The R&ER Magazine Number 215 December 2014 The Journal of the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway Preservation Society Published quarterly by the Martin Willey 1951-2014 The Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway Peter van Zeller R&ER Preservation Society Limited Member of the Heritage It was with disbelief that we learned of the unexpected sudden death of Martin Magazine Railway Association Willey who collapsed in apparent good health working in Whinney How Wood with a friend. He lived life to the full and was looking towards a gently No 215 December 2014 staged retirement to enjoy more travelling in the summer months and to keep up his railway involvement in winter maintenance, working with a shadow to Editorial Team: Keith Herbert, Di Chase, Opinions expressed by contributors and transfer his knowledge in due course. Bill Seddon, Mark Harrington, in editorial comment do not necessarily John Taylor reflect the collective views of the Society. Martin called himself ‘one of the Centenarians of the railway, aged over sixty with over forty years’ service!’ He had been a volunteer since 1967-8 when he Editorial Designer: Julie Hutchinson became such a feature of Skid Row that Doug Ferreira had to give this guard and Address for Magazine Correspondence: PRESS DEADLINE: Material for inclusion in summer diesel driver a full-time job. During the next four-and-a-half decades Keith Herbert the next issue of the Magazine must he worked out on the line, dug ditches, cut trees, sprayed weedkiller, serviced 7 Dalegarth Cottages reach the editors not later than the diesel fleet, and latterly did all the carriage running gear inspections, wheel Boot, Holmrook Thursday 15th January at noon. turning and maintenance, washed out loco boilers and kept the coal stage Cumbria CA19 1TF Please send material earlier if possible. tidy, while driving as needed on steam or diesel. He always warmed the loco [email protected] on Christmas Day for the holiday services that he ran with Bonnie Dundee The R&ER Magazine is always pleased to receive correspondence, photographs and articles for possible inclusion. until loadings became too great. So it was appropriate that Dundee stood in Most nowadays arrive via our e-mail address, but postal contributions are just as welcome. Please write your name and address on the back of any prints, and give at least the date and location of each Ravenglass station, outside his workshop, wearing a black ribbon in his memory. photograph where possible. We have scanning facilities for slides and negatives, and will endeavour to return any loaned photographic material. In ‘spare’ time throughout this period, Martin was a stalwart of Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team, a founder member, maintainer of team vehicles and frequently Society website: http://www.rerps.co.uk part of a search and rescue mission at a moment’s notice, at any hour and in Council Chairman: Sam Dixon, 15 Lyceum Close, Leighton, Crewe, Cheshire CW1 3YB. all weathers. To relax (!) he had a wide ranging interest in local railways and Email: [email protected] Hon. Secretary: Mungo Stacy, 52 Old York Street, Hulme, Manchester M15 5TH. Email: [email protected] Hon. Financial Secretary: Ian Leigh, 206B Crowfield House, North Row, Central Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire MK9 3LQ. Email: [email protected] Hon. Membership Secretary: Phil Taylor, 12 Wholehouse Road, Seascale, Cumbria CA20 1QY. Email: [email protected] (1-1299 and 2500-3999) Assistant Membership Secretary: Jim Wilcock, ‘Porthlow’, Neston Road, Ness, Neston CH64 4AZ. Email: [email protected] (1300-2499) Sales Officer: Terry Williams, 88 Bluestone Road, Moston, Manchester M40 9HY. Email: [email protected] Magazine Distributor: Cumbria Mailing Services Ltd. Penrith, CA11 9FQ. Heywood House Bookings: Mary Harding. Email: [email protected]. Tel: 01229 717080. Volunteers: Peter Mills. Email: [email protected] General Manager: Trevor Stockton, R&ER Co. Ltd. Ravenglass, Cumbria, CA18 1SW. Tel: 01229 717171. Martin Willey and Trevor Stockton service Black Prince at Dalegarth in 1982. Front Cover: A superb portrait of Martin Willey, 2007. Photo: Steven Feather Martin was a great admirer of this loco. Photo: R&ER Archive 2 3 industrial history across upland Britain, with almost encyclopaedic and on the With autumn setting in the engineering attention has turned to Perkins. With ground knowledge, following trackways up mountainsides to distant quarries the locomotive completely stripped back you can clearly see its Muir Hill or along tunnels into deep mine adits. origins, as the rear of the old chassis is exposed, showing the multi-height three- slot coupling. It will be the