THE BARROW HILL ENGINE SHED SOCIETY MAGAZINE Spring 2018 Price £2.50 Issue 56 Rail Ale and Jools Holland preview See pages 14-15 MORE photos and stories INSIDE... Snow stops play see page 11 Caption competition see page 38 BBC Look North visit Award Winners See page 3 See pages 4-5 Above: The shunting gang from left to right Mervyn Allcock, Dale Holford and Dave Darwin. Photo: Dale Holford Below: Class 68 68026 looking splendid outside the cafe in the January sunlight as it awaits work on conversion for passenger service. Photo: Alexa Stott OpeningOpening Shot...Shot... A snowy welcome to Roundhouse Halt. Photo: Mervyn Allcock CONTENTS Chairman’s Notes 4 Heritage Lottery Fund Update 6 Roundhouse News 10 - East Midlands Trains Parts 1 and 2 - Snow! - BBC Look North - Bidding Farewell Roundhouse Events 14 - Rail Ale 2018 - Jools Holland and An Exciting Addition! - Social Evenings 2018 Steam Locomotive Department Notes 17 Dave Darwin Remembers 23 Historical Corner 27 Volunteers’ Report 32 Membership 34 Money Matters 35 And Finally... 38 FRONT COVER: Snow stops play at the Roundhouse. Photo: Dale Holford From the Manager HAVE YOU GOT A MEMORY Welcome... OF BARROW HILL IN I would like to dedicate my STEAM OR DIESEL DAYS? welcome in this Newsletter to Do you have photographs of the Nigel Atkinson who has, after depot which we could use in future many years, decided to step down issues of the Newsletter? from his numerous different Please get in touch with Alexa Stott financial and voluntary roles at by post: Barrow Hill Roundhouse, Barrow Hill. Campbell Drive, Barrow Hill, Chesterfield, Derbyshire S43 2PR. Both Nigel and I spent our childhoods Or email: [email protected] spotting at Barrow Hill and he joined me in the early days of the project design print web signs 2 The BBC Look North Team arrive at the Roundhouse with their sofa. Photo: Glynn Wilton due to our mutual love of Barrow Hill Treasurer and he has been a key player Roundhouse and the desire to save it in the success of Barrow Hill. from demolition. I can only give my heartfelt thanks He and I have worked extremely well from myself for his commitment and together ever since. wish him the very best in his future endeavours. Our joint planning meetings and decisions on strategy number in I am sure we will still see him at the hundreds and I am in awe of his Barrow Hill from time to time; I commitment to Barrow Hill whilst at certainly hope so! the same time holding down a full time Thanks very much Nigel. day job! Our funds have been in expert hands during his longstanding tenure as Mervyn Allcock General Manager April 2018 3 CHAIRMAN’S NOTES My first duty is to inform you and of course is preparing the handover of the retirement of our longest expertly. He is a Life Member and this serving Trustee – Nigel Atkinson. means that we will see him regularly but happier due to reduced stress levels. Thank Nigel has been with the Roundhouse since you so much Nigel; we will miss you. 1994 and has had a multitude of roles and responsibilities, such as Treasurer, Trustee, I am pleased to report that the Roundhouse Director, Shop Manager and Gatehouse has continued to be an award winning Manager and probably others that I am attraction. The latest trophies were collected not aware of. These roles were often at the Heritage Railway Association Annual simultaneous which meant that Nigel had Dinner & Awards ceremony in Birmingham an enormous workload, especially in recent on 10th February 2018. years as we have thrived and developed. We were proud to receive two prestigious I would like to thank Nigel, both personally Editor’s awards. The first was the Mortons and on behalf of the Trustees, for his Media (Heritage Railway) Interpretation dedicated service for nearly a quarter of Award. The citation for Barrow Hill reads a century. It is clear that Nigel enjoyed his “For the conservation and restoration of a commitment but as he took on more and once common, but now unique, key part of more responsibility there was less and less British Railway Heritage and its accessibility free time. He has always been supported by to the general public through imaginative his wife Christine and his daughter Becky; interpretation”. now they will see more of him. Nigel is a We are very proud of this as it shows that hard act to follow, but he is a professional we have spent the HLF funding wisely and Mervyn Allcock receives his award from Chris Our latest awards, now awaiting their cabinet so Milner, Editor of The Railway Magazine. they can go on display for all to see. Photo: Heritage Railway Association Photo: Alexa Stott 4 The Barrow Hill team (from left to right: Mark