The R&ER Magazine Number 227 December 2017

The Journal of the and Eskdale Railway Preservation Society The R&ER Magazine No.227 Editorial December 2017 Keith Herbert

It must be the pantomime season, for as soon as we say the new livery of the Published quarterly by the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway Train From Spain is Caledonian Railway blue, armchair enthusiasts call back Preservation Society Limited “Oh no it isn’t!” Nevertheless, Whillan Beck is there, or very nearly, with but Member of the Heritage Railway Association final works and running in to complete – a triumph for our Preservation Society Editorial Team: Keith Herbert, Di Chase, Bill Seddon, Opinions expressed by contributors and to have achieved something so grand, despite the obvious disappointment of Mark Harrington, John Taylor in editorial comment do not necessarily not having our Oktoberfest gala event this year after all. Hopefully the coming Editorial Designer: Julie Hutchinson reflect the collective views of the Society. trials will go smoothly, enabling the completion of the project still within the The R&ER Magazine is always pleased to receive predicted two-year timeframe (from delivery in early 2016). correspondence, photographs and articles for possible PRESS DEADLINE: Material for inclusion inclusion. Most nowadays arrive via our e-mail address, in the next issue of the Magazine must There is no question that the work of Heritage Painting has been exemplary in but postal contributions remain welcome. Please reach the editors not later than respect of the loco’s aesthetics, and the choice of exact colour was informed by include a name and contact address with any prints. Thursday 18th January at noon. Scanning facilities are available. Please send material earlier if possible. the research of the Caledonian Railway Association, giving a close match with the standard gauge ‘Caley’ 828, resident on the Strathspey Railway in Scotland Society website: http://www.rerps.co.uk (Caledonian Railway No.123, in the new transport museum in Glasgow, is in the lighter variant, and you are invited to consult my friend Google to see the Council Chairman: Sam Dixon, 17 Woodlands, Great Corby, Carlisle, CA4 8LX. differences for yourselves). Even so, the colour will be subject to changes in Email: [email protected] light conditions when in service on the Ratty, and will at times appear lighter Hon. Secretary: Mungo Stacy, 34 Mayfield Road, Manchester M16 8EU. or darker than really it is. Photos online of No.828 illustrate this same fact; River Email: [email protected] Mite also has a tendency to look near-brown in bad weather, but rather more Hon. Financial Secretary: David Lees, 31 Water Street, Ribchester, Preston, Lancashire PR3 3YJ. ‘tomato soup’ on a sunny day. How important is the precise shade of Caledonian Email: [email protected] Railway blue on a railway that is most certainly not the Caledonian Railway, Hon. Membership Secretary (enquiries, life membership, Nos. 1000-1999 and 2900 onwards) : anyway? Sarah Bennett, 2 Stanley Villas, Road, , CA20 1NW. Email: [email protected] The so-called Scale Colour Effect (another parallel might be Father Ted’s ‘Near Assistant Membership Secretary (Nos. 2000-2899): Jim Wilcock, ‘Porthlow’, Neston Road, Ness, and far away’ sketch) can also have influence – when an object is seen at different Neston CH64 4AZ. Email: [email protected] angles in different locations in different lights and from different distances, our Sales Officer: Terry Williams, 88 Bluestone Road, Moston, Manchester M40 9HY. perspective changes. This makes me wonder what else do we see differently, Email: [email protected] depending on our closeness to it or distance from it? In the wider context of the Magazine Distributor: Cumbria Mailing Services Ltd. Penrith, CA11 9FQ. whole Ratty, are things as good or bad as they really seem? Are things changing Heywood House Bookings: Mary Harding. Email: [email protected]. Tel: 01229 717080. too much? Or not enough? It is interesting to note the perspective of ‘old school’ volunteers, namely in the Murthwaite Locomotive Group (in times past known Volunteers: Peter Mills & Danny Duckworth. Email: [email protected] as the Shabby Gang), who return periodically to find they don’t recognise quite General Manager: Trevor Stockton, R&ER Co. Ltd. Ravenglass, Cumbria, CA18 1SW. Tel: 01229 717171. so many of us as they did before; heartening, all the same, that still they come Editor: Keith Herbert, 7 Dalegarth Cottages, Boot, , Cumbria CA19 1TF back to volunteer even so. It is always good to see them. Email: [email protected] We have lost members of our engineering department this year, expect to have had a change of General Manager by the time you’re reading this, and look Train From Spain Appeal website: train from spain.org forward to a new design of carriage on our rails in the near future (a liminal Donations: Andy Cruickshank, 11 Townfield Close, Ravenglass, Cumbria CA18 1SL year indeed!). Meanwhile the closest, nearest, most exciting and certainly bluest Email: [email protected] project (of one hue or another) will be with us before long, finished and running, either on time or, depending on your perspective, very nearly. ¡Bienvenido a Front Cover: Whillan Beck at Old Hall Engineering on 20th November 2017, just Ravenglass, Whillan Beck! a day before delivery to Ravenglass for testing. Photo: Keith Herbert 2 3 News from Ravenglass Work tidying up the entrance to the car park at Ravenglass has been completed, Trevor Stockton with new bow-topped fencing erected there and along the bank by the footpath leading to the former British Railways signal box.

th Well what a difference a few months can make – early season optimism on A Statesman Rail tour visited the railway on 16 September; extra trains running trade and locomotives has been tempered somewhat. The weather in the late among the advertised service saw some 250 passengers taken up the dale. All summer and autumn has not been the best, with Wednesday 11th October so ran to time, so there was no delay to the return main line working. A railway wet we stopped running in the afternoon. Local bridge closures due to flooding tradition here at Ravenglass has been to ‘whistle’ the main line trains away, meant no passengers! The anticipated return of River Esk and arrival of Whillan so it was good that we were able to do that for a visiting excursion, instead Beck have not materialised; you will have read elsewhere of the cancellation of of the case most times this year where we have done it for passing, non-stop, the Oktoberfest owing to factors outside the Railway’s control. Cumbrian Coast Expresses. River Esk is now tantalisingly close; Nigel Day has worked tirelessly on this The autumn Peppa Pig event, the second such event this year, was fully booked. project, along with engineering staff and volunteers. However, demands on Hallowe’en trains are filling fast and by the time you read this edition Santa will their time to keep the running fleet fit for purpose is a contributory factor in be out and about! the delay. There have been changes in the office at Ravenglass: Claire Woodburn is now The Preservation Society, following the cancellation of the Oktoberfest, quite on maternity leave, with Catherine Buchanan stepping up from the Turntable rightly took the decision not to push for Whillan Beck to be finished quickly, but Café to take charge of office administration. to ensure that when the locomotive arrives it is as complete as it possibly can be One other change is that I will be retiring from the post of General Manager by the for initial trials and full running in. end of the year. My successor will be Peter Brendling, who has a long association On the good news front, elsewhere in this issue there is an update on carriage with Cumbria and, as an experienced business manager, is believed to have the development. Plans continue to be developed for the Camping Coaches too right blend of experience, skills and enthusiasm to take over the helm. – we are still on track to start work on their refurbishment in autumn 2018, subject to funding. Work still continues to seek planning permission for the new shed at Irton Road.

