BELOW: The original station building at Bearsden is now used as a pub
b/restaurant. The present station building is to the left. (4 Aug 2023)
2033] Milngavie: The Glasgow & Milngavie Junction Railway (G&MJR) OA 20 Apr 1863 from Milngavie Jn (now Westerton Jn) to Milngavie. Trains, worked by the Edinburgh & Glasgow Railway, ran from Glasgow Queen Street, calling at Maryhill and Bearsden. The junction station at Westerton did not OP until 1 Aug 1913. The G&MJR issued a notice dated 6 Apr 1863 saying that the line would be open from Mon 10th , but that must have been a misprint, as 10 Apr was a Friday. An 18 Apr Glasgow Herald report confirmed the 20 Apr opening. The G&MJR was vested in the North British Railway on 28 Jul 1873. Milngavie had a long established textile and dye industry but the principal cotton mill was converted to make paper in 1870. Known as Ellangowan Mill, in 1887 it was extended and modernised, probably about this time that a branch opened to it. (LEFT: 2½'' map 1958, top left) That diverged westwards just south of Milngavie station and ran north for about half a mile. Ellangowan Mill closed in 1959, but the branch did not CG until 29 Jul 1964. It is unlikely there was any traffic after the mill closed. Part of the southern end of the trackbed is now used by Ellangowan Road, which passes below Douglas St overbridge. The bridge deck is modern but the masonry abutments appear to be the railway ones. A footpath runs along the north end of the line. This is the southern end of the West Highland Way, which is a well used walking route from Milngavie to Fort William. Another goods branch, south of Milngavie station, served Burnbrae Dye Works (map bottom centre). The junction originally faced Bearsden but was altered, probably on 14 Apr 1900, when the branch was doubled. The original curve off the branch (trackbed shown on map bottom right corner) was replaced by a north facing one; the track then ran alongside on the west side of the main line to a connection just south of Milngavie station. That avoided the need for a signal box or ground frame where the branch diverged. The Dye Works closed in 1926 and the branch became disused. The Dye Works branch was used by George Bennie for a demonstration length of an overhead line. This was a suspended monorail, with a stabilising rail below. A passenger car, known as the Railplane, was driven by a propeller at each end, powered by electric motors. The railway structure was built by Teesside Bridge & Engineering Co and the Railplane by William Beardmore & Co. Bennie envisaged that Railplanes could run above conventional railways, to provide express passenger services. The Railplane was demonstrated to the great and the good on 8 Jul 1930 but, with a track length of less than quarter of a mile, no great speed was possible. Nobody was prepared to fund the project and Bennie was declared bankrupt in 1937. The Railplane and its track were scrapped in 1956. The London & North Eastern Railway issued a poster of the Railplane in a Highland landscape; a reproduction is displayed at Milngavie station. There is a commemorative plaque by the roadside near the site of the
Dye Works. https://tinyurl.com/yjwjp7tk has Pathé News film of the Railplane. This shows a goods train stood on the branch, probably posed specially, because there was no regular traffic then. The branch may have been used to deliver material for construction of the Railplane line. It was still listed in the 1956 Hand-Book of Stations but some 1950 photos show the track heavily overgrown. The official closure date is unknown. Allander Leisure Centre is built over the site of the south facing curve from the Dye Works branch. The alignment of the north facing curve is heavily overgrown. Most of the trackbed is occupied by a builders' merchant, Kelvin Timber. One of their buildings is the railway goods shed used for handling the Dye Works traffic. The railway attracted housing development in Milngavie and Bearsden, which became popular with affluent businessmen. For most of the time, the prevailing wind kept smoke and other pollution from Glasgow industries away from the area. The level of traffic resulted in the line being doubled from 14 Apr 1900 and a new station at Hillfoot OP 1 May 1900. The opening of the Knightswood North Jn to Knightswood South Jn curve on 1 Aug 1886 allowed trains to be diverted from the congested high level station at Glasgow Queen Street via the low level platforms on the Glasgow City & District Railway. By 1922 there was just one morning peak train from Milngavie to Queen Street high level via Maryhill. Milngavie trains mostly ran to and from Bridgeton. Electric services (Blue Trains) were formally inaugurated on Sat 5 Nov 1960 and the weekday timetable operated on Sun 6 th as a final rehearsal. The normal electric service started next day but had to be withdrawn from 18 Nov 1960 due to technical problems and did not resume until 1 Oct 1961, after modifications to the trains. Since, Milngavie has been served mainly by trains to/from Springburn. The branch was closed from 23 until 30 Jul 1989 to be singled from Westerton to Bearsden and from Hillfoot to Milngavie, with double track at all three stations. This was not a problem with a half-hourly off peak service but from 12 Dec 2005 there were four trains an hour all day, running alternately to High Street and Motherwell or Lanark. It required a high degree of punctuality to operate effectively. From 12 Dec 2010 Milngavie had a half-hourly service to and from Edinburgh via Bathgate, which was difficult to run reliably. Trains had to negotiate the congested approaches to Edinburgh, the heavily used double track through Partick and the flat junction at Hyndland before reaching the single track sections of the Milngavie branch. The third platform at Milngavie had been abolished about 1983. The two remaining platforms were extended in 2020, to accommodate two trains each, giving greater timetable flexibility. The off-peak Edinburgh service was withdrawn in the Covid timetable cuts and Milngavie has returned to having half-hourly trains mostly to Springburn but Motherwell in the evening and on Sundays. Some peak services run to and from Airdrie, Bathgate or Edinburgh. The original station buildings remain at Milngavie and Bearsden, though only the former is still in railway use. The building at Bearsden was converted into a pub/restaurant in 1988 and a small, modern booking office is adjacent. The original buildings at Hillfoot were demolished when the line was electrified but the replacement lasted only until 1990. Now there are just waiting shelters. 2034] Beattock: On Sun 13 Aug the 18.10 Manchester Airport to Edinburgh (397005) failed between Beattock Summit and Elvanfoot. Single line working was established on the Up line between Abington and Beattock Summit. Northbound trains making this move were 17.20 Euston to Glasgow, which was used to evacuate passengers from the failed train, and the 18.29 and 19.27 Euston to Glasgow. 2035] Footbridges: (BLN 1429.1818) Planning permission has been granted for the new footbridges with lifts at Nairn and Kingussie. At Nairn it will be towards the east end of the station, away from the station building. That at Kingussie is west of the station building. It is a planning condition in both cases that the old footbridges remain in place until electrification requires their removal/relocation. 2036] Strathbungo: (BLNs 1419.MR40 & 1427.1638) The new footbridge opened to the public on 18 Aug. 2037] Glasgow: Shields Road overbridge, which spans the Ayr and City Union lines east of Shields Jn, is being rebuilt, to remove a longstanding weight restriction. The road is closed to vehicular traffic for about a year from 28 Aug 2023. There will be three weekend possessions of the railway in 2024. Extensive work to divert utilities is necessary before the old structure can be demolished.
