The R&ER Magazine Number 227 December 2017 The Journal of the Ravenglass 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, Cumbria 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, Drigg Road, Seascale, 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, Holmrook, 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 Lake District 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.