River Mite sets out from Ravenglass, the main line bridge over its namesake watercourse almost obscured by the exhaust. 23rd April 2017. Douglas Ferreira and Maggie Moo – one of Sarah Taylor’s artworks – at Spout Photo: David Moseley House. Photo: Jackie Pharaoh 4 5 A rail enthusiast since childhood, Peter says he has many happy memories of Otherwise the locos largely worked their booked turns. Although inevitably some holidays spent visiting various narrow gauge railways, and that he is excited failures have occurred this year, their solution has avoided prolonged sojourns to be given the opportunity to combine his love of the with his in the workshop. River Mite lost a crankpin collar on 26th July, and was failed at passion for steam. Whilst living in the Lake District he has visited the Ratty Fisherground with a loose coupling rod joint pin on 12th August, tested and passed on several occasions and recommended it to others, adding that he has had fit for traffic on 16th August and failed again on 22nd August. In retaliation for nothing but positive feedback about both the Railway and its staff. I am sure that being rescued so often, on the evening of 28th August it rescued Douglas Ferreira each and every one of you will support Peter to ensure a smooth and successful from Miteside. Mite lost another collar from the side rods on 8th September but tenure. was repaired in time for an evening special on 15th September. It took another private train for volunteer Tony’s birthday – The Kuivala Septuagenarian – on 30th I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for all the help and September [more from Tony in a few pages’ time – Ed.]. support I have received since I took over in November 2000. It has been a privilege to have had the opportunity to manage such an iconic heritage railway, ran steadily much of the period, although it has also suffered most from a railway that will always mean so much to me with so many special memories. the change in water source imposed on West Cumbria since late May. As the I will try and write them down one day! local housewives noticed their kettles ‘popping’ as they boiled, boreholes near Egremont were being added to our soft Ennerdale water. The additional calcium However, I have not completely gone out to pasture, and will be popping up in carbonate eventually required 50% extra boiler treatment to keep the pH at the a variety of operational roles during 2018! desired level – meanwhile the unexpectedly acid water caused weeping stays in our boilers, having cleaned the film of rust that seals them.Irt broke a trailing truck Traffic News spring hanger on 24th August and returned slowly, light engine, from Irton Road. It Peter van Zeller had a test run the following day but in service the day after was failed at Dalegarth, this time with a main steam pipe leak in the smokebox. It was then back in service This quarter of the year sees traffic run at its absolute peak with the high summer two days later. It missed part of the Peppa Pig weekend when an oil feed from the ‘yellow’ service in July and August, then quickly settle back to the very basic ‘green’ main lubricator fractured on 8th October. 90 years after its unlikely transformation level service through September and October. Although the widely anticipated from Muriel in summer 1927, the old lady of the fleet still gives remarkable service. Oktoberfest was cancelled, the penultimate week of the daily train operation still actually saw double-heading and no less than six locos steamed at Ravenglass, and a seventh at Bouth (these including Whillan Beck and River Esk). The three working big steam locos were running throughout the high season, largely with the hoped for availability, in continuous daily service during the peak, then rested one at a time for workshop attention during the shoulder season. Without a visiting loco to bolster our reserves, there was only one day, 14th August, when the train schedules were reduced to suit resources. It was a relatively poor day for both weather and traffic as it happened. Two months later, 11th October also saw services trimmed, affected as they were by extreme wet conditions across the whole district. When the main and minor roads were blocked by flooding at the bridges and the local rivers had broken their banks, our passenger timetable was curtailed and a line inspection train took the last path of the afternoon with an option to gather anyone waiting at stations. However the worst of Storm Ophelia a week later just skirted our area, leaving one of the huge two centuries old larches blocking Fisherground Loop [two of these trees, side by side, have fallen in recent times, gifting a wonderful view to Harter Fell and Green Crag – Ed.]. An inspection train coming down from Dalegarth first thing found and Awaiting the recovery of its carriages by diesel, River Irt, with its broken spring cleared the blockage while the first diesel round-trip of that day was also cancelled. hanger, is passed by Northern Rock at Irton Road. 24th August 2017. Photo: Christopher Glover 6 7 Northern Rock with its new wheels has been transformed in usable traction with Permanent Way Notes the weight now imposed on the driving wheels. Exceptionally it was failed at David Moseley Dalegarth on 1st August and returned light engine, had a trial run to Miteside on 3rd August and another the following day before re-entering service. It was failed with brake problems at Miteside on 10th August and on 3rd September. After minor The summer activities can, in the main, be broadly described as strimming, workshop attention it had a test on 8th September, and another on 3rd October after strimming and more strimming. further works, and then a full line empty stock run on 5th October just in time for A large proportion of the line has been strimmed fence to fence, including the Peppa Pig weekend. Rock, after last winter’s tribulations, is nicely run in and in sections that have not been cleared for years, if ever. Several sections have seen better than new condition now, with two air compressors, working sanders and repeat visits (this is a downside of cutting back vegetation – the grass seems to resilient springing, so it will be interesting to monitor its current fuel consumption, grow as soon as our backs are turned). The weather this year has been conducive future performance and durability. to vegetation growth – warm humid conditions have caused grass to grow at an Krauss No.8457 remained briefly, stored inactive, at Ravenglass from 23rd July until alarming rate, which has made our days quite draining. The strimmers, having being returned to Old Hall Engineering on 3rd August. Synolda left the museum on had three years of pretty intensive use, have been consigned to the scrap pile; 4th September for a weekend gala at the , eventually returning replacements will be bought. on 19th September. It came out again on 18th October for a photo charter on 22nd We have also been out in various locations pushing the track around to keep October and a special train with Count Louis on 25th October. Count Louis had the alignment in the right place. This has sometimes required the use of the Jim been regularly in steam on peak summer Tuesdays from 25th July on the engineers’ Crow to take bends out of rails. By and large though the track has stayed where siding, and worked two evening specials for its owners on 20th and 21st August. we put it. The two big diesels have shared the work more this summer than ever since Attention has also been given to ditching and ensuring water gets away easily Douglas Ferreira first entered service over a decade ago – it has until then steadily from the lineside. So far this year we have not suffered damage to the same worked four times as many engine hours as Lady Wakefield. However Douglas extent as last, but heavy overnight rain in early September did see Eskdale suffered a fuel tank leak that from 8th August required keeping fuel levels low. On Green crossing covered in gravel and silt which was washed down from the 10th August Douglas took the new shelter to Fisherground Halt. Lady Wakefield road above, causing problems for the first up train. became the main diesel from 2nd September while Douglas took a back seat, later having problems with a fuel pump, relays related to battery condition, and a sticky We have also made a start on collecting bits and pieces we need for the proposed throttle such that it required a test run on 15th September and was not working works at Murthwaite. This work will take place in January 2018 once the relaying passenger trains at all from 12th until 23rd October, when it was discovered that of the main line is complete. We also were grateful for help received from the Lady Wakefield’s radiator was leaking. Murthwaite Locomotive Group who spent a sunny September Saturday at Murthwaite sorting through the piles of scrap and generally making a start on Consequently the fish ‘n’ chip special of 15th September was hauled by River tidying the area, which work included a bonfire. Thanks everyone – you are Mite while Lady Wakefield was the standby rescue loco. It has needed itself to be very welcome any time! rescued, first when it derailed on debris wasted into the level crossing flangeways at Eskdale Green on 11th September, and then when it split the east end points at The sleepers ordered back in January arrived with our contractors in Caerphilly Irton Road on 16th September. for drilling and plating with ex-Eastriggs Pandrol plates. The first batch of sleepers arrived at Ravenglass in early October (in plenty of time for November’s Track Meanwhile Quarryman and Cyril went to Miteside for a test run on 3rd September, Week). The remainder should arrive in December ready for the second of this sadly involving damage to Quarryman’s Fordson’s engine. Cyril normally shunts winter’s Track Weeks, which is early in January 2018. the Ravenglass station yard but managed a complete round-trip of the railway on 6th rd September with artwork for the C-Art Open Studios open air exhibition of wildlife A reminder that we are out on the track from Wednesday 3 January 2018 with th paintings by Sarah Taylor. Quarryman was then off site on display at Eskdale Show the Track Week proper starting on Saturday 13 and running through to Sunday st on 30th September. Coach 113 was also off site en route to the 21 January. Food is provided at lunch times through Track Week – at all other from 11th September to 3rd October in connection with prospective new coach times you should aim to be self-sufficient. Please let the office know if you can design work [see page 14]. come. We do look forward to your company – and of course thank everyone for their help throughout the past year.