BELOW: (Item 2035) Nairn, looking towards Inverness, the additional step free
e footbridge will be where the photographer is. (Greg Beecroft, 23 Jul 2019.)
BELOW: (Item 2035) Kingussie, looking towards Inverness showing the presewith lifts will be roughly where the photographer is. Interestingly the yellow presumably significantly more people join southbound trains to Edinburgh
ent footbridge by the level crossing. Again the additional new step free one tactile studs were only provided on the Up platform then (now both sides), h/Glasgow etc than join northbound trains. (Greg Beecroft, 5 Nov 2019.)
[BLN 1BELOW: (Item 2038) The 2' 3'' gauge, six mile Campbeltown & Mac
1431] chrihanish Light Railway in 1926 - Argyll Colliery is labelled (left).
BELOW: (item 2038) The path along the former railway cutting at
t Campbeltown. (All Greg Beecroft, first three on 27 Sep 2015.)
BELOW & NEXT: In the other direction, the main running line
e trackbed in Campbeltown looking towards Machrihanish.
BELOW: A model of Campbeltown Hall Street passenger terminus and run rou
nd loop in the Heritage Centre on 15 Aug 2023. NEXT: Another model there…
BELOW: 25'' to the mile map of Campbeltown, 1914 revision, published 1921. The passenger line ends at 'Terminus' top left of centre, it runs southwest alongside Hall Street - note the run round loop. The 'NEW QUAY' branch, for coal exports, also with a loop, runs northeast to the top right corner. Bottom left in the triangle was actually the loco & carriage sheds, the coal 'depôt' was at the end of the branch from the northern corner of the triangle - see text. Machrihanish was off bottom left.
2038] Campbeltown: Campbeltown Heritage Centre is in a former church in Big Kiln Street, near the town centre. Exhibits include a model of Campbeltown Harbour, featuring the terminus of the 2' 3'' gauge six mile long Campbeltown & Machrihanish Light Railway in Hall Street. Locomotive 'Chevalier' is depicted running round carriage N o 1. 'Chevalier' was an 0-4-0 saddle tank built by Andrew Barclay in 1883 and not normally used on passenger trains. The carriage was one of four built by R Y Pickering & Co for the start of passenger services in 1906. The row of shops includes the railway's office, to the left. The café to the right is still open. Also shown, behind the carriage, is the Campbeltown Picture House. It opened in 1913 and was one of the first purpose built cinemas in Scotland. It is still used as such, operated by a charity, Campbeltown Community Business Ltd. The Heritage Centre also has a model of 0-6-2 side tank locomotive 'Argyll', built by Andrew Barclay in 1906. https://maps.nls.uk/view/82866012 (1914 map) shows the railway at Campbeltown. The line to the passenger terminus at Hall Street (harbour) can be seen, together with the branch onto New Quay; both had run round loops. The latter was used for transferring coal to ships from the Machrihanish Coalfield, one of the smallest in the UK. The site within the railway triangle marked 'Coal Depot' was actually the engine and carriage sheds. The coal depôt was at the end of the branch, next to the Gaelic Church. A path along the former trackbed through the cutting up from the shore is all that remains of the railway in Campbeltown. The site of the railway triangle is put to a rather different transport use, as a helicopter landing pad, mainly for hospital transfers. Houses occupy the site of the coal depot. 2039] Levenmouth branch: (BLN 1430.1931) Track laying to Leven was completed on Fri 25 Aug, when Transport Minister Fiona Hyslop drove in the final Pandrol clip. 2040] Ayr: (BLN 1428.1669) South Ayrshire Council has published a further option review (92 pages), by W S Atkins, to help decide the future of Ayr Station Hotel. This considers in more detail retention and refurbishment of the hotel building plus the options in the Feb 2021 review shortlist which were: New station building, with a business centre and retail in the retained south wing of the hotel. New station building, with a community facility and retail in the retained clock tower. New station building, travel interchange and public realm. The third option, which involves demolition of the entire hotel building, is said to be the only viable solution. Network Rail has agreed to pay half of the cost of scaffolding and encapsulating the hotel building, previously met entirely by the Council, and is considering designs for a new station and transport interchange. A PDF copy of the WS Atkins report is circulated with e-BLN. 2041] Timetable Changes: The 10 Dec timetable sees all-day Cathcart Circle services reinstated SuX. Trains run hourly in each direction but timed to provide an approximately half-hourly service between Glasgow Central and Cathcart, in addition to the Neilston trains. This also gives an approximately half hourly service, instead of hourly (to/from Newton), at stations via Maxwell Park and more regularly spaced trains via Queens Park. Despite electrification, Barrhead local terminating services remain hourly but Kilmarnock stopping services continue to call intermediately to give two trains an hour. ….. ……. 1431 WALES & THE MARCHES (Chris Parker) [email protected] 2042] Cambrian Coast: From Thu 10 Aug the main tourist services, 10.55 from Machynlleth and 15.37 from Pwllheli have operated with 2 x 2-car Class 158 sets SSuX dependent on sufficient trains being available across the network, which there evidently were not on Fri 11 Aug! With that caveat, this is to continue throughout the remaining (unspecified) summer period. It is achieved by running the usual 4-car Birmingham International formations through to/from Pwllheli instead of dividing/joining them at Machynlleth; the Aberystwyth line has a separate connecting shuttle. At Pwllheli one unit lays over from 13.13 until 15.37. While an innovation for TfW, Arriva Trains Wales often ran these services with much less fuss as 6-car (3 x 2) formations east of Machynlleth (Saturdays one set was the through Aberystwyth portion). This last occurred as recently as 2017, yet reinstating 4-car trains on the Coast line has required: Platform improvement, lengthening and tactile paving installation at Barmouth. Installation of 4-car stop markers at 22 stations with short platforms (most of them!). Alterations to staff and stock rosters with revised working methods. Site visits with the level crossing team. Full engagement with the trade unions. Updated fleet maintenance plans.