Robinson, Alexa Stott and Mervyn Allcock) receive the Interpretation Award from Robin Jones, Editor of Heritage Railway Magazine. Photo: Heritage Railway Association produced an attraction that is accessible won by the Roundhouse over the years to to all. All credit for this goes to the HLF create a “trophy cabinet” in the café. I think project team led by Mike Kennedy. this will be a better use than as doorstops and dust gatherers. The second award was The Railway Magazine Annual Award for Services to Looking forward I would like to transform Railway Preservation and the winner the appearance of the commercial side of was......Mervyn Allcock, for his vision, drive, Barrow Hill so that it gives the impression determination and passion over a 30 of what it is a vibrant thriving productive year period culminating in the realisation sector. I would also like to highlight the of the Barrow Hill Roundhouse project. academic, research and innovation potential Congratulations to Merv! at Barrow Hill and will keep you informed as ideas mature. I am currently trying to gather together Mark Robinson all the awards and prizes that have been Chairman DRS 37038 creating some clag prior to its departure with 57301 and 68022 on 25th January 2018. Photo: Dale Holford 5 HLF UPDATE PROJECT MANAGER UPDATE Although the building work has finished, in terms of a Lottery project, this is where the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) consider that the work will start. If anyone else were to look at the project, Over the winter we have been deciding they might consider that the most how to attract families, costing up what we significant bit is over. 90% of the money need to do and writing the documents to is spent, the work is done to maintain present to the HLF. Having done that and the existing building, the new café is built, got the go ahead from them, the activity the shop refurbished and the exhibition phase has begun. is installed. From an HLF point of view Of course, one of the reasons for attracting that is very important: it preserves and new visitors and schools is to increase interprets heritage but it also enables us the money taken on admission. The new to attract new audiences. The Project is café is there to cater for a larger number intended to introduce more people to of visitors and to offer as a meeting and their heritage, promote an understanding event room for commercial customers. of their heritage and help us to preserve it The Learning Room is for school visits for future generations. and the new displays tell the story of the Roundhouse. Keeping people here longer will also increase the secondary spend in the café and shop as well. There are other reasons for seeking to attract schools and families. All museum and heritage attractions are facing the same problems. The age profile of volunteers is rising and new, young volunteers are difficult to find. Attracting young people to the Roundhouse could lead to a life long enthusiasm and dedicated new volunteers. The Barrow Hill and Chesterfield area is earmarked for all sorts of new housing and building development, including an HS2 maintenance depot. All of these will bring in new visitors, potential volunteers and money. They will all help to ensure the Two future Barrow Hill Trustees? future of the Roundhouse. Photo: Glynn Wilton 6 One of our school visits coincided with the visit LEARNING & ACCESS OFFICER of the BBC Look North sofa, which the children were keen to have their photo taken with UPDATE during a break from their day of activities in the It’s been very busy time on the Roundhouse. Photo: Glynn Wilton learning and family activity side of the museum since we reopened in The future is looking bright and although March... the building is finished and most of the ABC Nursery in Chesterfield joined us for grant spent, the next two years are the our ‘The Story of the Roundhouse’ early important bit. We need to establish years learning workshop. They explored the ourselves as a place for schools and different jobs people did at the Roundhouse, families to visit. We have begun to do that dressed up as Roundhouse workers, made and Sally Toon describes the visits and their own steam train collages and railway events that have already happened and the tracks before finishing the session with a events to come in her article. Thomas the Tank Engine Story. We always need volunteers and if you have On 21st March we had a visit from 52 year felt that you don’t have the skills to help 5 children from Hollingwood School who the team in the Roundhouse, maybe you joined us for a special Industrial Revolution- could help out with schools and events.