Issue 190

Issue 190 June 5 – July 2, 2014

Cover
Heading its first train
after overhaul on the
East Lancashire
Railway at Bury is LMS
‘Crab’ No. 13065 at
Bury Bolton Street
station.
ELR/RICHARD BARNETT

News

6 HEADLINE NEWS
National Railway Museum wins 2014 Peter
Manisty Award for Excellence for Mallard
75; Council takes West Somerset Railway
freehold off market afer rejecting rival bids;
A4 Dominion of Canada parts for sale;
Brighton Atlantic is ‘wheeled’ and Betton
Grange project hits cylinder appeal target.

10 NEWS
Sir Nigel Gresley’s grandsons begin cutting
new P2 frames at Tata Steel: A4 Bittern takes
Wensleydale by storm; major investigation
underway into Great Central diesel crash;
Bodmin bid to save St Blazey turntable for
Cornish main line steam; minister opens
new Porthmadog Harbour station;
Manchester museum concedes defeat over
main line link; black Morayshire shines in
Bo’ness charter; action from Swithland
sidings gala; Galatea’s Skegness to
Scarborough jaunt; Fiji locomotive in Welsh
Highland charity charter; Padstow station
saved from demolition; Australian Pacific
restoration crisis deepens; Welsh Pony
restoration begins; tributes to Seaton
Tramway chairman, and the civic reception
for South Devon Railway’s new ‘super loo’.

Regulars
54 CENTRE
Brian Sharpe’s view of doubleheaded ‘Black
Fives’ on the Highland main line takes
centre stage.

56 MAIN LINE NEWS
Double Castles over South Devon banks, best
‘Cathedrals Explorer’ so far; Oliver Cromwell is
back and Stream Dreams and Railway Touring
Company plan Irish trips for 2015.

64 MAIN LINE ITINERARY
Brian Sharpe’s definitive guide to steam and
heritage modern traction railtours in the
coming month.

86 PLATFORM
Where your views matter the most.

88 SCALE HERITAGE RAILWAY
Hornby’s East Coast ‘Flying Scotsman’ and
Accucraft UK’s Canadian Selkirk 2-10-4.

90 RAILWAYANA
Geoff Courtney’s monthly guide to the
railwayana scene.

94 UP & RUNNING
Brian Sharpe’s complete listing of museums
and operational heritage lines.

106 THE MONTH AHEAD
Our new at-a-glance guide to the big events
coming up in the next four weeks, with
Heritage Railway, as usual, bringing
unrivalled coverage.
Features

66 GREY SKIES NO MATCH FOR BR BLACK
Mixed weather over the
Spring Bank Holiday
weekend, could not deter the
crowds from attending the
Cotswold Festival of Steam at
the Gloucestershire
Warwickshire Railway. Robin
Jones was among passengers
who defied the forecasts to
enjoy a superb day out on a
magnificent line.

48 DOUBLE HIGHLAND FLING
Main line steam north of Perth is comparatively
rare in the 21st century, but Brian Sharpe reports
on two tours of the Scottish Highlands which
operated in quick succession in early May.

70 WADEBRIDGE COMES TO BODMIN
The long-term ambition of the Bodmin &
Wenford Railway is to extend its line to
Wadebridge. However, during the line’s spring
steam gala of May 3-5, Wadebridge came to
Bodmin. Robin Jones visited the Cornish ‘bluebell
railway’ to see the action for himself, and learn the
latest about the line’s ambitious plans for the
future.

76 FORTY YEARS OF COLONEL
STEPHENS’ FINEST
The Kent & East Sussex Railway celebrated 40
years of heritage-era passenger trains with a
landmark gala over the May 24-26 Spring Bank
Holiday weekend. Carlwebus looks back at his
visit in 1965 to the line’s initial preservation base,
while Geoff Courtney looks to the future at the
latest plans to relink to the main line at
Robertsbridge. He reports on a similar light
railway in eastern Europe that is still giving
sterling service in the Colonel Stephens’ style.

82 THE VERY END
Forty-five years ago, the last non-preserved BR
steam locomotive outside Barry was scrapped nine
months afer August 1968. Robert Anderson
witnessed the destruction of one of Lostock Hall’s
favourites at Hull in May 1969.

84 BOSNIA STEAMS ON
It is now 46 years since British Railways ran out of
steam but Warwick Falconer reports on a remote
corner of Europe where steam still remains in
commercial service.

92 MOORS STEAM GALA SUCCESS
Diesels had to be brought in for the second
weekend of the North Yorkshire Moors Railway’s
spring steam gala – but it did not deter the crowds
and fine weather made for some stunning
photography, writes Roger Melton.