2043] Waun-gron Park: (BLN 1429.1826) Up P2 TCP after the 16.45 Coryton to Radyr service called on Tue 15 Aug. The structural supports at its Down (south) end where it extends over Waungron (sic) Rd underbridge had been declared unsafe; whether these are part of the recent Metro extension work is unknown. Installation of temporary propping was to entail closure of the road beneath and ROP was not expected until around 1 Sep. The Down platform was unaffected. Rail tickets were accepted on local scheduled Cardiff Bus routes and passengers in the Up direction were advised to travel via Radyr. 2044] Llandudno Jn - Blaenau Ffestiniog: (BLN 1428.1686) The branch is due to be blocked from end of service on Sat 13 Apr until start of service on Sun 21 Apr 2024, for drainage work between 10m 32ch (65ch north of North Llanrwst) and 14m 07ch (75ch north of Betws-y-Coed). Despite the large amount of similar work already undertaken on this section recently, the work required is said to be much more extensive than originally thought; the possession has had to be extended from the Mon to Fri of that period. Badgers are innocent of all charges on this occasion; their activities were 7ch further north! 2045] Tŷ Croes get the hump: (3,902 passengers in 2021-22) This was on the itinerary of the UK Rail Minister Huw Merriman on 7 Aug, when visiting Anglesey with the island's MP Virginia Crosbie (but without Robin Hood). Constituents, through the local councillor, had raised the issue of accessibility problems for passengers of limited mobility due to the low platforms at Tŷ Croes. Portable ramps are provided but conductors do not always assist in their use; neighbouring residents often do so instead. Mr Merriman promised: we will provide a construction solution by spring 2024 which will see a part of the platform brought up to allow for level boarding. This £1M investment presumably consists of a pair of 'Harrington Humps' as elsewhere e.g. Yorton (BLN 1365.3406). The press release claims that the low platform height was originally to assist in loading and unloading market cattle (hence why cattle low?). However, that platform height would have been fairly standard until long after the station OP in 1848 and the 1922 OS map https://bit.ly/3KGc077 clearly shows cattle pens in the goods yard! Of interest, the crossing gates are still hand worked by the crossing keeper - the Grade II listed gate box was once a block post but no longer works as such (the block section now runs between Gaerwen and Valley). The Minister also met representatives of various organisations interested in reutilising the Amlwch branch, not necessarily as a railway, with which the local MP has long been involved (BLN 1368.137). 2046]North Wales Transport Commission:TfW describes this as an independent panel…established in Mar 2022 to assess the problems, opportunities, challenges and objectives for realising a sustainable, integrated and multi-modal transport system in North Wales. In Jun 2023 it published an Interim Report https://bit.ly/3KrgRJe which, from a quick perusal, contains nothing earth shattering and little we haven't heard before. In fact, it is realistic with an almost refreshing lack of pipe dreams: The Commission has heard the case for reintroducing the railway line between Amlwch and the North Wales Main Line and between the Cambrian Coast Line near Criccieth [to the west at Afon Wen] and the North Wales Main Line at Bangor [to the southwest at Menai Bridge]. While the Commission acknowledges that new railway lines in these locations could be attractive to residents, the Commission is not persuaded that these interventions are the most effective use of public funds at this time. More urgent improvements to existing lines and services should take a higher priority. 2047] South Wales Metro: (BLN 1430.1946) By 16 Aug OHLE masts were appearing at Trehafod on the Treherbert line during its extended closure. Drainage works are planned at that station for 3 months (!) from 26 Aug. Between 13 and 20 Aug, the masts at Cwmbach (at least) on the Aberdare line were wired. On 23 Aug a large lorry was unloading very large precast concrete slabs at Cardiff Bay, which looked like they might be for the top of the new platform. Much ground clearance has taken place beyond the end of the present platform and also around the new Butetown stop site. There is no gain without pain, according to comments from a Merthyr resident, which make interesting comparison with BLN 1430.1941: The promise of NO closures outside of night work was a lie. The bus replacement fiasco has been hell and it was no fun using them, half the time a minibus, or people left behind, or not turning up. What gets me is the delays now, they rarely apologise at all for the current trains. 10 mins late, no problem, yet that could be the difference in a missed connection!