old frames again that remain; a new engine will be He was quietly larger than life and the legends were rarely exaggerated. He coupled to the existing transmission, a new bonnet and cab will be fabricated, did unwrap a well travelled Egremont Co-op pie on a narrow gauge train in and a complete rewire will hopefully give us a good permanent way loco and Colorado. He swam off the railway’s JCB digger when it stalled crossing the ford back up to the main operating fleet for some years to come. over the River Mite on a rising tide, then guarded a train. The Pennington Arms Hotel had a log for yachtsmen which commented ‘insufficient information There has been some delay in progress in the workshop rebuild, with a hold up about buoyancy given by the manufacturer’! He was clearing leaves blocking on the steel being delivered. It was a blessing in some respects, as there was no the Fisherground tank, having stopped to take water, when he fell in, but still major work on the site during the very busy high summer period. However, all completed his driving turn. When the Bure Valley Railway was barely two the main frame work is now up and the blockwork has started on the west side; seasons old, he went with River Irt in advance of their gala event and gave them the long wait to get our workshop facilities back will soon be over. the first weeks of reliable operating since the line had opened. The facility to book events online has seen a big surge in booking for the Eskdale He was kindness itself and will be sadly missed in every quarter. He spent Belle and our Cream Tea experiences; the recent Postman Pat event was operated most time doing something willingly, often unpaid, for someone else and for the first time as pre-booked seats only. The Santa event is a similar success. his unmarked memorial will be the two-foot gauge railway he laid with Ian As we enter the winter period attention will turn to maintenance, with much Hartland at Threlkeld Quarry. Our phones haven’t stopped ringing with old to do to the rolling stock: the dry weather has seen the open carriages out a lot friends shocked by the news and wanting to pass on deepest condolences to this year and some of them are showing signs of wear and tear; the saloons and his partner Carol, his wider family and his fellow workers on the railway that he semi-opens will need painting. was such a fundamental part of for so long. Again there is a big push on the permanent way; you will read elsewhere of the News from Ravenglass use of plastic sleepers for the first time and the replacement of the diamond crossing and allied pointwork outside the signal box. The new workshop will Trevor Stockton need track laying in it, as will the yard outside, with pointwork to meet up with the three shed roads I hope that by the time you read this issue we will have three R&ER steam inside. locomotives available to us for the first time since the end of the 2012 season. River Irt has been available to us for most of the year, as has River Mite until a Following a leak occurred on its steam manifold, resulting in the locomotive missing the long career whole of September; it is still under repair in mid-October. The good news is with the railway the return to traffic ofNorthern Rock; following protracted running-in trials it Angie Zegveldt was passed fit in time to supportIrt and Hercules at the Postman Pat weekend has moved on at the start of October. to pastures new. Angie I think we must thank both the Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway and had worked in the Bure Valley Railway again for their support in the loaning of Hercules and both shops and Wroxham Broad, respectively. Wroxham Broad has already returned to Norfolk booking offices, via the Kirklees Light Railway’s autumn gala, having completed 1,500 miles in the in recent years six weeks of the high summer service. Hercules’ extended stay has now come was responsible to an end in mid-October, having been here since before the Whitsun holidays. for the wrapping With the help of Douglas and Lady Wakefield all of the above have helped to of the hundreds underpin the season. With slight alterations to the advertised timetable we have of Christmas River Irt is attached to the rear of Hercules’ train, to give been able to operate safely and successfully with the railway enjoying one of its presents each assistance, at Miteside in June. Note the camera drone better seasons for some time. year, as well as hovering above. Photo: Bob Brook 4 5 covering in the office when required. Her versatility will be missed and we wish The peak timetable saw an interesting change, with the loss of the mid- her every success for the future. afternoon run giving a longer layover at each end.