8 9 River Esk are entirely new. The Nigel Day patterns alone were a massive cost and time-consuming to It’s three in the morning and I am awake thinking of how River Esk looks now, produce. just a day or two after we’ve put the main sections of shiny black (or, as I call it, midnight pink) cladding on the boiler. The change in appearance is dramatic; The main rods are complete with her nameplates, the engine looks like River Esk again. It is over the last big issue to the two-and-a-half years since the time I opened the container doors and found tackle along with what I now would describe as a pile of fossils, all corroded, but which then I assembling all the thought of as reusable, with a bush here and a new valve there. The frames and pistons and valve wheels were good; six months would do the job... gear. The wheels need a skim to meet Little did I realise we would end up making just about every single part of the the new standard contents of the container, plus a lot of other missing components. Esk nearly wheel profile. Some physically died there and then – it was a very close call. Having talked to many fabrication of the people since, including some who had backed away when asked about restoring running boards some of the engine, they too are shocked at just how much has had to be done needs finishing. The to rebuild Esk to this point. Maybe with hindsight I would also have backed tender is being dealt One of the oil pots. Photo: Nigel Day away, but I like a challenge, and this one ranked as a good challenge. During with; there’s the pipe the time we have been rebuilding Esk there have been many setbacks and other work to complete issues which have affected progress but, little by little, the boxes of new parts and a list of small have been stacked up in the stores, ready for assembly. These are now coming things to finish but, out and being put on to the engine as she grows. Eight oil boxes, two days’ work and this is the big for each is just one example. Time just adds up with each item. Although I don’t but, Esk is so close to have an exact parts count we must be heading for something like a thousand being finished that new components, all handmade to the best standards we can achieve. Some of the light at the end of these have been small yet others, like the cylinders which, bar one or two parts, the tunnel is clearly visible. The count of the people who have worked on Esk is now 30. Some have Safety valves and whistles. Photo: David Mart come and gone. It has been an undertaking beyond what anybody expected to get Esk this far and back into full health. The story could have been so different but the rebirth of the engine approaches. Would I have taken this on knowing what I do now? I don’t know, but seeing Esk looking like Esk again in her shiny black paint makes it all worthwhile, regardless of all the issues along the way. The Esk we all want to see is tantalisingly close to being back. Soon I hope that for everyone involved the sleepless nights spent figuring out the next stages on bringing River Esk back to life will be a thing of the past and everyone can ride happily up to Dalegarth on a train pulled by the locomotive. Time now for a little more River Esk nears completion, seen here alongside Count Louis in October. sleep before another day working on Esk... Photo: David Mart 10 11 Museum Project services a century ago. All being well these special trains might become a semi- David Rounce regular feature in the seasons to come, allowing the museum fleet to escape the confines of the engineers’ headshunt. Options are also being investigated for introducing ‘driver for a fiver’ sessions next year, most likely withKatie , so as th As the museum nears the end of its first season, following opening on 24 ever watch this space for developments. June, we are pleased to report that we have recorded nearly 15,000 visitors and received some excellent feedback. The new exhibitions have stood up well to Archives the use, especially the extremely popular dressing up activities. The sectioned The new archive space above the museum is taking shape and already offers boiler regulator has been so well played with that the steel shaft which actuated storage, research and meeting facilities to a higher standard than ever before. the chuffing sounds has become worn to such an extent that the interactive just We welcome researchers by appointment and are gradually improving our wouldn’t shut up! Fortunately, a quick fix later, peace reigns once again and the storage methods not only to protect our collections to museum standards, but boiler chuffs only on demand. also to allow for future expansion. As was inevitable, a ‘snagging’ list of minor issues will be addressed over winter, BR Signal Box so visitors next season can expect larger case object labels, a more clearly defined visitor route and continued development of the permanent exhibits. Volunteer Chris Tracey has been staffing the old signal box regularly on Fridays Topping this list are the standard gauge Kerr Stuart shunter cab, which awaits and has shared his experiences of working in box with many visitors. buffers, a coupling and other accoutrements, and the River Esk sectioned boiler, On wet days the open fire has also provided a welcome attraction. The working which we’re aiming over time to develop into a more complete replica of the signal levers are due some TLC as there have been issues with cables parting and original thanks to the donation of discarded components from the workshop. the verdant undergrowth obstructing the mechanisms and looking increasingly Although we lack space to add more vehicles to the permanent exhibitions, unsightly – more jobs for the winter list! Volunteers welcome! the restoration of one of our three Theakston granite wagons will provide some flexibility in rotating the displays every so often, as well as covering for prolonged absences of members of the locomotive fleet when they go on tour. Traverser The issue of how to readily move rolling stock in and out of the museum has been (mostly) resolved with the construction of our new traverser which will allow removal of a vehicle from any museum road and will nicely line up with the centre road of the engineering workshop. Although there are a few teething troubles to iron out, the traverser removes one of the greatest barriers to regular operation of the museum fleet, and has so far been successfully tested with both Quarryman and Synolda. Katie Katie continues to be a star attraction in the museum, but not a static one for much longer. Having successfully passed a cold inspection the little Heywood loco’ will be steam tested shortly before running in with a view to making its first public appearances in steam in March 2018. Events Taking advantage of a welcome return visit from Count Louis courtesy of its custodians, Michael Whitehouse, Brett Rogers and Andrew Walton, we organised a Bassett-Lowke special round trip on 25th October double-headed View from the top: museum exhibits on the multi-track train shed layout. by Count Louis and our own Synolda, creating a spectacle reminiscent of R&ER Photo: David Rounce 12 13 Carriage Development space they have has to be a fair representation of the value of the fare they have Trevor Stockton paid. In the past twelve months, our Group Marketing Manager, Rachel Bell, has The current saloon carriages and their style date from 1967 when the first two secured grant monies towards the development and building of new carriages. twenty-seat aluminium-bodied carriages arrived on the Railway. With sliding Although there will be a degree of match-funding from within the Company, as doors, cushion seats and louvre windows – for a degree for fresh air on a a result of the external funding there has already been much going on behind summer’s day – they were, in their day, a huge leap forward for a new Railway the scenes. One example is commissioning Rob Chambers of Purcell, a design Company very much in its infancy. consultancy, to do the initial measuring up of the rolling stock and to provide some concept ideas. Plus, we had to start negotiations with reputable firms to Further variations on a similar theme followed over the next couple of decades, start the build process. This has resulted in, by the time you read this, three alongside the very popular semi-open variety. The only other significant change meetings with the Ffestiniog Railway. that came about was the introduction of the Maxi carriages: built for the garden festival at Gateshead, they ran there in 1990 and, following the end of the These meetings have gone through the full design and build issues we face, festival, arrived at Ravenglass. Once converted from vacuum-braked to air, they including height, length and width; slam doors, heating, lighting and ventilation. successfully filled a niche for a while[four of the six-strong class were withdrawn One of the main components to get right from the start was the basic frame, in 2009 – just a temporary measure, then! Ed.]. Whilst they were very basic in to include the bogies, sprung couplings, air brakes and heater plus fuel tank. their style and appearance they did provide food for thought, being longer, These will then form a new standard; the superstructure can be anything we wider and higher than our standard rolling stock. want, within reason! To the present day, now, where in recent seasons it has been very apparent There is, of course, a paperwork trail. For that we need a Technical File which that the need for improvements in the saloon carriages is long overdue. Whilst will be developed through our health and safety advisors Green Dragon Rail, the TLC they receive year in and year out keeps them looking presentable, our working in conjunction with the R&ER, the FR and a Suitably Qualified and Experienced Person to conduct an ongoing professional review. passengersFIRST CLASS/PULLMAN are CARRIAGE less willing to share their ‘space’ with anyone else – and the INTERIOR PERSPECTIVE AS PROPOSED The intention is to have an observation carriage on the Railway by spring of next year; the plush luxury seating and large ‘observation’ window will attract a premium rate which, through an online booking facility, will allow passengers LED ribbon lighting to ‘upgrade’ to seats in this carriage. Placing the carriage behind the locomotive Ventilation to upstand going up the valley will give passengers the opportunity to see the engine working hard on the up journey and then enjoy the vista on the return. It will be timetabled to run on two or three return journeys a day depending on the Speaker/Comms system time of year, and there will then be a roll out of the new saloon carriages in the seasons to follow.

Polished timber tables combined into mid-rail Chairs with ‘swept’ backs to enhance sense of space

The44 | Ravenglassartist’s and Eskdale Railway, Carriage impression Design Review of the new first class carriage interior. Image: Rob Chambers Coach 113 at Boston Lodge, Ffestiniog Railway. Photo: John Taylor 14 15 Train From Spain: Engineering Nameplates have been cast, but will not be fitted to the locomotive until the Mungo Stacy official naming ceremony. It is planned to hold the official launch event for Whillan Beck over the early May Bank Holiday weekend, 5th–7th May 2018. We apologise to people who were disappointed by the cancellation of the As part of our fundraising campaign, we have offered a seat on the first train Oktoberfest event. As explained in the mailshot which was sent to all our to people donating £200 to the project. We are likely to hold the inaugural members and the updates on social media, at a relatively late stage we found train during the early part of 2018. We aim to complete the testing during that we would be unable to host a number of the visiting engines we had hoped December 2017 to allow us to have confidence and time to set a date and issue for, and this would have severely reduced the impact of the event whilst costs invitations. If you would like to join this first train, we are still taking donations would have remained high. In retrospect, with the high winds and rain of Storm via our website trainfromspain.org or via the fundraising team: fundraising@ Brian which occurred over the October half-term, the cancellation may have trainfromspain.org been a blessing. Current thinking is to plan for a gala event in 2020 to coincide with the 60th year of the preservation of the Railway. Train From Spain Appeal A dramatic transformation in the appearance of Whillan Beck took place in Keith Herbert early September, when Heritage Painting spent a week at Old Hall Engineering. The locomotive has now assumed its Caledonian Blue identity. The painters Although it is disappointing to be writing this on what should have been the returned at the end of October to complete the lining and lettering. The first morning of the Oktoberfest event, life goes on. The challenge for those locomotive is due to return to Ravenglass in mid-November to commence its involved in planning the event is to re-establish it for a future time, and not testing on the line. to be put off by what happened before, rather to learn from it and produce Meetings have been held with our Suitably Qualified and Experienced Person, something better! With that in mind, the official launch of the locomotive has Ron Whalley. The technical file, maintenance schedule and test schedule were been pencilled in for May Bank Holiday weekend in 2018. Unfortunately this reviewed with Ron on 21st August. A meeting was held with Old Hall Engineering leaves not a lot of time to attract and secure locomotives from the continent, on and representatives of the Railway Company on 13th September to confirm the which basis it has been decided to plan for that to happen in 2019 or possibly arrangements for test and acceptance of the locomotive. even 2020, when the Preservation Society will celebrate its diamond jubilee. If you have any thoughts or helpful suggestions, I am sure they will be welcome Engineering works have included completion of the new bogies for the tender either in the pages of this Magazine or in correspondence with the Society and works to the regulator. The air braking parts have been installed on the Council. The May event should make full use of the Ratty’s fleet of operational tender. The cab windows have been modified to improve visibility. locos, in effect being a gala weekend. The Train From Spain Appeal remains open for business at this time, but will be formally incorporated into the Society’s new Steam Locomotive Maintenance Fund. We still have some crucial sponsorships on offer, including fire bars for the grate – just £50 each, but a sizeable cost for the Society when you add all 20 together! Apart from our popular and attractive enamel mugs for sale, we also have commemorative Whillan Beck badges on our product list, priced modestly at £3 each. Thanks to Will Sands for arranging for these to be produced. Be one of the first to get one of these early examples by contacting Andy Cruickshank. Our 2017 commemorative polo shirt will be offered instead for 2018, which is being organised by Sarah Bennett (contact details for both on page 2). It is not too late to support this fantastic project, which we hope will make a positive difference to the R&ER for many years to come. Please visit trainfromspain.org/fundraising to see how you can contribute.