2048] Aberthaw & Rhoose - Lime, Cement, Power Generation and the Railway: This new book by Brian P Mills, published by The Welsh Railways Research Circle has 104 A4 pages and laminated covers. It is described as a comprehensive examination of the various works, their quarries, the adjacent power stations and of course the extensive railway infrastructure, both main line and industrial, which served them over the years. It is extensively illustrated with colour photographs, many taken by the author, and includes appendices listing the numerous standard and narrow gauge locomotives which served the various works. £26.95 (WRRC members £20) plus £4 P&P via WRRC website/booksellers. 2049] Llandrindod: (BLN 1430.1941) The local press reported that the booking office franchise reopened on Fri 2 Jul after staffing issues were resolved. A previous manager, Kelsham Hanna, retired in Dec 2021, after nearly 20 years. The business then closed until Feb 2022 when a new staff member ran it for 12 months, before leaving for other employment. TfW then 'recruited' the latest incumbent, presumably in the same way that the Post Office recruits self employed sub-postmasters/mistresses. The announcement received over 300 'likes' on the local Facebook pages and the newspaper describes it as a crucial service for 'countless' Powys rail users and Radnorshire (sic) commuters (!) - well, there is an early morning train to Shrewsbury but the office opens somewhat later! 40,672 passengers were recorded in 2018-19 and 18,152 in 2021-22. It is the only ticket office on the Central Wales line. 2050] Cwmbargoed: (BLN 1428.1680) Despite no appeal decision having been made, the Ffos-y-fran Opencast Mine Merthyr (South Wales) Ltd operator has submitted a closure date of Thu 30 Nov 2023 to the Welsh Government on completion of safety critical works to make the mine safe, suggesting coal extraction will end sometime earlier. There will be about 180 redundancies. The company said it was dealing with the human fallout from this sad announcement and would make no further comment. It is therefore unknown when rail traffic will end (there may be stockpiles to clear) but this obviously pre-empts the Heritage Railway Association's request for interested parties to support the appeal. As the last major such site in Britain, it has latterly been responsible for ⅔ of UK coal production. The site is the size of about 400 football pitches and, despite its apparent remoteness from many angles, parts are less than 50yd from the nearest houses, which provoked local protests from day one. 1431 MINOR RAILWAYS (Peter Scott) [email protected] MR166] Alford Valley Community Railway, Aberdeenshire (BLN 1416.MR13): This 2ft gauge railway reopened on Saturday 19 August 2023, a 'restricted soft opening'. It last ran on 30 September 2017 and the 1,500 yard railway has been brought back to life by a local community volunteer group supported by Aberdeenshire Council, Marr Area Partnership and Donside Community Council. Despite the soft opening the railway was so popular that extra trains had to be run. Their Facebook pages indicate that they run weekends until the end of September, 11.00 and hourly until 16.00 from Alford, returning from Haughton on the half hour until 16.30. Only one coach (about 35 passengers) is running at present but another will be added. Some special events are planned over the next few months. MR167] Wat Tyler Miniature Railway, Essex (MR p17) (BLN 1392.MR6): A Saturday 29 July 2023 visit found the 10¼" gauge line completely out of use. The track appeared to be fully intact but with brown rust fully on the rail heads. Parts of it were heavily overgrown. There was no sign of any recent work on the trackbed or track. The park website states that it is closed for the foreseeable future. Referring back to BLN 1392 it would seem the last trains probably ran in 2019 - possibly at the end of season in October, can anyone confirm please? (Running here was thought to be from April to October.) MR168] Heatherslaw Light Railway, Northumberland (MR p21) (BLN 1383.MR145): A return trip was made on this 15" gauge railway on Friday 11 August taking the 13.00 from Heatherslaw and the return 13.30 from Etal. Motive power was 2-6-0T+T 'Bunty' (Alan Keef 85R of 2010) with eight well filled coaches. The adult return fare was £9.50 for which a titled roll ticket was issued. The train service is hourly from 11.00 to 15.00 inclusive and the extra peak season trains once advertised do not appear to operate now. This means the midway passing loop is no longer used and former spring points are now set so the eastern most line is used (right hand when running north from Heatherslaw to Etal). https://bit.ly/45toreQ shows the railway layout on 11 Aug 2023 with its past iterations.
MR169] MINOR RAILWAYS - 35th EDITION - 2023 SUPPLEMENT No2 NEW ENTRIES 6 CHANNEL ISLANDS & SOUTHERN ENGLAND Tarka Valley Railway, Great Torrington, Devon 0.12 LSWR SS480198 07454 673809 (New line opened 05/08/23) 16 ESSEX Maldon Promenade Petting Zoo Safari Railway, Promenade Park, Maldon 7¼" O 130yds TL859065 ♠ 07487 547122 (New line opened 07/04/23) 20 LEICESTERSHIRE Quarry Bottom Railway, Mountsorrel & Rothley Community Heritage Centre, Rothley 2' O 140yds SK569142 ♠ 0116 237 4591 (New line opened 16/07/23) 30 MONMOUTHSHIRE Tintern Miniature Railway, The Old Station, Tintern 10¼" E 180yds SO537006 01291 689566 (New line opened 25/07/23) OTHER AMENDMENTS 19 Llangollen Railway Amend length to: 9.73 (Extension to Corwen opened 03/06/23) 17 Wat Tyler Miniature Railway Delete entry (Line out of use. Last ran c10/2019) 17 Barking Park Light Railway Delete entry (Line out of use. Last ran 09/2022) 17 Hampton & Kempton Waterworks Railway Amend to: 01932 212235 20 Melton Mowbray Miniature Railway Amend to: 07565 690125 21 Aln Valley Miniature Railway Amend length to: 165yds (Extension opened 22/07/23) 22 Melton Mowbray Model Engineers Amend length to: 400yds (Extension opened 21/05/23) 23 Clevedon Miniature Railway Delete entry (Line out of use. Last ran 2022) 24 Leek & Rudyard Railway Amend to: 01538 269948 26 Peatlands Park Railway Delete entry (Line out of use. Last ran 15/12/19) 27 Lullymore Heritage Railway Delete entry (Line out of use. Last ran 2019) 30 Wye Valley Railway Delete entry (Line closed at unknown date & lifted. Replaced by 10¼" gauge Tintern Miniature Railway) S1 Pallot Steam, Motor & General Museum Amend "Last ran" date for standard and narrow gauge lines to 08/09/18 ©Peter Scott August 2023 MR170] Clevedon Miniature Railway, Somerset (MR p23) (BLN 1384.MR164): A visit to this 15" gauge 900 yard railway on Tuesday 1 August found it closed. The rails were covered in heavy brown rust, with no sign of any recent usage. The line was fully overgrown with grass in places, although the track was intact and apparently undamaged. The station and associated signage was all in place (one advertising the fare as £2 for all persons). The shed was securely locked up. Clearly no trains had run for a while. Stabled near the station and shed was a coffee van, so our reporter asked the lady serving about the railway, when purchasing a drink. She said it hadn't run all year and the operator had had a falling out with the Council (North Somerset Council in this case). She went on to say the current lease was due to end this coming October and that local people were very disappointed it wasn't running - especially grandparents visiting with their grandchildren! She thought it had run last year (2022). Sadly, this railway must be considered closed. Any new operator would need to attend to the track and presumably acquire a new locomotive and stock. The railway definitely ran during the 2021 season, but reports of whether it ran during the 2022 season, and when, would be much appreciated. MR171] Summerlee Museum of Scottish Industrial Life, North Lanarkshire (MR p32): The standard gauge electric tramway here (BLN 1405.MR148) is currently out of use. Recent visitors have been met with a notice just inside the entrance saying that it is not running due to an 'electrical fault'. Museum staff state this has been the case since September 2022, although there is some footage on the Summerlee Transport Group Facebook page of Dusseldorf 392 running after overhaul, which was posted at the very start of October 2022. The Museum is owned by North Lanarkshire Council and they have been quoted in the railway press as saying that they aim to restore services as soon as possible.
