BROADLINES In association with Sidelines 122 10 Hurdeswell Editor: John Crane Long Hanborough E-mail: [email protected] Witney E-mail: [email protected] No. 31 October2012 Oxfordshire Tel: 0800 756 5111 Ext. 702 OX29 8DH Tel/Fax: 01993 883384 www.heritagerailways.com MEMBERSHIP APPLICATIONS The Metropolitan Water Board Railway Society The aim of the project is to restore the 2’ narrow gauge railway which ran from Hampton to Kempton Pumping station as a heritage railway. The Society works very closely with the Kempton Steam Museum which has restored a water works steam pumping engine. The former track bed is owned by Thames Water and the lease of the land is free. At present there is 1 petrol hydraulic locomotive, a passenger coach is being restored and a manrider. There are approximately 180 members at present. The Society has recently opened the Harworth loop on the site, which did not form part of the original railway - a great achievement and the Society intends to use it as a test track in the future. The local Council are very supportive of the project. Network SouthEast Railway Society The aim of the Society is to preserve all aspects of the Network SouthEast era of BR. This includes preservation of documents, signage and all related artefacts. The group have preserved a 4 CIG Southern Region EMU which is currently undergoing long term restoration. The aim is to eventually create an electric railway museum. Chris Green, former Director of Network SouthEast, is the Society’s Honorary President. Any queries should be directed through Steve Wood Corporate Membership Secretary, within the prescribed 28 day time period at, 15 Croftlands Drive, Ravenglass, Cumbria, CA18 1SJ Tel/Fax 01229 717080 Email. [email protected] BERNARD HOLDEN MBE March 15 1908 - October 4 2012 When British Rail closed the Lewes-East Grinstead route in 1958, four students called a meeting at Haywards Heath to launch what became the Bluebell Railway Preservation Society. Bernard Holden, was the BR executive they contacted. He encouraged them and was invited to chair the meeting, emerging to lead the project for half a century. He then became involved in several capacities, first as signalling engineer, then superintendent and finally president. His long-term goal was to reconnect with East Grinstead. In 2006 the track reached the tip south of the town. He lived to see the cutting almost cleared, and a special train was planned for him as soon as the track was in place. To mark his centenary, a special train did run on March 28 2008. In immaculate dark suit and bowler hat, he inspected 70 fellow Burma veterans at Sheffield Park. Then, instead of reversing at Kingscote as he had expected, the train continued over the unopened portion of the extension. Its return came 50 years to the minute since the final service on the original line. HERITAGE RAILWAY ASSOCIATION - BROADLINES No. 31 OCTOBER 2012 1 OF 8 Bernard Holden was born in the station house at Barcombe, on a section of the Bluebell that does not survive, on March 15 1908. His father was stationmaster. Bernard joined the Southern Railway from Steyning grammar school in 1925 as a ballast train clerk and studied signalling and transport law. When war broke out he was moved to Croydon to supervise the evacuation of children from London, then to Redhill, were he controlled trains bringing home evacuees from Dunkirk. During the Blitz, he plotted routes for trains round the bomb craters. In June 1941 he reported to Longmoor Military Railway and was posted to 191 Rail Operations Company RE, which sailed to Bombay via Cape Town. He was sent to Dehra Dun to be commissioned into the Indian Army, and trained for jungle warfare. In January 1944 he was posted to 159 Indian Railway Operating Company and given responsibility for the Akhaura-Lumding line over the Naga Hills, carrying troops and supplies for the Front running parallel to it, and stone for new airfields. In July 1945 he joined 8 Indian Engineers Railway group as adjutant to prepare for the invasion of Malaya. After VJ day he was ordered to restore that country’s railways, but within weeks was ordered back to India and discharged a captain. He reported back to Redhill and resumed his civilian railway career, seeing in nationalisation with the Eastern and Western Regions as well as the Southern. Retiring in 1972, he devoted himself to the Bluebell. He was appointed MBE in 1992 for services to railway preservation. Bernard Holden’s wife Lilian and his two sons predeceased him. The funeral took place on Tuesday 16th October which was an unusual day in many ways. Firstly the funeral cortege made its way to Sheffield Park station where uniformed Bluebell Railway staff