR80] Nene Valley Railway, Cambridgeshire (MR p8): The railway has been awarded a £669,873 grant from the Arts Council England Cultural Investment Fund, via the Department of Media Culture & Sport. It is intended to use the funds to undertake three major projects - relaying worn out track in Wansford Tunnel, repairing the road and railway at Wansford Level Crossing and relaying Wansford Yard. The work is planned to start later this year and continue until mid-2025. :Details must be checked 1423 CONNECTIONS (Paul Stewart) [email protected] .Please mention BLN. 1191] Query Corner: On Sat 11 May 1985 a derailment north of Watford Junction blocked all the lines. The 09.35 Euston to Inverness ('The Clansman') was diverted via South West Sidings and Banbury to Birmingham; does anyone know which loco/s worked it between Euston and New Street please? 1192] :Railcard holders are you paying too much?: 16-25, 26-30, Senior, HM Forces, Disabled and Veterans Railcards (only) can be added to an Oyster card for a 34% discount on journeys (including local trains, buses, trams and the Underground) in London; this applies to the daily cap too. Take your Railcard and your Oyster to a staff member at an Underground/TfL station; the discount expires with your Railcard but can be re-added. Never use bank/credit cards if you have one of these Railcards!!
1193] Ecclesbourne Valley Railway: For information, due to a landslip, trains have been unable to reach Duffield station since 2 Apr. Some trains run to 'Holloway Road' on the outskirts of Duffield (no alighting or joining) but it is only possible to board trains at the other three stations on the line. 1194] Irish Rail Trekker Ticket: Only €88 now (about £78) after being held at €110 since 2014! Four consecutive days of unlimited Irish Rail travel. Includes 'Enterprise' services to Dundalk and Dublin Area Rapid Transit. From main ticket offices only. It is possible to cover the network at Baker level in four days. The Irish Explorer, 5 days of unlimited Irish Rail travel in 15 consecutive days, is now €128 Adult, Child €64 (was €160 Adult €80 Child). The advice is not to base yourself in Dublin (which is expensive) due to the main train service pattern being to Dublin in the morning, out in the evening. 1195] Rovers Return: Members will be delighted to know that from 31 Mar, all Northern Ticket Vending Machines sell the full range of Rover and Ranger tickets for the whole country, including Wayfarer and Concessionary Wayfarer tickets, even for Nexus (unless anyone knows otherwise!). It follows a 4-week trial at 10 stations from 22 Feb, which concluded successfully. Initially they can only be purchased valid from the purchase date but they are working on postdating Rovers and Rangers. 1196] 12-14 May; Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway, Annual Cotswold Festival of Steam: Includes Goods Train brakevan rides at Toddington (with footplate rides) and Cheltenham Racecourse. At Gotherington station the private station grounds will be open, with many railway artefacts and DIY pump trolley rides over the standard gauge line on the former goods yard site. The 2ft gauge, 600yd Toddington Narrow Gauge Railway (MR p17) is due to be running. See: http://bit.ly/3lWcYTz 1197] 27-29 May; Kent & East Sussex Railway: Attractions at each station and unusual motive power. Includes a shuttle (from Bodiam) over the very rare PSUL section west of Northiam to Junction Road (last public train 25 May 2015) devegetated and fettled especially. https://bit.ly/3mQQiVm has details. 1198] Colonel Stephens and His Railmotors: Brian Janes & Ross Shimmon, Lightmoor Press, hardback; 136 pages 21cm x 21cm; £22.50. A revised edition for the 150th Anniversary of Holman Stephens' birth in 2018. It covers the time when Colonel Stephens used internal combustion and other railmotors to try and save money when funds were low and competition was growing. Some of the Colonel's lines experimented with this form of economical rail passenger service but didn't use it. However, the Weston, Cleveland & Portishead, Shropshire & Montgomeryshire (S&MR) and Kent & East Sussex Railways, along with the Selsey Tramway, relied on these vehicles to maintain services during the financially lean period in the 1920s and 1930s. This form of transport was innovative but rather uncomfortable, often noisy and sometimes came with petrol fumes. Railmotors had character, now admired by many enthusiasts. Sadly there are no preserved examples of the various models that ran then (a chapter details the different types). A wonderful replica Ford Railmotor is at The Colonel Stephens Museum at Tenterden station, under a special built cover near to the museum entrance. This is a book of importance, particularly to those who like something different, as it details a short unique period in railway history. It is well worth adding to your collection, as is visiting the Museum to see the Replica Ford Railmotor that might one day run again. The museum also has preserved Loco 'Gazelle', said to be the smallest loco to have run on standard gauge rails; Chapter One in this book also covers this tiny loco, with full details and photos of it running on the S&MR. (Dana Wiffen)