MR172] Aln Valley Miniature Railway, Northumberland (MR p21) (BLN 1408.MR169): This 7¼" gauge railway operates at Lionheart station at the standard gauge Aln Valley Railway (MR p9). An extension to 165 yards opened on Saturday 22 July 2023 and takes the line to the rear of the stop blocks for Lionheart station Platform 2. A further extension is under construction to take the line down to the signal box. On Sunday 6 August trains started running as advertised at 11.30 and were composed of a small 'scamp' loco and two coaches. Trains were running on demand from Little Lionheart station over the new extension to the end of the line and returned non-stop through Little Lionheart using the non-platform passing loop and terminated outside the one road shed, before returning to the station. The only fare available is an all day ticket for £4.50, sold from the standard gauge ticket office. The credit card size ticket is collected on the first run and the passenger's hand stamped in return. https://bit.ly/45MQCoH is the updated 6 Aug 2023 plan (with the standard gauge Aln Valley Railway). MR173] Quarry Bottom Railway, Leicestershire (BLN 1397.MR54): This new 2ft gauge railway opened on Sunday 16 July 2023 at the Mountsorrel & Rothley Community Heritage Centre, based in a former quarry at Nunckley Hill, near Rothley. The short line is formed of a circuit of 140 yards, with one station called Quarry Bottom Halt. Motive power is 4wDM RH393325 of 1956, which hauls two open coaches. Admission to the site is £2 (£1 for those arriving on a standard gauge Mountsorrel branch DMU) and the fare for three circuits on the railway is also £2 (Under 15s £1). Th railway wasn't busy when visited on the morning of Monday 17 July, possibly not helped by the sign at the entrance having little slide boards, which can be changed to indicate what's operating and the one for the railway saying, 'Closed'. Asking at the café entrance our reporter was assured that it WAS running but it was noted later that no one had changed the board! The line was supposed to have opened on Saturday 15 July, apparently but various issues weren't resolved so it duly opened on Sunday 16th . It is due to run 10.30-15.30 on 2, 3, 9, 10, 16, 17, 23 & 24 Sep, with, on Saturday 2 September only, standard gauge steam cab rides (£10) and shunting demonstrations advertised also 10.30-15.30 (postponed from 19 August). MR174] Severn Valley Railway, Shropshire (MR p7): The Railway has announced that during its Autumn Steam Gala, between 14 & 17 September, for the first time in more than 40 years, Eardington Halt will feature as a stopping point throughout the four days of the event. This news has been warmly welcomed by the loyal band of volunteers that have looked after it over the decades. Local trains between Bridgnorth and Highley will make several stops each day at Eardington Halt, often referred to as the Railway's 'hidden gem'. Our last timetabled train stopped in 1982 and it's no exaggeration to say that it's a dream come true that we're back on the map again in 2023 said Eardington station master Steve Downs. Reaching this point hasn't been simple. The station volunteers have worked closely with the Office of Rail and Road as well as the Railway's Operations Department to make sure all the paperwork was in place. Steve Downs added We've had tremendous support from the Railway's management, who couldn't have done more to help us achieve this result. Visitors to Eardington can sample our world famous homemade cakes, and we'll have an historical display about the station, which is unique in being the only entirely oil powered station left in the UK. The full chronology of this station (with sources) is at: https://bit.ly/3ONIvBh (with trains that have stopped in the last 41 years). MR175] Border Union Railway, Scottish Borders (MR p10): On Saturday 5 August a visit was made to what must be one of the remotest minor railways - a short section of standard gauge track laid on the former North British Carlisle to Edinburgh 'Waverley Route' at Whitrope, south of Hawick. Operating, nominally hourly on the hour, was Pacer 142020. Passengers were few and the 14.00 did not run as no one was waiting for a ride. Trains run from Whitrope Siding (63m 50ch) north to 63m 29ch - close to the mouth of Whitrope Tunnel (1,205yd) and then return non-stop to pass just over the 'Golden Bridge' (63m 62ch) and stop at 63m 63ch to reverse. The line ends at 63m 65ch. The train then returns to Whitrope Siding platform - passing there before repeating the whole run and terminating at the platform from the south. The adult all day fare was £5 for which a pale yellow Edmondson card ticket was issued. As the 14.00 did not run, the kindly driver did a run past to allow photography of the unit. Also on site are 142019, operable and offered to the railway free, a sort of buy one get one free, single car unit RB004 (used for our 10 July 2015 visit - report BLN 1238.1314) and 26040 under restoration. https://bit.ly/3qPIlSe is Peter Scott's 4 Aug 2023 track plan (as always © and for personal use only).
BELOW: (Item MR168) Heatherslaw Light Railway; 'Bunty' at Etal station loo
oking towards the end of line and turntable. (Peter Scott, Fri 11 Aug 2023.)