The new nameplate pattern. Photo: Stuart Hughes 16 17 River Irt at Ninety wheelsets with their ball joints by discs bolted on the outsides (they are still Peter van Zeller there) and removing the interlinking linkage. Muriel could now go as fast as steaming allowed, that being reduced by lining the cylinders down as they still are. There is a little bit of Pathe News film of it leaving Ravenglass in 1923 past In July 1917 a schoolboy was in Ravenglass watching an LNWR motor car the carriage shed foundations and a cab view passing Murthwaite farm. van being unloaded. Basil Markham was a great nephew of the late Sir Arthur Heywood, who had built the 0-8-0 tank loco which was inside with all its tools Muriel gave something else to the railway. A new freight loco was being in pristine condition. Muriel had been built to prove ‘how powerful and fast designed, and the vital proportions of the running gear that had proved so travelling an engine could be put on the 15in gauge’, hauling 124 passengers effective were transposed to the River Esk as it was being built with its jumbo up grades as steep as 1 in 47. Completed in 1894, it took his principles of boiler. Henry Greenly had ‘a sneaking admiration’ for the Heywood locos, but equal overhang at each end with a circular ‘marine’ firebox inside the boiler, not their boilers! In 1925 Muriel ran into Colossus just beyond Eskdale Green. It innovative features like flexible wheels to go round bends of 25ft radius, and was quickly returned to action on the stone traffic. However a series of letters balance weights outside the frames, elegant styling but no cab for the driver. revealed further problems – Muriel badly needed a new firebox, ordered from ‘...stout mackintosh’ and all, Muriel was demonstrated to the Royal Engineers Abbots of Newark but lost in transit, and barely riveted in time for the loco to when new, but then saw relatively little use at Duffield Bank and Eaton before help handle the September Fell Dales Show traffic. an overhaul in 1910 that included a new boiler and valve gear alterations. The arrival of the Fordson tractor in 1926 enabled Muriel to be briefly sidelined Heywood was letting rolling stock go to the newly revived Eskdale Railway to the quarry for her boiler to provide power for the rock drills. Meanwhile a before his death in April 1916. Where Muriel had been in the fourteen months new boiler was on order from Yorkshire Engine Company, costing only £180, since the auction that quickly followed is now quite uncertain. It was apparently a tithe of the cost of a new loco from Davey, Paxmans. It was to have the same requisitioned and, according to a family friend’s later memory, went north on size of fire grate as onMuriel although now with a conventional loco firebox. government business. There’s no public record of it at Gretna but one worker The style of the loco was governed by the arrival of its tender tank. ‘Did I order there remembered something like Heywood’s rolling stock moving cordite that?!’ was the reaction of Chief Engineer Ted Wright on first sight of the squat before fireless 2ft gauge machines were delivered to that vast munitions box made from a side elevation and overall dimensions. It looked squashed complex in 1916. from the front in marrying the minimum gauge width with a third-scale model loco side elevation and small chimney. Anyway, the barely worn loco arrived at Ravenglass just in time for the extension of Eskdale services to where the old Nab Gill mine had just reopened, by a Mr Whatever it looked like, the machine was an Lazarus but under government control. Rare photos of Boot show the miniature undoubted triumph as it just worked ‘out of locos barely holding together under the strain and Muriel, mistress of any task. the box’ on its first runs in August 1927. The General Manager Robert Mitchell said it was powerful enough to pull all the first photos indicate the original Heywood other rolling stock put together. However Bert Thompson knew the loco could screw-lever reverser was in use, as only later be severely taxed if anyone was heavy handed on the throttle – and that dragged is the rod above the running board visible. the fire over an internal baffle to block the lower tubes in the circular firebox. Heywood wagon couplings were quickly fitted, although photos of the rebuild on Another problem was its flexible stone traffic have only recently turned up. wheelbase and lateral instability when such locos were on track Whenever there was a big train that was not tight to gauge. The connecting with the weekly summer vibration apparently meant the holiday excursions from Blackpool and driver didn’t need a laxative Morecambe, the newly renamed River according to summer volunteer Irt pulled the record breakers. The loco Peter Le Neve Foster! Within a worked up to the outbreak of war and In 1971, just before cosmetic couple of years, the railway’s from directly afterwards, as it was in such changes, River Irt and a young engineers – the Johnson robust condition while River Esk had an driver George Staniforth brothers – devised an expedient extended break involving major boiler approach Ravenglass. Muriel at Boot station. Photo: RRM Archive to lock the leading and trailing work with a new firebox. Photo: Bob Tebb 18 19 Nicknamed ‘Jane’ by Dick Nicholson, her new driver from 1949 for the next Only Black Prince could take a full 10 coach train, Samson needed clearance for twenty years, the loco’s wide footplate enabled the guard and many smaller its front bogie to get round the bends while The Bug was only capable on paper. helpers to enjoy the ride, although a young Trevor Stockton was only allowed Over a weekend, Irt was repainted after being fitted with buffers and vacuum half when the Extra Strong Mints were passed round! When River Mite was brake ejector, then delivered and thrown in for action just before the Royal commissioned in May 1967, it passed River Irt at Irton Road with a broken Opening. Irt kept its buffers for a short while after returning, being promised to tender axle. Thankfully both locos got their trains home, the wheelset was the Britannia Park scheme near Derby that foundered before steam could be sent. quickly changed and nothing worse happened that day. For year after year Irt was a steady performer with regular driver George Staniforth That summer a gang in the Society Camping Coach was discussing the state of at Ravenglass, and occasional visits further afield. It managed to travel all the way the world. Brian Hollingsworth had proposed another future R&ER steam loco round the Romney, as the cab roof just fitted under the Littlestone Road tunnels of narrow gauge proportions, a River Esk boiler, with detail styling to follow Irish by scraping the soot. It starred at the 1990 Gateshead Garden Festival, making the or Rocky Mountain styling and protection for the driver. It seemed so simple to acquaintance of a young driver David Moseley. The following year with Martin Willey alter River Irt with narrow gauge boiler mountings and cab, and sketches were it visited the for the first three weeks of reliable operation since drafted. It took until the winter after the Northern Chief visit five years later that line opened. 1994 celebrated its centenary year with a dedication ceremony before anything happened. The firstRiver Mite’s chimney was cut in two and performed by the current Heywood baronet; Sir Peter read from the family journals lengthened by a piece of pipe from Murthwaite. Its new cab followed the roof recorded by Sir Arthur’s youngest Effie, a candid portrait of her sister Muriel which shape of the 1927 version with elegant cutaways. The loco ran from Easter 1972 sounded remarkably like the loco named after her! with its old six-wheeled tender until the bogie tender with its gracefully flared By the next century the loco suffered an occasional loss of the key on the driving top was completed by that summer. The steaming that always showed up the axle. In its next big overhaul in 2008, it received two new sliding axles and a grate, which was smaller than that on Esk, was much improved, and it brought new boiler. The hope being that it would give little trouble for a good period recriminations from the pages of the Barrow Evening Mail that were countered ahead. However in the winter of 2012 leaking seal welds on the firebox side by a ‘reply from Muriel herself’! stays were evident in cold conditions. The rivets and stays were the wrong steel Then in winter 1976, the 1927 boiler threw a major problem; severe wastage in a and the relatively new boiler needed rebuilding at Cromford. In due course, Irt sidesheet. The quick response was to fit the boiler fromRiver Mite, then on a major came back into service in early 2014 and has now almost completed yet another rebuild and due to be out of traffic all season, while a new boiler was ordered from major cycle of boiler operation between hydraulic tests. Israel Newtons of Bradford. The old boiler was salvaged by local enthusiast Roger Behind the variety of whistles sounded by Keith Herbert and now Anna Mallinson and used in his converted steamboat Shamrock, running on reduced Tilsley in recent times, this loco has a particularly vocal character. The valve pressure and fitted with a side firehole where the wastage had been.River Irt gear generally rattles due to the number of pins; reputedly on a computer with a wide firebox was transformed. programme, the centres are not absolutely where they will allow the rods to It had its own ‘standard’ boiler fitted rotate – i.e. it only works when worn! As it gets further out of shops, slop allows by the following season. a ragtime exhaust beat as pressure on the slide valves increases on a bank then The next significant point in the eases as the load on them decreases. Yet whatever its condition in engineering loco’s existence was a further major terms, the lead wheels always grip the rails and the resistance of the slide valves overhaul in 1983-4 when the driving helps reduce the tendency to wheel slip, to the driver’s delight. ‘How much is wheels were fitted with larger original?’ people often ask. ‘Most of the chassis’. The remnants of the radiating diameter tyres. The work was barely gear sit alongside the latest air brake equipment. The side rods shine up without completed when a crisis grew at any graining, revealing the quality of Victorian materials. They still pull eight the International Garden Festival coaches and more up 1 in 47 grades just as their maker intended! then being set up at Liverpool. The planned 15in gauge railway system Regular Drivers of River Irt had just been connected up and 1927-1949 Joe Farren the first trial trains operated, when 1949-1970 Dick Nicholson River Irt and driver Keith Herbert arrive it was evident that the locos hired at Dalegarth on 9th July 2017. 1970-2009 George Staniforth from New Romney faced problems. Photo: Sophie Mason 2010-pres. Keith Herbert 20 21 Painting the Train From Spain

The boiler is lined out in front of a crowd of road engines. Photo: Ian Hewitt Exquisite detail on the driving wheels. Photo: Ian Hewitt