formed a guard of honour from the hearse to LSWR brake 1520. Bernard’s coffin was then carried by representatives from several departments of the railway to the waiting train. This comprised four carriages to carry the Holden family and BRPS members hauled by A1X terrier 0-6-0T 55 Stepney crewed by Bill Brophy (Vice President) and Ian Wright (Shedmaster) with E4 Class 0-4-4T 473 ‘Birch Grove’ on the rear crewed by Russell Pearce (Past Chairman) and Tom Dobson (Past Trustee). The train passed through Horsted Keynes and Kingscote where members lined the platforms before it passed on to the soon to be re-opened extension towards East Grinstead and paused at Imberhorne Lane Bridge before returning to Sheffield Park. Meanwhile Ditchling Village Church was filling with members of Bluebell Railway, British Legion and Burma Star Association and was full to capacity as Bernard’s coffin was carried in flanked by a parade of Banners and Regimental colours. Moving tributes were given by Russell Pearce, Roy Watts the current BRPS chairman and HRA’s David Morgan. Bernard’s granddaughter Susan Waring spoke on behalf of the family with some amusing anecdotes to lighten a sombre occasion. Towards the end of the service a bugler sounded the last post and Bernard was borne away to be buried in the cemetery of his beloved home village. The sun shone all day on an emotional and memorable occasion. Thanks are due to the Bluebell Railway and Roger Price for providing the above information about a remarkable gentleman. HRA SEPTEMBER WEEKEND MEETING ( a personal look from the HRA Diesel Advisor). John Crane To be honest, when I first saw the programme for the September Weekend Meeting, I thought there was too much packed in. However all credit is due to Bill Askew for an excellently planned event that worked a treat. Only one person missed the 7.45 a.m. coach departure from the Ipswich base hotel and Mark Smith has not offered enough bribe money to avoid his name being published. We first went to the Colne Valley Railway where David Madden welcomed members to the weekend on behalf of the HRA. We were then greeted by Paul Lemon and his team and given an introduction to the railway before being allowed to explore the various features and taking a steam trip on the length of the line. Our next port of call was the East Anglian Railway Museum where we were greeted and split into groups to see the various features and to inspect the various items that were under restoration. A small engines event was taking place so we sampled the delights of haulage by the products of Aveling and Porter. HERITAGE RAILWAY ASSOCIATION - BROADLINES No. 31 OCTOBER 2012 2 OF 8 The afternoon meeting. Nicky Morgan, MP for Loughborough and the founder and first Chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Heritage Rail was the guest speaker at the Heritage Railway Association’s General Meeting in Ipswich. Nicky gave a presentation detailing how she hoped the APPG could bring heritage railways to the attention of the Government. She said that HRA members should interact with Government and MPs to bring benefit both to their railways and to the Government and the country. Heritage railways have a lot to offer in terms of recognising the importance of volunteers and of vocational training; they also contribute to the economy both locally and on a national basis. There does however need to be dialogue with regard to regulation and the need for legislation to avoid unintended consequences to the heritage movement. This led on to a presentation by Chris Austin OBE, Joint Secretary of the APPG on the subject ‘Engaging with Parliament’. He spoke on lobbying, making contact with Government and how to approach Parliamentarians, linking this to the work of HRA's Legal Services Committee, of which he is Secretary. Following Chris’s presentation Nicky presented the awards to the winners in the Heritage Railway Association’s ‘Carriage and Wagon Competition’. Mark Smith gave a report on the follow up that the HRA would be making after the two ORR meetings and emphasised the need to record how meeting the various obligations was being tackled. He said that when someone was passed out on safety critical work, evidence was required, together with a record, on what particular items were checked. Watching someone do something is not sufficient as training. Sunday morning started slightly later at 8.15 and everyone was on time. We received a very warm welcome and introduction on arrival at the Mid Suffolk Railway. This is a small but very interesting railway and again the group divided with some people going to see the restoration work whilst others saw the various attractions available around the station.