BELOW: (Item MR 170) Clevedon Miniature Railway; Rusty and overgrown
rails. The shed and station area are visible. (Peter Scott, Tue 1 Aug 2023.)
BELOW: (Item MR173) Quarry Bottom Railway, this is Quarry Bottom Ha
alt, 85049 'Malcolm' - named after Malcolm Law, see plaque (next photo).
BELOW: Public opening was on Sun 16 Jul 2023. NEXT: A standard gauge
Wickham Trolley in the museum. (All Simon Mortimer, Mon 17 Jul 2023.)
BELOW: (Item MR175) Border Union Railway; towards Carlisle, Pacer 142020 is
s ready for its next working - but not to Dumfries! (Peter Scott, Sat 5 Aug 2023.)
BELOW: (Item MR177) Tintern Miniature Railway; the neat and tidy station -
- the signal box locking room acts as a shed. (Peter Scott, Sun 13 Aug 2023.)
BELOW: Tintern Miniature Railway, the sta
ation. (Stephen Phillips, Tue 15 Aug 2023.)
(Item MR176) Happy Mount Express; ABOVE: Morecambe where 'Health Abounds & Beauty Surrounds'. BELOW: Coin in the slot children's rides stored in the railway 'tunnel'. (Peter Zemroch, Fri 4 Aug 2023.)
MR176] Happy Mount Park Express, Lancashire (MR p19) (BLN 1430.MR 136): Happy Mount Park is a well kept area of greenery at the northeastern end of Morecambe Promenade and is owned by Lancaster City Council. The park is about half a mile from Bare Lane station and is also served by the hourly N o 5 bus; other routes pass nearby. The Morecambe Land Train also runs to the main gates on busier summer days. The site boasts a wide range of attractions including playgrounds, a splash park, adventure golf and a café to keep the whole family occupied throughout the day. These include the Happy Mount Express, a small 10¼" gauge railway which runs in a 200 yard anticlockwise loop around the eponymous play area. Our member visited in mid-afternoon on Friday 4 August and found trains departing from the single platform at frequent intervals. The fare for two circuits was £1.50 for all ages, entrance to the park itself being free. No tickets were issued. Two open 3-bay carriages were pulled by a 4-4wDH engine built by Northern Hydraulics in 2000, all resplendently painted in red and yellow. The line is a simple circle with no sidings, signals or points. It passes through a shed-cum-tunnel on the far side where a number of static coin operated animal themed rides are stored. Trains run from 10.00 throughout the summer, but operations are weather dependent. MR177] Tintern Miniature Railway, Monmouthshire: On 25 Jul 2023 this is a new 10¼" gauge railway opened, located at The Old Station, Tintern, on the former GWR Wye Valley line between Chepstow and Monmouth Troy, which closed to passengers 5 January 1959 and to goods on 6 January 1964. The new railway replaces the previous 5/7¼" gauge Wye Valley Railway (visited 4 Aug 2013 by our Society - report BLN 1192.355), which closed at an unknown date - but was still in-situ in February 2023 according to a You Tube clip. The new line has been nicely constructed with an unnamed proper brick built platform adjacent to Tintern signal box, whose base provides a handy two road shed with a traverser inside - accessed by a small door. The line then runs for 180 yards over the trackbed of the former 5/7¼" gauge line and terminates at a gate at the end of the car park (approximately where the earlier line changed from elevated to ground level). The 5/7¼" gauge line ran to the missing railway bridge over the River Wye and it is hoped to extend the new line to this point following work to the adjacent footpath. Motive power is a simple battery electric loco named 'Dawson' with two sit-in coaches (unsurprisingly numbered N o 1 & N o 2). The railway is operated by Monlife - the leisure services department of Monmouthshire County Council - who also run the entire site including the café in the former station building. Running during the summer school holiday was advertised as 11.00-12.30 & 13.30-15.30 daily. A visit was made on Sunday 13 August when the train started running promptly at 11.00 - the first run carrying two BLS members plus a small boy and his father. There were no further passengers until at least 12.15 when our reporter left the site. The fare was £1.50 for all - under 2s going free. An orange Edmondson ticket was issued by the driver before departure. The ticket is titled 'Tintern Miniature Railway' while the coaches are branded 'WVR'- presumably Wye Valley Railway. http://www.minorrailways.co.uk/trackplans/tintern.pdf shows the new railway and the area. 1431 FIXTURE REPORTS (Paul Stewart) [email protected] 2051] The Little Braxted Railway, Sun 9 Jul 2023: (MR p16) (BLN 1402.1464) As this 2ft gauge railway is located at Braxted Bakery (with a superb and very popular café), it really ought to appear in Baker! Public running only started on 4 Jun 2022, so 23 of our members had booked to attend. The normal passenger run is a circuit of 335yd but our tour did rather more, of course, at this very friendly railway. All the track was covered except for a new shed road section under construction (the points for it had been laid only the previous week). It will stable the coach recently acquired from the late Adrian Shooter's Beeches Light Railway and the Hen 0-4-0T steam loco Works N o 16045/1918, under restoration on site, when it is back in traffic. An initial full circuit was made using the 4w-DH Alan Keef works N o 18/1985 loco 09735 which looks very smart in British Rail corporate blue livery. It is not a British Rail Class '09' lookalike but owes its numbering to quick thinking when it was being painted and the owner could only think of his phone number when asked what number to use! Our train then reversed past Little Braxted station platform, which is on a branch off the circuit, to the goods shed and the loco shed going into both ends of line twice, to allow for a change of seats to reach the extremities. Next motive power was changed to Ruston Hornsby (RH) green livery Spoorijzer Delft