The cab with cream interior. Photo: Ian Hewitt The smart outline of the new tender. Photo: Ian Hewitt 22 23 From the Secretary’s Desk from the booking office at the same time that privilege tickets are obtained. A Mungo Stacy rover ticket can offer discounts for multiple visits. Society Chairman Volunteer drivers Sam Dixon was elected chairman of the Society Council for 2017/18 at the September Volunteers can train and work on the Railway as three Council meeting. Sam has announced his intention to stand down in 2018. categories of driver: shunter, diesel driver and steam driver. For Katie the 2018 season, there will be an opportunity for one volunteer to train as diesel driver and one volunteer to train as shunter. Katie is awaiting an in-steam examination by the boiler inspector, before she can As has happened previously, a formal application process will run on the Railway. The paperwork for the technical file is also being compiled. be run. Application forms are available from the Secretary. The deadline for applications is Monday 22nd January 2018. Membership Matters The application pack gives full details of the role, application Sarah Bennett process, selection criteria and timescales. Douglas Ferreira overhaul It’s that time of year again for renewals for 2018: please remember that your renewal information is on the reverse of the Magazine address label of both The current intention is to send Douglas Ferreira away for overhaul in January the December and March issues. Whether renewing by post or online, all the 2018. information you need can be found there. Please provide a valid email address Volunteer staff fleeces and polo shirts so you can be contacted easily in case of a membership query (it will not be passed to any third party). Rates from 1st October 2017 are as follows: Adult £20, Fleeces and polo shirts are available in the blue uniform style with ‘Volunteer Senior £18, Child £10, Life £380. staff’ embroidered lettering. These can be useful for volunteers working on or off the Railway doing tasks other than guarding. The Society subsidises the cost The September Magazine (226) has detailed instructions for renewal and of these items. They are available for £20 (fleece) and £10 (polo shirt). Please payment, but if you need any further help please email me (see page 2). contact Jackie Pharaoh care of the Railway. Please note a change of who will be dealing with your renewal this year, as Membership rates Assistant Membership Secretary Jim Wilcock and I intend each to hold certain membership cards to share the workload. Remember to allow 28 days from The membership rates were increased from October 2017. The new rates are: our receipt of your application to receive your membership cards, although adult £20; child £10; seniors £18; life £380. Following a request from a member, December renewals will be posted out in early January to avoid Christmas the Council considered introducing a category for ‘dog members’. At present it posting (and long Post Office queues) again this year. Looking forward to is not intended to introduce ‘dog membership’ as this would require a number seeing you all in 2018. of technical changes to the articles of association. Dog tickets may be purchased

