FEATURES

38 PRESERVATION IN PERIL?
Two heritage lines, the Dartmoor and Weardale railways, have been offered for sale by their owner. One of England’s finest narrow gauge railways is fighting for its existence. A London railway museum opened in a fanfare of publicity by royalty two decades ago is being run down with closure seeming inevitable. Robin Jones asks – are these a handful of unfortunate cases, or are they manifestations of underlying trends which threaten the long-term survival of more preserved lines and heritage venues?

44 A FAIRBURN TANK ON THE GREAT CENTRAL
As exclusively revealed in Heritage Railway last month, one of the two surviving Fairburn tanks from the Lakeside & Haverthwaite has moved to the Great Central Railway for repairs – prior to which, it hauled service trains during the weekend of 21/22 June, reports Robin Jones.

52 BLACK PRINCE BACK FOR EAST SOMERSET 150
The undoubted highlight of the East Somerset Railway 150 gala of 21/22 June was the sight of a BR Standard 9F and a USATC S160 hauling loaded stone trains at nearby Merehead Quarry, writes Cedric Johns.

64 VIVE LA DIFFERENCE!
Steam preservation the other side of the Engish Channel differs in many ways from the UK scene. John Titlow gives an overview on present-day main line steam operations in France.

74 THREE DOWN, THREE TO GO
The end of June 1968 saw the last three steam sheds in Manchester close, leaving just the final three sheds in the Preston Division to keep steam alive for a further five weeks. Brian Sharpe continues the countdown as the story of the end of steam moves towards its finale.

80 DIESEL BASH KICKS OFF KEIGHLEY 40 CELEBRATIONS
Fortieth anniversary celebrations for the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway began on Thursday 5 June, with the naming of a locomotive in honour of the pioneer line prior to start of a successful three-day diesel gala.

86 THE LAST ENGINE CLEANERS ON BR: PART 2
Maurice Burns continues his reminiscences of the time when he and others did their best to ensure that at least some of BR’s last steam engines saw out their remaining few weeks of service in presentable external condition.


REGULARS

3 OPINION

6 HEADLINE NEWS
Scots Guardsman in ‘surprise’ main line test; Flying Scotsman restoration cost tops £1-million – and faces return delayed until 2010; volunteers stay at home as fuel costs soar, Glasgow museum pays £237,000 for railway painting and Tornado buffers up for historic August first move.

10 NEWS: THE WIDEST COVERAGE OF THE UK PRESERVATION SCENE
Llangollen group sells diesel fleet after fuel costs soar; West Somerset steam sidelined through worn rails; new build in focus at big Barrow Hill event; first sketch of world’s first passenger locomotive ‘rediscovered’ as replica finished on Severn Valley Railway; Prince Charles and Camilla ride from Kidderminster to Bridgnorth behind a King; slam-door EMU in network comeback bid; Polish steam ban threat lifted; Bristol Harbour engine ‘escapes’ to big Foxfield gala; computer expert leaves £260k to Cheddleton; Spa Valley in ‘Eridge by autumn’ push; Heritage Railway Association loses safety verification battle; North Norfolk Railway's Gresley Quad-Art set named after benefactor Alan Moore; Newton Heath railwaymen from 1968 in steam reunion; Pete Waterman's firm builds first heritage era new standard gauge tapered boiler; Government moves to widen National Collection scope, and four more ‘pirate’ USA dock tanks may be imported to Britain in Balkan steam ‘windfall.’

48 THE THIN RED LINE by David Wilcock
The ‘cat and mouse’ game over the eagerly-anticipated reappearance of Scots Guardsman on the main line, King Edward I banned from Penzance in latest gauging issue and Swanage’s M7 tank getting another year in BR livery plus aerial problems of the feathered kind on the 'Jacobite' are among the hot topics under discussion in preservation's liveliest column this month. 

54 MAIN LINE NEWS compiled by Cedric Johns
Storming comeback for A4 Sir Nigel Gresley; Duke of Gloucester fails again in South Devon; S15 nears main line return; B1 withdrawn for overhaul, troubled King Edward I still under repair, and Robert Falconer’s stunning centre spread of Nunney Castle passing Barrow Hill plus our regular column covering classic diesel and electric types still running over the network and where best to see them

62 MAIN LINE TOUR ITINERARY
Brian Sharpe’s guide to steam and heritage modern traction tours.

63 THE LAST DAYS OF BR MAIN LINE STEAM
As part of national celebrations to mark the 40th anniversary of the end of BR standard gauge steam haulage, two exciting new must-have products have emerged from the publishers of Heritage Railway. Steam: The Grand Finale is Alan Castle’s definitive ‘I was there’ account; while Keith Langston has produced a rich celebration of two decades of BR steam power.

70 PLATFORM
The pages where your views matter the most!

78 OFF THE SHELF
The lowdown on latest book and DVD releases.

84 MORGAN
The Heritage Railway Association chairman argues that transport technology is as deserving as opera when it comes to cultural grants.

84 RAILWAYANA
Latest auction news and prices by Geoff Courtney.

82 SUBSCRIBE TO HERITAGE RAILWAY!
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94 UP AND RUNNING
Brian Sharpe’s full listing of operational lines and museum venues together with full details of operational ex-BR main line locomotives and special events.
 
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