(4w-DM works N o 296111/1950) for a full circuit. To do the other siding off the circuit, a bit of gravity shunting was needed, and the 'Royal Daylight Paraffin' branded 4-w tank wagon was moved out of the way by 'people power' to allow the end of line to be reached. The RH loco, along with one coach, was then detached from the main train and run up and down the line until everyone had done this track. For those interested, rolling stock used on the day included all the coaches; they have three 4-w two compartment open coaches, one 4-w crossbench open coach and a Third Class end balcony bogie saloon, Scindia State Railway, ex-Beeches Light Railway (2011) plus a 4-wheel 4 ton brakevan. The Little Braxted Light Railway owner operator, Gary Howard and his helpers, could only be praised for all their efforts and it was good to see all our participants going to thank him personally for this. Hot drinks and biscuits were kindly included before the riding started, very welcome with participants travelling from far and wide as usual for our trips. (Some early arrivers, perhaps not reading the e-ticket advising of these complimentary refreshments, made their own purchases from the café.) It was a very good visit and we are very welcome to go back to in the future to do more track. (Thanks to member Gary Lonsdale for arranging this fixture and providing information for this report.) 2052] The Jolly Vacman, Sat 24 Jun 2023: By David Palmer. Skegness is So Bracing. So says the famous 'Jolly Fisherman' poster by John Hassall in 1908. With this in prospect - along with the chance to visit a line not travelled since 1986 - a booking on the Jolly Vacman seemed both appealing and appropriate! My first visit to Skegness was on the Fakenham & Dereham Railway Society's GN/GE Joint Farewell tour on 27 Nov 1982, which covered Spalding to March in both directions, plus the Sleaford and Lincoln avoiding lines, along with a trip to Skegness. This was the final day of the Spalding to March line plus the Lincoln avoiding line. My second visit was a 13 Sep 1986 day trip from my then home in West Hampstead, out via Grantham to join a Skegness to Leicester train, covering Barkston East Jn to Allington Jn, which was then a PSUL route. Both previous occasions had been 'track bashing', rather than taking too much notice of the railway history. My college chum and fellow railway enthusiast, Willie Custance, would wax lyrical about the loss of the railways in Lincolnshire through Woodhall Junction and Mablethorpe, all of which had closed by the time I met him. So, the Jolly Vacman was a good opportunity to update myself on the local railway history, helped of course by writing the itinerary [described by our FS as 'excellent']. The day was off to an inauspicious start, a delay of almost an hour leaving Derby due to an issue with 50008. Although the issue was worked-around during the day, this took a little while to be sorted out. However, the sun was shining, the sky was blue and the air conditioning worked, so we were happy. Before Nottingham at Mansfield Jn we made a beeline for P1; OK, 'B Line' in fact but it is not 'Line B'! Heading east from Nottingham on the former Midland Railway line gave a great opportunity to see what was left of the Great Northern Railway (GNR) infrastructure, prior to joining that Company's line at Netherfield, with remnants of the Cotgrave Colliery (sunk 1959-1962; production ceased in 1992) branch beyond, which had a triangular junction. The trackbed is now a foot and cyclepath. Evidence of the GNR and L&NWR Joint line was also visible at Saxondale Jn and Bottesford Jns, along with one of rather too many lines that 'got away' Bottesford to Newark, which somehow I never quite got around to doing. This was followed by a rerun - for me - of the Grantham avoiding line, on the way to Sleaford. Bizarrely, although the Down Relief Siding at Ancaster has been disconnected, the track remains with an ivy covered brakevan at the end. The massive, derelict Bass Maltings beyond Sleaford station, with its eight interconnected malt houses, looked rather forlorn in the summer sunshine, in marked contrast FROM TO LEAD MILES Derby P6 Boston north, single Line 50008 67m 07ch Long Eaton P1 59m 03ch Nottingham P1 51m 09ch Boston north, single line Dn Gainsborough Slow (Lincoln) 37418 38m 72ch Dn Gainsborough Slow (Lincoln) Peterborough Two Way Goods (TWG) 50008 55m 20ch P'borough TWG Skegness P4 37418 87m 16ch Skegness P5 Grantham P4 50008 93m 11ch Nottingham P6 22m 57ch Grantham P4 Long Eaton P2 37418 30m 48ch Derby P5 38m 55ch
to the rather smart windmill next to Heckington station. This claims to be the only windmill with eight sails in the world. We were now very much in Waterland Country (if you've not read Graham Swift's 1983 novel of the same name, I can strongly recommend it, for its references to both railways and beer), where the horizon seems to stretch into infinity over the flat landscape. This was emphasised once we joined the northern bank of the South Forty Foot Drain, on the way into Boston. Derby P6 - Long Eaton P1 - Beeston S Jn - Dn Nottingham Fast - Mansfield Jn - 'B' Line - Nottingham P1 - Allington W Jn - Allington N Jn - Sleaford P1 - Boston P2 - Boston north single line (rev) - Sleaford P2 - Sleaford W Jn - Sleaford N Jn - Lincoln P5 - Dn Gainsborough Slow (rev) - Lincoln Up Through - Sleaford N Jn - Sleaford S Jn (direct) - Glinton Jn - Werrington Diveunder - Up Stamford - Peterborough Two Way Gds (rev) - Dn Slow/Dn Stamford - Helpston Jn - Dn Slow - Grantham S Jn - Dn/Up Gds - Allington East Jn - Allington North Jn - Sleaford P1 - Skegness P4. Skegness P5 - Sleaford P3 - Sleaford W Jn - Sleaford N Jn - Lincoln P4 - Up Gainsborough Slow - Newark Crossing S Jn - Dn/Up Gds (Newark North Gate) - Claypole Up Passenger Lp - Grantham P4 (rev) - Allington W Jn - Nottingham P6 - Nottingham W Jn - 'D' Line - Up Nottingham Slow - Long Eaton P2 - Dn Main - Derby P5. (Thanks to Alan Sheppard & Martyn Brailsford.) Our train was scheduled to make two visits to Skegness. However, because of the initial delay, the first visit was truncated at Boston, where those who planned to spend most of the day in Skegness left the tour train to catch the following East Midlands Railway (EMR) service to Skegness, on which EMR kindly accepted our tour tickets. After a reversal just beyond the River Witham bridge, the rest of us returned to Sleaford for a run along the GN&GE Joint line to Lincoln, a line I had not travelled since 1982 and which has been much modernised recently to take some freight off the East Coast Main Line. With Lincoln Cathedral standing impressively on the aptly named 'Steep Hill' over the city, our train paused at the station, before reversing on the Up Gainsborough Slow line. The Up Through line was then traversed as we headed back along the Joint line to Spalding, via the Sleaford avoiding line. The once busy junctions (with six routes) at Spalding were quite hard to reconcile with the current, basic infrastructure, as we headed for one of the highlights