1199] Keep Adrian Shooter's Darjeeling Locomotive 19B in the UK! BLN 1422.1069 reported on the 21 Jun Auction of Adrian's collection. This is the only distinctive blue Darjeeling Himalayan Railway 'B' Class 2ft gauge tank engines to have left India. One of four built by Sharp Stewart, Glasgow in 1889, it was rescued from America by Adrian Shooter and returned to operating condition at Tyseley in 2003. Now approaching its 10-year boiler overhaul it is still operational with its original Lowmoor Iron boiler, said to be the oldest working locomotive boiler in the world. The Darjeeling Tank Locomotive Trust has been set up by the engine's support crew who have cared for and operated it for 20 years. Their aim is to acquire and run the loco based at Statfold Barn where there are suitable facilities and a long running line. The trustees are also keen to visit other 2ft gauge lines with '19B', as Adrian used to. To achieve this a registered Charitable Incorporated Organisation has been set up to own and manage the engine and has already raised a substantial sum but funds of £180,000 are still urgently needed. The business plan is to request interest free loans, ideally of £10,000, to be repaid over five years or immediately if the Trust is unsuccessful at auction. Covenants of £25 per month by Standing Order for five years are sought to repay the loans, maintain and run '19B' - if bidding is unsuccessful, then these will not be actioned. Donations would be welcome, of course and can be Gift Aided to increase their value (donors of large amounts can become Patrons). If the bidding is unsuccessful at auction, all money will be returned in full. The team behind all this are meeting the costs out of their own pockets. Please see https://www.darjeelingtank.org.uk/ for more details, photos, to support this worthy cause, sign up for news and see the benefits of becoming involved (which include footplate rides). 1200] Erwood Station Café & Craft Centre: (BLN 1422.1071 photos in e-BLN) Llandeilo Graban, Builth, LD2 3SJ. Open 09.30-17.00 seven days a week. Re-established in 2023, displaying modern works by Welsh artists, there is a recommended café with railway artefacts at this remote rural former station. 01982 560555; see: https://www.facebook.com/ErwoodStationCraftCentreEst2023/about 1201] Auction of Railway Experiences; closes Thur 4 May 19.00: https://bit.ly/40jBCvw Supporting RBF and includes many money can't buy items which could interest members. ●Conducted visit for two by Pete Waterman of his model railway and private railway collection. ●Blea Moor signal box and walk over Ribblehead Viaduct. ●Forth Railway Bridge visit for, naturally, four. ●NR's New Measurement Train (yellow HST) day trip for six. ●GBRf Liverpool to Drax Power Station cab ride. ●Elizabeth line cab ride for two (rare track possible). ●Old Oak Common HS2 station (14 platforms) site tour for up to 12. ●Stockport signal box visit for two. ●Mersey pumping station visit for four. ●Walk under the River Mersey, James Street to Hamilton Square (four people). ●Ordsall Chord/ Manchester Viaduct, visit for four, said to be the world's first asymmetrical rail bridge. ●Runcorn Railway Bridge visit for four. ●Manchester ROC and signalling simulator, guided tour for four people. ●A day at the West Midlands Signalling Centre (four people), the signalling simulator and Emergency Intervention Unit. See how technology is improving, including monitoring the railway with drones. ●ScotRail driver simulator for two. ●ScotRail cab ride on the Highland Main Line. ●Barrow Hill Roundhouse, access all areas (for four). ●Alstom Derby Litchurch Lane conducted tour for four and ride the test track (TRACKmaps 4 p11D 2022). ●Drive a London Routemaster Bus. ●A private tour in Lord Hendy's Routemaster (for up to 63 people!). ●Elizabeth line, Romford Tunnelling & Underground Construction Academy. ●Elizabeth line Control Room & Simulator for four. ●Additional items will be added, so check back. Reports and photos of any of these experiences welcome for BLN please. 1202] Sat 12 Aug 11.00-16.30; Richmond Light Railway: (MR p19) (BLN 1314.MR197) Richmond Farm, Hawkenbury, TN12 0EE, (TQ 809 462). Tickets are now on sale for the annual public rides and charity ('Riding for the Disabled') steam fair at this 2ft gauge 730yd line. At least four steam plus various internal combustion engines, steam traction engines, portables and vintage tractors in operation in the demonstration field, weather permitting. The station café will serve a selection of homemade food and drink, including local award winning BEARDspoon cider! Search 'TicketSource Richmond Charity Steam fair 2023' (no pay on the day); Adult (16+) £15; Child (5-15) £10 plus booking fee; U5 Free. ●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.