With Douglas Ferreira predicted to be out of traffic from January, can Lady Wakefield soldier on? Seen here at Rock Point at the end of August on what Northern Rock passes the Sarah Taylor exhibition ram at Beckfoot. was then a rare passenger outing. Photo: Christopher Glover Photo: Christopher Glover 24 25 Volunteering Update support is rich; there are always volunteers there when we need them and for Danny Duckworth that I thank you all for your continued support. I am writing this in the run up to our world-famous Hallowe’en event, and this Most of you reading this will realise that actually, this is my first rodeo, and I year there is double the fun (double the trains) meaning we need double the therefore apologise if this isn’t the usual exciting update that you would have amount of people. Volunteers are always encouraged to take part in events like previously read courtesy of Mr Mills. However, I shall do my best! Hallowe’en as volunteers really do make the event what it is and continue to improve it. Of course we need to give thanks to Will Sands and his team for I will begin with possibly the most exciting volunteering prospect for 2018: organising the event and for giving volunteers this unique opportunity to help the launch of Whillan Beck. By the time you all read this much progress will out; Hallowe’en really is one of my favourite events to volunteer for, as you get hopefully have been made towards the reorganised event in 2018, which should to see a side to the Railway you wouldn’t normally, and you really feel like you take place over the early May bank holiday. With this huge event on the horizon are a vital element in the running of the event. I suggest you all start planning I’d like to make a plea for volunteers; we will need guards, station masters for next year! Not just for Hallowe’en, but for any of the events that you feel you and general assistants to start – and many other roles will be available and will could play a part in. Events are planned months and months in advance so why need filling. If you can think of a role that hasn’t previously been mentioned can’t we, as volunteers, help to plan these events by offering our services early? then why not let me know? Anyone can be a volunteer and it is not all about It really does make a difference. becoming a guard, trust me… In my four years of volunteering I’ve undertaken more roles than I can remember! Some of them include: guarding, trackwork, Volunteers are such an asset to the Railway and of course we are always on the manning the BR box and even just turning up to help do some cleaning – there lookout for new volunteers. We love welcoming newcomers to the Railway and, really is something for everyone! So if you feel like you’d enjoy being involved though we do always require guards, it’s not the only volunteer role, so please in one of the biggest narrow gauge events of 2018 then let us know! Simply get in touch if you have any interest, in any role, even if it doesn’t currently exist! email [email protected] with any interest you may have and I will be able Personally, my love for the Ratty comes from my volunteering and the sense of to point you in the right direction, and give any advice that may be required. belonging that comes with it; the Railway is one big family and I know many I’d also like to thank all of the volunteers who had offered their services for the others have a similar feeling, therefore I urge you either to get involved or, if now-postponed Oktoberfest event; it is greatly appreciated and I hope you will you already are, to continue volunteering. We really couldn’t do it without you all be as excited for the new event next year. and I hope to see many of you volunteering in 2018. Leading on from Oktoberfest, I’d like to try and promote a real up and coming volunteer role; the role in question is ‘meet and greet’. As the Railway continues to plan ambitious events and run busy timetables whilst carrying large numbers of passengers, there is an increasing demand for a ‘meet and greet’ person to assist customers generally and ensure they have a relaxing and enjoyable day out at the best little railway in the world (opinion). The meet and greet role carries great responsibility, as you can be one of the first people that customers see when arriving at the Railway, and if this person is welcoming and helpful then it will shape an enjoyable day out for the passengers (research has shown this). A meet and greet person does not need extensive railway knowledge or training – all they will need is a passion for our Railway and a friendly nature. Obviously basic timetable and site knowledge is essential, but this is something that develops with time at the Railway, so for this role we welcome anyone; if you think you’d like to help but not necessarily in an operational role then just let me know. Many railways now use the meet and greet role, so it has been tried and tested, and we know it would be a valuable asset especially during summer and events such as Peppa Pig and Oktoberfest. I am extremely thankful to be the volunteers’ liaison at a railway where volunteer River Mite rounds Rock Point with a dark Bowfell in the distance; volunteer and experience the magic of Ratty. Photo: Diane Glover 26 27 Being in the Workshop of both. Apart from Nigel Day’s personal influence I am still not sure how come Tony Kuivala I gravitated into the workshop. I had no practical engineering influences either from my family or schooling. Rather the opposite had occurred. Be that as it may it was coming up 25 years ago that my wife suggested that I should take a Recently I have been reflecting on my last decade. Have you noticed recently more active participation in Steamport, which was only a mile or so away from how the patterns of life are always changing? It is very rare now that I visit the where we lived in Southport. These were interesting days. Conditions inside branch of my bank on Lord Street in Southport. I pay in cheques (not that I get the building were not that good. We were regularly up on the roof fixing leaks. many) through the letter box out of hours (and not always in Southport) – or Engineering facilities were primitive. Time moved on, Steamport moved on, I by post. This struck home last week when I took in masses of round-edged moved on. My real introduction to workshops was firstly the new building then £1 coins, already in £20 bags. The cashier was unable to accept, as she did not activity within Ribble Steam Railway’s workshop. Then for a largely concurrent have anywhere to put them. She was at a free-standing lectern-type structure decade at the East Lancashire Railway in the Steam Department with immediate with racks of leaflets on each side. Yes, it was a very pleasant and personal access to Ian Riley’s facilities and Duke Of Gloucester’s various successes and situation (and I wondered how the lady could stand for so long). But what tribulations. My basic learning was about taking things apart and more about really impressed me was how friendly the staff were. Another lady appeared how not to do things! Now thanks to Graeme King, Nigel and others here I have out of nowhere and introduced me to a machine mounted in the wall. I’d seen moved up a rung on my learning ladder – now I am putting things back together! similar in America and latterly in our supermarkets. You pour in your money, the machine swallows what it wants, rejects what it does not like and gives you River Esk has been the reason for my continuing personal development. Even a piece of paper. as a very late starter I have not found any difficulty. Big words such as the names of some parts can still confuse me. I prefer to be shown. Watching then doing We need view changes in our workshop along similar lines. In 2004 I was in the conditions the mind far more than being handed written pages. Herein is the area on heritage tourism business so had stopped by at Ratty. At the time I was a secret. No matter what your skill or ability levels – from nil upwards – there Director and Trustee of Steamport Southport 1984 Ltd. We had moved to Preston are opportunities to learn. There is a welcoming environment. Encouragement and reinvented ourselves as the Ribble Steam Railway. Our site in Southport had is ever present. If you mess something up it does not matter. Yes, it does not been bought from BR in the 1980s at a decent price and we had sold at a massive matter! I have frequently seen Graeme, Peter Fitzwilliam or Nigel not being profit to Boots The Chemist Pension Fund who established Central12 Business satisfied with their own workmanship and starting again from scratch rather Park there. Our pride and joy in Preston was the brand new workshop we had than bodge a job. If such is good enough for them then why should we need built on a brownfield site without any external funding. On my Ratty guided tour worry? I do not. I’m not embarrassed to admit I’ve gone wrong. (Please do not I was invited to visit the Ravenglass workshop. Permission had to be asked to use these words against me elsewhere!). enter. You stood outside at the door whilst your request was validated. I was in and being shown out in under ten minutes; it was certainly speedy. One of the things that I have been noticing lately is how many people are turning up daily to undertake workshop tasks. No, not sweeping the floor – you clean Times move on. From 2007 I started being a regular visitor, then a working up as you go. As never before there is a friendly and welcoming atmosphere. volunteer on the track with a group from Southport introduced by Peter Mills. There is a multitude of small tasks which, for example, involve the small parts In maybe 2009 or 2010 I was taken over to the workshop by David Moseley to we have manufactured in-house. These need finishing off to the high standards collect something or other. The same entrance procedure applied. It was another that the public expects. These are not mundane tasks. They are important, vital world, similar to a parallel universe, on the other side of the car park. Looking even; they support the work of the Ratty’s full-time engineers. Why not pop in back I suspect that it was the aura of the building not the individual members and see for yourself? Your age and skill levels are not important, and gender of staff (who I always found helpful, talkative and friendly). And time moved is immaterial. Just some interest and enthusiasm. When you have seen and inextricably forward again, to events that shook the Railway. Those dark clouds handled some of these fittings you will realise how significant a contribution have had silver linings. So much has happened in these last five years. It is not my we each can make. The environment is warm and safe, away from any poor purpose to mention more – my purpose is the here and now. That here and now weather; a first floor messroom is comfortably equipped for regular brews. is that after a hiatus the new workshop has been up and running for two years. From my own personal knowledge of elsewhere I can say the Ratty experience Amongst the changes, I now spend a fair amount of time in here. I am an is first class. When you look at howEsk is currently it is obvious how important insider looking out, not an outsider looking in. We are all aware that insiders the contributions of volunteers have been. You will be dealing with tangible, and outsiders never see the whole picture. I write this with some perceptions long-lasting, visible engineering that next year onwards you can point to 28 29 and say “I worked on that, I did that, I am part of that” and so on. There is an Synolda on Tour additional feature we should not lose sight of. You will be using heritage skills Danny Duckworth and Keith Herbert that youngsters rarely see and have little opportunity to learn. These skills have to be passed along the generations; transferred through practical ‘hands It was announced that the Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch railway would be on’ involvement. We must bring on and encourage the youngsters who have hosting a gala to celebrate its 90th anniversary. Romney made contact with even the smallest interest. What they learn will help them in their personal and Ravenglass and it was agreed that Synolda would attend the event. Synolda working lives. departed Ravenglass on 6th May for New Romney where it was tested, once Peter Across the other side of the car park is no longer another world. It is part of the van Zeller arrived, with short shuttles to Half-Mile Curve, which is Dungeness- one Ratty World. During the summer have you noticed that the roller shutter side of New Romney, for those not familiar with the line. On the first day of the doors at either end have been open? Not both ends at once but either end gala event (Saturday) Synolda worked shuttles with The Bug to Half-Mile Curve depending on the wind. The public can see in. It is not a secret world. What has and return, this giving Synolda the opportunity to show her acceleration once amazed me is that no-one tries to enter. They stand and look in. More often than departed from New Romney. The shuttle ran around six times on the Saturday not if there is nothing crucial or safety critical happening then they are invited and passengers commented admirably of Synolda’s performance. From a in for five minutes. The responses are tremendous. No-one has taken undue personal point of view, it was nice to see Synolda stretch her legs on unfamiliar advantage. What is on show is work in progress, Esk being rebuilt, carriages ground, and Peter unsurprisingly seemed to enjoy himself. Danny’s job was to being serviced, parts being manufactured. And a welcoming atmosphere. Ratty is provide information to passengers about Synolda and the R&ER and to help a proud organisation. What we have in the workshop should be proudly shown. keep Synolda looking resplendent. Synolda was retired early on the Sunday after a couple of issues encountered on its early afternoon shuttle to Romney We have moved on from change forced upon us. Gone are the days of exile to Warren, but this did not ruin the day as the engine was kept simmering outside Workington and other difficulties. What we are seeing in 2017 is change through the engine shed for the remainder of the afternoon, giving people many photo evolution. It is not the fabric of the building. The old one died five years ago. opportunities and more chance to learn about the engine and the railway it had The brand new one is two years old. Structures and plant are impersonal. What makes the most profound mark is the spirit and personalities of those who are in there daily. The ‘team ethos’ has been recreated from scratch, and in a frankly wonderful environment. We have what we have, not what we had. Most of the time we as people fail to recognise the power of positive changes. They just slip by in our lives as circumstances change around us. Life continues to evolve as we move through 2017. And most vital here is the volunteer element which underpins the work of the permanent staff. I have been fortunate to be a part of this, and not on the sidelines having missed out on a series of fulfilling opportunities. You should be part of it. I’m proud of what I am doing. And in conclusion, back to where I started with a bank machine: we all get out what we put in, and when I checked the rejected coins in the bank’s coin counter I had Tony Kuivala admires progress on River Esk. made a profit! Synolda and RHDR No.4 The Bug at New Romney. Photo: Danny Duckworth Photo: Nigel Day 30 31 come from. The Bug worked a seven-coach return to Romney Sands later in the precluded the good steaming necessary for a trouble-free ascent of the hill. afternoon and Synolda was ‘put to bed’ once the main event had passed (the Overall the pair worked well together, though it was noted a few times that ‘available engine’ header) which was very impressive! It’s fair to say Synolda Synolda was handling a disproportionately large share of the work! enjoyed its holiday to Kent, and so did I! Thank you to Romney for putting on The train was made up of two carriages and a van which housed the same Ratty a magnificent event.Synolda returned to Ravenglass on 20th May. I think you air compressor (for train braking) which was used on Typhoon at Ravenglass in will all agree that in the absence of a spare ‘big’ steam engine, Synolda is a good 2016. By only the second trip on Saturday it had exhausted its batteries, causing ambassador for the Railway in visiting other railway’s events. a failure of the train at Cuckoo’s Nest. Rescue came in the form of the handsome And so it proved again in September, when Synolda joined the Kirklees diesel engine Jay, which also hauled the next trip pending sourcing of fresh Light Railway’s ‘Giants on the Line’ gala, starring amongst the comparatively batteries for the Bassett-Lowkes. At 16.30 the diminutive pair took a train up the enormous RH&DR locomotives No.8 Hurricane and No.9 Winston Churchill, full line and back – something of a ‘must see’ for the visiting enthusiasts, worth as well as fellow Bassett-Lowke ‘Little Giant’ Prince Edward of Wales, from the sticking around for, and certainly a spectacle to behold! Miniature Railway. Also on the rostrum were the popular RH&DR internal On the Sunday the work was much the same, though batteries were rotated combustion locomotive Red Gauntlet and the home fleet of KLR engines – during the day to keep the Ravenglass compressor in good order. The grand Badger, Hawk, Owl, Katie and diesels Jay and the tram. finale of any KLR gala is the ‘Shelley or Bust’ – a train up the line hauled by Preparation started on the Friday, with the refitting of water gauge glasses and as many engines as possible! PEW and Synolda were left out of this line- ashpan slides (these being among components not attached while it is on display up, but following a mid-afternoon round-trip double-headed with resident in the museum at Ravenglass). After quite some time we were able to embark powerhouse Hawk (an impromptu opportunity to have some fun!) Synolda on our proving run, together with Class 10 Atlantic Prince Edward of Wales. was almost (almost!) recalled. In the end the Bassett-Lowkes were put on shed Throughout the weekend Synolda’s main remit would be in double-heading for the night, while the rest of the steam engines (all six of them) took the train. shuttles to Skelmanthorpe station, about two miles away from the Clayton West The cacophony of whistles in the Shelley Woodhouse tunnel, particularly from headquarters, with the Class 10 for company. the delightful chime of Winston Churchill, was enjoyed by all. Synolda has a long-standing reputation as a free-steaming locomotive and, once Synolda, now three-times a gala visitor at KLR, seems popular among resident again, a firebox heavily laden with the the almost-square blocks of Ayrshire coal crews there, and I thank them all wholeheartedly for their warmth and hospitality. did nothing to deter the engine from storming the steep inclines of the KLR. We highly recommend visits to the RH&DR and KLR galas of the future – they By contrast Prince Edward of Wales did not adapt so readily, and it seemed are very well run and enjoyable events, with plenty of operational variety and its narrow little firebox could easily be ‘over-fired’, causing a choking which (at KLR) a beer tent! At last, a downside to driving the locomotive!