for me, Werrington Diveunder. After a further reversal on the Two Way Goods line, alongside the platforms at Peterborough station, came another highlight. This was the electrified Down Slow/Down Stamford line, as we headed north to Grantham, bypassing that station on the Goods Line, on our journey to Boston for the second time. A small treat on the way was doing Sleaford P3, (we covered all three platforms during the day). Now running to time, we could progress past Boston (a line lucky to survive the 5 Oct 1970 massacre of railways in Lincolnshire), onto the very long, straight section of track from Boston to Firsby. Through the flat Lincolnshire countryside, it was once part of the London to Grimsby main line. Before Firsby, an abrupt turn of over 90o took us onto the more curvaceous Skegness branch, to the seaside in P4. I cannot visit a seaside town without going onto the beach, so a brisk walk through the streets took me onto the rather coarse sand of the Pleasure Beach, reasonably busy with families on a warm, sunny summer's day. Looking out to sea, beyond the pebbly foreshore, in the distance was the impressive Lincs Wind Farm, able to generate 270MW of electricity. However, being at the seaside also means fish and chips, so a prompt return was made to what was claimed to be the first fish and chip restaurant in the town for an early supper of freshly cooked fish, chips and mushy peas, which was delicious. Although Skegness station retains some of its once impressive infrastructure, with four platforms still available for use, controlled by a fine manual signal box, generally only P4 and P5 are used. So for some fellow participants, the sight of an EMR service in P3 was a cause for great excitement - and a reason for taking the service train back to Boston. The switch of this train to P3 was requested by the Fixtures Secretary so that some of our train, all shunted across to P5 in the break, could be tanked. With EMR services running late (and in some cases, very crowded), our train had a delayed start on its return to Sleaford and Lincoln, exacerbated by the single line sections (a British Rail economy) on the return to Sleaford. Then, from Lincoln, the route back to Derby was via Newark North Gate (but not Northgate!) Goods Loop, Claypole Up Passenger Loop and a final reversal at Grantham, all of which went to plan. A very enjoyable day on a tour completely in daylight and over £1,100 was raised for Railway Children through our raffle and buffet service. Thanks to all those involved in running the tour.
:Details must be checked 1431 CONNECTIONS (Paul Stewart) [email protected] .Please mention BLN . 2053] Gauges Galore: ISBN 978199944212 by our member, Bob Bond, (2023) paperback, 200 pages, 20.8 x 15.0cm, £13 including P&P. Bob has carried out an enormous amount of meticulous original research that he has presented in this publication which charts the complex railway developments that served the Hampton and Kempton Waterworks, once connected to the Shepperton branch. The book began as an article for the Hampton Kempton Waterworks Railway (at the Kempton Steam Museum) newsletter then grew and grew! As the title suggests, there have been no less than four different gauges of railway infrastructure serving the site and, after an introduction which sets the context, the history and development of the infrastructure is discussed. Initially, the Shepperton branch (originally The Thames Valley Railway) which was visited by our Wolf Hall Thunder tour on 11 Feb 2023, is covered, followed by the various internal systems, and finally the Metropolitan Waterworks Railway. The author has discovered a wealth of information about the construction and operation of these railways over their short lives, especially, financial material revealing a poor business case. The book is illustrated with numerous annotated photographs and maps (some are in colour), many of which have been sourced from the Kempton Steam Museum archive and have not previously been published. The text is fully referenced with much original information credited to the London Metropolitan Archive. It is a fascinating and very readable account of the rise and fall of the railways supporting an industrial ecosystem; we are fortunate that some of the site can still be visited. (John Hampson) From the Hampton Kempton Waterworks Railway website: This fascinating book charts the development of various railways in the Hampton and Kempton Waterworks sites in southwest London. It describes the rôle they played in supplying coal to the steam powered water pumping engines and the variety of railway gauges employed. The book also describes the unique Kempton Park Racecourse station and is illustrated with many fascinating photographs, maps, and drawings throughout. Bob Bond is to be congratulated for writing a history of these important but lost railways and their contribution in ensuring a clean water supply to London in the early part of the 20th century. We are also very grateful that all proceeds from the sale of the book will be donated towards HKWR's restoration project. (Colin Clode, Hampton Kempton Waterworks Railway Trustee.) The book received a TOP RATED review in Steam Railway Magazine issue 547 (21 Jul - 17 Aug 2023), which described it as the definitive history of the railways. It is available from the author, Bob Bond, for £13 including UK P&P via [email protected] or by post with your address and a cheque payee 'The Hampton & Kempton Waterworks Ltd' to: 26 Rectory Grove, Hampton, TW12 1AH. 2054] Sat 16 Sep; Forty Years of The South Tynedale Railway: (MR p14) It is 40 years since this 2ft gauge railway first ran public passenger trains from Alston station 1½ miles to Gilderdale Halt. It now extends 4½ miles to Slaggyford on the Haltwhistle to Alston branch trackbed (most of the rest of which is a great walk). With thanks to the railway, an e-BLN extra is about passenger opening on 30 Jul 1983 and the early days of the railway with plenty of photos. On Sat 16 Sep there is a special service with steam and as many locos out as possible to celebrate; booking via the website is advised. CONTACT DETAILS: On website Contacts page and a full BLN & Committee directory was provided with BLN 1415 ●Editor: Paul Stewart [email protected] 4 Clarence Close, MALVERN, WR14 3HX 01684 562862 07790 652351. Sales: Darren Garnon [email protected] 3 Reader Drive, Marden, Tonbridge, Kent, TN12 9FD. ●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.