FEATURES

CHURNET VALLEY WINNERS!
The best entries from the recent Churnet Valley Railway photographic contest, sponsored by Heritage Railway.

NEWS FOCUS SPECIAL: THE DUKE OF CREWE
Its restoration is widely regarded as the greatest miracle achieved in the steam preservation business. Its performance in its first session of main line running was staggering. No 71000 Duke of Gloucester is now well into its second stint on the main line and the past few months have shown that its magic is still working. If anything, this time round it is even better than before. Perhaps many years too late, Duke of Gloucester is demonstrating that the last 8P Pacific to emerge from Crewe Works really was the pinnacle of British steam locomotive design, writes Britain Sharpe, in a special feature to mark the locomotive’s centre-stage appearance at the biggest event of the preservation year, the Heritage Railway-sponsored Great Gathering at Crewe on 10-11 September.

STEAM’S ENDLESS SUMMER
Despite the fact that most people today travel to their UK holiday destinations by car, there is still very much a place in the 21st century for the seaside branch line, as the West Somerset Railway has so often shown. In words and pictures, long-time supporter Don Bishop looks at this classic branch, which is still carrying holidaymakers today and which has potential to do even more for its local economy in years to come.

WIN YOUR OWN LIVE STEAM FLYING SCOTSMAN!
Market-leading model-maker Hornby is set to launch its latest venture into 00-scale live steam, in the form of none other than Flying Scotsman itself! Enter our special competition held to coincide with the appearance of No 4472 at the Crewe Works open weekends, and a complete set could be yours!

NEWS FOCUS SPECIAL: A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S STEAM!
Will a new quarter-roundhouse and servicing shop, which the Birmingham Railway Museum Trust plans to build at Stratford-upon-Avon, not only enhance the ‘Shakespeare Express’ trips to and from Birmingham, but become the centre-piece of Britain’s main line steam charter market in years to come? Robin Jones reports.

INDUSTRIAL SCENE: STEAMING BACK TO PORT PENRHYN
The roots of a major plan to revive one of the legendary lost great narrow gauge lines of north Wales, the freight-only Penrhyn Railway, have been sown. Not only has trackbed been bought but a steam locomotive has arrived on the scene, and the line is all set to revive the fortunes of the slate quarrying locality it once served, as a major tourist attraction, writes Robin Jones.

THE CHANGEOVER YEARS: IRISH STEAM FINALE
Modern traction came early to Ireland, a land with little coal, and with even the narrow gauge lines converted to diesel, the railways of Eire saw little steam after 1960. Yet, as late as 1970, a Derby-built 2-6-4T could still haul a passenger train on Ulster’s drastically reduced railway system. The Changeover Years in Ireland were long and complicated. Jeff Colledge unravels the story.

NEW GENERATION LINES: TESTING TIMES FOR WIRKSWORTH REVIVAL
The Wirksworth branch was the Midland Railway’s line to nowhere, and could so easily have closed half-a-century ago, but for its limestone traffic and use as a test track for pioneering forms of traction designed and built at the great Derby Works. Revived as the Ecclesbourne Valley Railway, it is the role of the branch as a secret testbed that is spearheading its drive to become one of Britain’s top heritage lines. Neil Ferguson-Lee reports on how modern-day business MyTestTrack.com is keeping alive a tradition of testing on the line that has continued for more than a century.

REGULARS

HEADLINE NEWS
York bomb alert holds up Scotsman; Swanage deal for main line link struck; LBSCR ‘Terrier’ Martello resteamed at Bressingham following overhaul; steam to return to Derbyshire cement works; AC Electric Group secures two Class 86s; replica Tattoo debuts on Corris passenger services and Alan Pegler donates his No 4472 scrapbook to National Railway Museum.

NEWS: THE WIDEST COVERAGE OF THE UK PRESERVATION SCENE
Bittern aims for Santa specials; Romney trains halted as preservation mourns Suzanne Martin; FM Rail in charter operators’ buy-out bids; first new parts for A1 Tornado boiler and tender unveiled; Britain’s ‘earliest’ turntables discovered in Devon; Great Central finances improved under previous regime despite £600k ‘paper’ loss; sale may bring heritage trains to Long Marston branch; Bluebell Maunsell U set for autumn debut; Waverley Route track laid in a day; ‘grudge’ attacks endanger Giant’s Causeway trains; action from the Isle of Man’s July summer heritage weekend; Heritage Railway Association official jailed for six months over prison escape; Rhondda group restarts Bridgend Valleys project; Hackworth letter reclaims credit from Rocket builder; track deal boosts Welsh Highland push - from the south; Amberley museum adds standard gauge line; directors claims that GCR bridge ‘could be used for Leicester extension’, young Oswestry volunteers buy their first locomotive; and heritage line planned for Workington Corus steelworks.

THE GREAT GATHERING AT CREWE WORKS
Full details of ticket prices and admission for preservation’s BIG ‘must visit’ event of the year, sponsored by Heritage Railway, on 10-11 September.
MAIN LINE NEWS compiled by Cedric Johns
Union of South Africa returns for ‘Torbay Express’; Flying Scotsman misses more ‘Ride the Legend’ Scarborough trips; King held four hours in ‘Torbay Express’ failure; blown plug stops Duke en route to Weymouth; ‘Lizzie’ to move south for ‘Cathedrals Express’ trips; Harry Potter magic leads to first Saturday ‘Jacobite’ extra trips, and Green Arrow out for at least the rest of the year.
MAIN LINE TOUR ITINERARY
Brian Sharpe’s guide to steam and heritage modern traction tours.

PLATFORM
The pages where your views matter the most!

SUBSCRIPTIONS
How you can get Britain’s top preservation news magazine before the rest!

THE YOUNGER VIEW
Gareth Evans meets younger Spa Valley volunteers.

DAVID MORGAN MBE - the man you can’t ignore
New red tape governing safety regulation of railways contains hidden costs and wide-sweeping implications for preserved lines, argues Heritage Railway Association chairman David Morgan.

UP AND RUNNING
Brian Sharpe’s listing of operational standard, narrow and minimum gauge lines with dates of special events, details of driver training courses and locomotives in operation.

NEXT ISSUE