In top ‘n’ tail mode, Synolda and No.4 at work on the RHDR. Prince Edward of Wales and Synolda tackle the inclines of the Kirklees Light Photo: Chris Kennedy Railway. Photo: Nicola Wilcock 32 33 Katie The Colossus Project Peter van Zeller Jordan Leeds

The loco arrived back at Ravenglass in June and was offloaded directly by the The history of miniature railways, and particularly those of 15in gauge, holds a delivery lorry into the museum, as the completion of a projected traverser trolley great fascination for many enthusiasts, and its history is well covered. During for access to the different line options there was still in its early stages. This 2015, some research was carried out by a member of the LMS Patriot project trolley has now been assembled thanks to volunteer John Sunderland and Old team, Jordan Leeds, into the possibility of recreating the Bassett-Lowke 15in Hall Engineering. Although the loco had boiler tests at Station Road Steam, for it gauge Pacific which was originally built to the order of Captain Jack Howey in to be used at Ravenglass, it has to pass a set of test requirements similar to those 1913, and named John Anthony. This later became Colossus on the Ravenglass already approved for the Krauss machine Whillan Beck, but proportionate to and Eskdale Railway, and its chassis was later incorporated in the R&ER’s ill- the relatively reduced activity and loads envisaged for Katie. The paper trail for fated firstRiver Mite articulated locomotive. It is worth noting that, at the time of all the safety critical elements is being assembled for the obligatory Technical its construction, it was only the second Pacific type locomotive built in the UK. File, following the model set up by Society Secretary Mungo Stacy and approved In the search for information and parts, detailed surveys have been made of by the independent Suitably Qualified and Experienced Person, Ron Whalley. the Bassett-Lowke Atlantic locomotives Count Louis and Synolda, as these The loco has now had its formal cold visual boiler examination for the R&ER engines shared many common components with the Pacific. A small collection boiler register and awaits the steam test. When the opportunity permits it needs of drawings was obtained from the Henry Greenly Archive, lately held by to be formally judged on the same criteria as Whilllan Beck against the Railway Maxitrak Ltd. Further drawings have subsequently been obtained. Although the Company approved documents for structure and gauge, and then must clock project is in its infancy, much design work has been undertaken to produce a up an approved mileage of running without passengers, after which it could be 3D CAD model of the tender and bogies, and other items. This work includes approved to run up and down the engineers’ sidings with passengers and to go making some minor design changes to eliminate the problem of operating up the main line with a short train. As a short version of Muriel with the rolling ‘scale’ locomotives in the 21st century and to iron out known deficiencies within chassis and running gear completed to the standards of River Irt’s, proven by a the original, such as the frames flexing when under load. This will ensure the century of successful working at Ravenglass, it is to be expected that a design of locomotive can be safely operated on railways in the UK. Sir Arthur Heywood will be robust enough to cope with whatever the boiler can Currently, the tender is under construction, with the framework laid out awaiting supply. It is interesting that the records of the steam trials undertaken at Eaton assembly and detailed design work for the tender tank complete and awaiting Hall in 1897 are relevant to its future new life as an operational museum exhibit. quotation. Approval is being sought for the design of the boiler. A number Sadly in various house moves of different people involved in the Katie of patterns, castings and components have been obtained from a variety of rebuilding project some of the later paperwork is not accessible. Over the 25 sources, including Austin Moss at the Windmill Farm Railway, and Bill Hunt of years from 1992, interested members of the Society were invited to support Sutton Coldfield Railway fame. the project in various ways from During 2017, steps have been taken to formalise the project, and several ‘buying’ relatively low budget members of the LMS Patriot project have agreed to participate in the engineering boiler tubes to sponsoring various challenge. A charitable company is being set up – The Gigantic Locomotive individual high cost items. The list Company – to manage and fundraise for the project and well-known railway of nameplate holders is potentially artist Jonathan Clay has been co-opted on to the management committee, complete, the other lists may not be having provided artwork in aid of the project. up to date. However we don’t want anyone to feel left out by our neglect One of the minor headaches with any 15in gauge locomotive project is the from the Roll of Honour to be kept lack of any form of adopted standards of construction, and within this we have in the museum, or any future event adopted the approach of using sound and proven engineering standards along or activity with the loco, so please with technical information that is of known quantity. All constructional details make contact as soon you can with are to be signed off by our Independent Competent Person, Martyn Ashworth, the museum office (01229 717171) who is overseeing the build on an as and when basis as part of our duty to and confirm if you were so generous. Katie in days of yore. Photo: RRM Archive comply with legislation such as the Railways and Other Guided Transport Act 34 35 (ROGS 2009). Gone are the days of a few people in a shed building a locomotive The Film & Book Club for fun – every safety critical item must be traceable back to the source of the Reviews material, thus ensuring quality and conformity within the engineering and safe operation of what is hoped will be a sight to behold in the not too distant future. Mixed Gauges – J. B. Snell At some point after Colossus’ dismantling, the foreshortened chassis (and that Review by David Moseley of the later Sir Aubrey Brocklebank) was sold by the R&ER to H. Barlow of John Snell was known to many Ratty Southport (circa 1955?), and witnesses attest that they spent some time hanging people as the managing director of the on the wall of Barlow’s workshop. In 1969, the two chassis were sold to Mark Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway Bamford (of JCB fame), though it is not clear how complete they were, or what from 1971 until his retirement in 2000. his intentions for them were. In a conversation with Austin Moss early in 2016, His book is really a photographic he said that Mr. Bamford had scrapped the chassis. However, we have now seen autobiography and it is simply stunning. a letter from Mr. Bamford to Austin, dated September 1990, which states that he John writes in a very pleasing-to-read had ‘disposed of’ the two chassis, and he no longer knew of their whereabouts. way. The book covers his life and his This suggests that the chassis or parts may still exist, and before any large involvement with trains and railways. components are produced, we need to establish if they do exist. If anybody knows one way or another, we would be grateful if they could contact us. The Chapters on his early life centre Mixed Gauges. Photo: David Moseley fact that various motion parts from Sir Aubrey Brocklebank have recently been around the Somerset and Dorset, Fiji, unearthed in Southampton suggests that more might survive. and Wales; later chapters cover work in, and visits to, New Zealand, Australia, Scandinavia, France and Germany. It is perhaps the later chapters on Alpine The only genuine artefact that is known about is a fragment of the locomotive’s Crossings that inspire me the most to visit – his comparison with the music of worksplate. How do we know it belongs to Colossus? The date is clearly visible the Austrian composer Anton Bruckner of the Furka Bergstrecke is particularly as 1913, and this was the only locomotive built by Bassett-Lowke in that year! astute. We must thank the R&ER Co. and Ravenglass Railway Museum for their assistance Writing aside, the photographs are without equal in any book I’ve had the and support with the research undertaken and look forward to telling more of pleasure to look at. Although I’ve read the book several times there always the story in our temporary museum display there over the summer of 2018. seems to be another photo I’ve not looked at in detail. In fact I’d go so far as to Once again, if anyone can shed any light on the fate, or whereabouts of any say that the photos are like multi-layered paintings and each one tells a story by of this locomotive’s itself. components, we John’s easy writing style hides the fact that he comes up with profound and would be grateful meaningful remarks on virtually every page. He describes the purpose of to hear from them. the book as giving some account of ‘The joy in the celebration of human We can be contacted achievement that railways have given me’. In this he succeeds many times over. individually, or through our Facebook page ‘The His final chapter covers his time on the Romney and details the problems, trials Gigantic Locomotive and tribulations that faced the consortium that took over the railway in February Company’ or email 1972. His words still ring true today. colossuslocomotive@ ‘What one is keeping alive is a way of life, a system, a network, and anything outlook.com where living must breathe and change. If a thing is not alive it is dead and if preserved we would be happy to belongs in a museum. That is not the name of this game; life continues and only discuss any aspect of the ever with difficulty. But nothing that is easy satisfies for long.’ project and how people might join as members I can’t recommend this book highly enough. First printed in 2007 and published or be directly involved. A postcard image depicting the former Eskdale by Camden Miniature Steam Services this book is still available on the website locomotive with Gigantic nameplate. www.camdenmin.co.uk at an extremely reasonable price. Photo: Courtesy Peter Williams 36 37 The Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway – Graham Whistler Review by David Moseley Correspondence Another superbly filmed DVD from the stable of Graham Whistler Productions this time featuring our close colleagues and friends of the Romney, Hythe & From Peter Williams, by e-mail: Dymchurch Railway. Dear Mr Chairman, Filmed in the early part of 2017, the 85-minute DVD covers the railway’s gala Thank you for your letter announcing the postponement of the Oktoberfest in May as well as its 90th birthday weekend and a footplate ride on locomotive which we read with some sadness. My wife and I had booked to spend a few No.8 Hurricane. days there during the jollifications but no problem… We are still looking forward There are shots of parallel running, including visiting engines from the Bure to visiting as it is many years since we were in the area. Valley Railway – the bulk of BVR No.6 alongside the Romney engines is I go back a long way to the late 1930s when we used to visit Ratty in the years startling. It is perhaps the staggering beauty and grace of the Greenly-designed of dereliction and my dad, who was born in Dalton, used to go to see surviving and Paxman-built Romney engines though that gives the Romney such appeal. family. We lived in Lancashire and would go to Dalton to see an auntie and uncle In this reviewer’s opinion they are probably the finest engines ever built in any and their daughter (my dad’s cousin) Dorothy. She later married an Eskdale scale or gauge (but I might be slightly biased). man named Ted Cowan and they moved to Ravenglass with their baby daughter Familiar Romney faces abound and there’s also a couple of shots of Synolda Barbara, to take over the Post Office. Then we would stay with them at the P.O. visiting in May with a very familiar Ratty driver at the controls. and the decaying railway always drew me like a magnet but, though everything lay still and quiet, it seemed that a permanent mist of machine oil filled the air The wonderful drone shots by Chris Munn add a great deal to the DVD and show the like a promise for the future. Barbara was a spina bifida baby and suffered more line in an unexpectedly rural setting. I particularly liked the sequence of two trains than her share of hospitalisation but soon found employment in the shop at passing – probably the unique selling point of this fabulous railway for the general Ratty, later to become the General Manager’s Secretary until retirement. You public and enthusiast alike is the ability to recreate the feel of steam-hauled expresses may have known her – I only read of her passing from the pages of the Society passing at speed. It is just a shame, for reasons explained in the clear commentary by magazine on the same page as the report of the workshop fire. Nicholas Owen, that drone filming was not permitted around Dungeness. Fast forward now to the 1960s when, following National Service as 12 years in I do have a couple of niggles though which really should have been picked the RAF (during which time I got married and had a family) we spotted an ad in up. At one point the diesel is described as a diesel mechanical and during the newsletter for a holiday let at Green Lodge, very close to The Green station. the cab ride Hurricane is inexplicably refered to as No.2 as she runs round at So we took it and, for the next few years, did it Hythe. The camera is also a distraction again and again. Eventually our son joined the particularly when it can be seen on the RAF and our daughter went to college, though loco footplate in some of the drone we ourselves still used to go up there for the sequences. Please don’t let these walking. admittedly minor quibbles put you off though. This is a superb record of a very I must tell you what a joy it is to see the pages fine railway. of the Magazine these days. Why so? Well, in 1969 we moved from Scotland down to Henley- The DVD is available from our shops or on-Thames and, on one of our family holidays by post from; to Green Lodge, we were chatting to Douglas Graham Whistler Productions, Ferreira (then General Manager, who was 9 Cherrygarth Road, Catisfield, Fareham, building his house, Underhow, nearby) about Hants. PO15 5NA railway identity. I later produced the device The RER monogram as e-mail [email protected] Drone footage captures an historic which now appears on every page – namely promoted in an early www.gwpvideo.com line-up of Romney locomotives and the RER monogram – and sent it to him. Nice to edition of The R&ER drivers. Photo: Chris Munn know it’s still going! Magazine. Photo: Peter Williams 38 39 From Christine Turkington, by e-mail: Forty Years Ago During 2017, I have had the pleasure of being welcomed as a volunteer in the John Taylor engineering workshops alongside continuing volunteering as a guard. It has not only been an enjoyable experience but has also significantly increased my Edited highlights of previous editions of the Society’s Newsletters/Magazines: knowledge of the valuable work undertaken within these previously ‘closed doors’ to keep our railway steaming every day of the season and fulfilling our marketing Issue No.68: dated Winter 1977/78 of a “steam railway”. However, I am saddened to see the lack of investment in the The cover picture showed Shelagh of Eskdale setting out from Ravenglass for facility and opportunities that could so easily be nurtured to not only fulfil the Dalegarth on a dark wintery afternoon. company mission statement of “…being a growing business, generating profits for re-investment” but to also future-proof the service for many years to come. News from Ravenglass th At present I consider the railway to be extremely fortunate with the engineering During the period of high tides, that for the 11 November was not expected to personnel it employs. Nigel Day is a world renowned expert on enhancing steam cause trouble, the highest ones being two days later; however a strong south- using new technologies, thereby increasing power and reliability yet gaining westerly gale blew up and the results were disastrous. The tide came even higher significant efficiencies. Nigel’s work onRiver Esk has been exemplary and, when than in 1967 and did far more damage. The tide came up the main road as far she is in service, she will be a testament to the quality and skills that Nigel currently, as the R&ER bridge where it deposited a boat! Fortunately for Mill and could possibly continue to, provide to this railway. Graeme has dedicated the river was not in flood, nevertheless the water rose above the railway line. the majority of his career to this railway and knows all of the Ratty engines as Despite the line having been raised across the Marsh supposedly above flood well as anyone could ever do so. His knowledge of the railway built up over a level, the ballast was washed out on one stretch of the embankment leaving the considerable number of years combined with his dedication and willingness to track suspended three feet in the air. lead the facility is invaluable. Peter has brought to engineering a positive can-do Despite spells of terrible weather, the permanent way gang have got well attitude along with his knowledge of diesel engineering, which complements the ahead with the winter relaying programme. However the November weekend skillset of the other engineers. coincided with the autumn floods. Not surprisingly, the Saturday morning All of our engineers are keen to train and encourage future engineers. Individuals was spent rendering assistance to those who needed help in the village, lifting with an interest in engineering are welcomed into the workshop to learn and carpets and moving furniture that had sustained flood damage. In the afternoon build up their own knowledge. It is this forward thinking that is imperative to the the working party made its way to Barrow Marsh where the embankment was continuation of the steam railway engineering industry. All of this goes on in the built up again with the ballast that had been washed down, and at one point railway’s much improved new engineering facility. It could be argued that the a deck of sleepers was built up to support a section of track where the entire railway couldn’t ask for better facilities to maintain and improve its rolling stock. foundation had been swept away. This repair work was all the more important because an ‘out-of-season’ special was due to run on the Sunday. So, what opportunities do I think should be nurtured? In my own humble opinion, for all the reasons identified above, the engineering facility at the railway The engine shed has at last received a new corrugated iron roof and new is currently in a very good position to invest and grow in three areas, namely: chimneys for raising steam have been ordered. collaboration with a local education provider to establish a training programme River Mite’s major rebuild is nearing completion and testing under steam will be for young engineers to learn the skills required to maintain the rolling stock of carried out early in January. River Esk is stripped down for its annual overhaul. a working steam railway; continue the investment in the steam fleet to improve River Irt is now without a boiler, River Mite’s having been restored to its rightful reliability, increase efficiencies and thereby reduce financial outlay; offer paid- place. A new boiler for River Irt is being built near Bradford. for services to other narrow gauge steam railways and build up a reputation as a centre of excellence for engineering. Synolda All of these areas are intertwined. For example, the paid-for services and the It is with great joy that we can report that Sans Pareil’s twin is coming to investment in the fleet cannot be offered without the skills the railway currently Ravenglass as the prime exhibit in the new railway museum. Only three ‘Class employs, and cannot be continued without investment in training future 30’ Bassett-Lowke engines were built, Sans Pareil and Synolda in 1912 and engineers. I encourage the railway to consider such opportunities now whilst the Count Louis in 1923, so it is especially appropriate that Synolda is taking Sans basic requirements are in place. Pareil’s place in our exhibition. 40 41 She started life on Sir Robert Walker’s Sand Hutton Railway near York where Ratty Diary 2017-2018 she remained until about 1922. She then disappeared although the Railway Magazine of May 1932 (page 387) stated that the engine had been transferred E&OE. Please check details before travelling to Ravenglass! She may have been at Southend, but in recent years has been at Belle Vue, Manchester, where she was renamed Prince Charles and suffered certain indignities in the way of Americanisation. DATE EVENT CONTACT Prince Charles, as the loco will be known for the time being, appears to be in DECEMBER fair condition. The boiler has received attention in recent years and seems good 2nd, 3rd, 9th, 10th, † Santa Express Ravenglass although re-tyring is urgently needed and a general overhaul will be needed 16th - 23rd eventually. The engine will be fully restored and will run on the Railway on special occasions. Saturday 9th Council Meeting, Ravenglass Secretary

Volunteering 1978 JANUARY 2018 Over the years the Railway has come to rely on Society volunteers to help Saturday 13th - Track Week Ravenglass operate traffic during the height of the season. The Company does have enough Sunday 21st staff to run services if no volunteers turn up – as does sometimes happen – but this does mean that other specialist work has to stop to move staff to guarding Thursday 18th Press deadline, March issue Editor duties. FEBRUARY In 1978 we will have a separate timetable of trains available for visiting school th parties. We would therefore make a plea to those members whose time is more Saturday 10 - February half-term, followed by weekend Ravenglass th or less their own to offer their services in June and July. In the school holidays Sunday 18 running the Railway needs about six volunteers on most days to cover all duties. You will MARCH appreciate then how important it is for us to know who will be available when. th We often have only a vague idea as to who will be at Ravenglass on any morning Saturday 10 Council Meeting, Ravenglass Secretary and this makes planning almost impossible. Saturday 17th Start of daily service Ravenglass To improve the image of the Railway and of the guards, who are the passengers’ main contact with the line, it is planned to have smart new uniforms available. APRIL Thursday 19th Press deadline, June issue Editor

MAY Friday 4th - May Bank Holiday, launch of Chairman Monday 7th Whillan Beck

Full details of all Railway events can be seen on the website: † Please book in advance http://ravenglass-railway.co.uk/events/

Back Cover: Northern Rock heads across the marsh for the hills with a Santa Exhibition engine Synolda pilots KLR loco Hawk into Shelley station. special in December 2016. Photo: David Moseley

Photo: Nicola Wilcock The R&ER Magazine is published by the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway Preservation Society Ltd. 2017. Registered office: The Station, Ravenglass, Cumbria CA18 1SW. Incorporated in . Registered No. 697768. 42 Printed by Craven Design and Print, Shropshire. www.cravendesignandprint.co.uk 43