The R&ER Magazine Number 219 December 2015 The Journal of the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway Preservation Society Published quarterly by the Editorial The Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway Keith Herbert Preservation Society Limited R&ER Member of the Heritage At the outset of this Editorial it is necessary to present corrections for Magazines Railway Association 216 and 217. In 217 the photo of Lady Augusta (page 21) should have been Magazine credited to the Doug Ferreira Collection, not to Sam Dixon. The Centre Spread photos of Shelagh of Eskdale and Douglas Ferreira should have been credited No 219 December 2015 to the Doug Ferreira Collection and to Christopher Glover, respectively. Also Editorial Team: Keith Herbert, Di Chase, Opinions expressed by contributors and on page 21 it was stated that Shelagh was built in 1967 – but it was 1969. In the Bill Seddon, Mark Harrington, in editorial comment do not necessarily 216 Centre Spread, the photo of Green Goddess features Captain Howey on the John Taylor reflect the collective views of the Society. footplate with not Henry Greenly, but another fireman whose identity eludes Editorial Designer: Julie Hutchinson us. With Christmas now upon us, perhaps Santa will be unkind enough to leave lumps of coal in the Editor’s stocking for making such elementary mistakes! Address for Magazine Correspondence: PRESS DEADLINE: Material for inclusion in Keith Herbert the next issue of the Magazine must As I write, the end of our hundredth anniversary year draws near. Despite the 7 Dalegarth Cottages reach the editors not later than railway’s insistence that its August Bank Holiday celebrations would not be Boot, Holmrook Thursday 14th January at noon. called a ‘gala’, every social media comment and industry press report insisted Cumbria CA19 1TF Please send material earlier if possible. that it was one! Staff and volunteers came to know it as the ‘not-a-gala gala’ – a [email protected] satirical jibe making light of our apparent crisis of identity; who or what are The R&ER Magazine is always pleased to receive correspondence, photographs and articles for possible inclusion. we, and what do we do? For the travelling public we hope what we did was Most nowadays arrive via our e-mail address, but postal contributions are just as welcome. Please write your name and address on the back of any prints, and give at least the date and location of each put on a weekend full of appeal and fun, showcasing the Ratty once more at its photograph where possible. We have scanning facilities for slides and negatives, and will endeavour to return any best. Whether it was the miserable failure of Lydia’s battery-powered air brake loaned photographic material. compressor on the way down Horsefalls on the Sunday evening, or the spirited performances of Synolda and Count Louis on their Muncaster Mill shuttles, http://www.rerps.co.uk Society website: there was plenty of entertainment on offer for the oft-overlooked enthusiast – Council Chairman: Sam Dixon, 15 Lyceum Close, Leighton, Crewe, Cheshire CW1 3YB. a very welcome change. Email: [email protected] Hon. Secretary: Mungo Stacy, 34 Mayfield Road, Manchester M16 8EU. Email: [email protected] Hon. Financial Secretary: David Lees, 31 Water Street, Ribchester, Preston, Lancashire PR3 3YJ. Email: [email protected] Hon. Membership Secretary: Phil Taylor, 12 Wholehouse Road, Seascale, Cumbria CA20 1QY. Email: [email protected] (1-1299 and 2500-3999) Assistant Membership Secretary: Jim Wilcock, ‘Porthlow’, Neston Road, Ness, Neston CH64 4AZ. Email: [email protected] (1300-2499) Sales Officer: Terry Williams, 88 Bluestone Road, Moston, Manchester M40 9HY. Email: [email protected] Magazine Distributor: Cumbria Mailing Services Ltd. Penrith, CA11 9FQ. Heywood House Bookings: Mary Harding. Email: [email protected]. Tel: 01229 717080. Volunteers: Peter Mills. Email: [email protected] General Manager: Trevor Stockton, R&ER Co. Ltd. Ravenglass, Cumbria, CA18 1SW. Tel: 01229 717171. Front Cover: Hauling the Muncaster Mill Centenary Shuttle back to Ravenglass, The visiting engines on show outside the Ravenglass workshop. th Synolda crosses Barrow Marsh on 30 August 2015. Photo: Ian Pilkington Photo: David Mart 2 3 These notes are being penned in Spain, where a small team has assembled to on time. Next season we have been promised six tours, with five on consecutive inspect and evaluate the second of the available Krauss Pacific locomotives Saturdays from early June – no pressure then! currently for sale (the first of three originally on offer was sold to the Killesberg As you read this news we will be into the Santa season; a similar number of Park line in Stuttgart, in October 2014). This engine – No.8457 – could herald a trains as in previous years are booked to run, with many loading well. very exciting future for steam on the R&ER, having been found in substantially better condition than we could have dreamt! So what is the proposition? A nearly Work progresses, albeit slowly, on the guards’ room. There will be the usual complete, German-built, 1929-vintage steam locomotive, six-coupled as per the running repairs to the stock for the maintenance team and Peter [van Zeller] Company’s requirement for any new-build or acquisition at the present time, has his wish list of stock to paint. Perkins, as of mid-October, is starting to take which had an unbelievably short working life which ended in – we think – 1932! shape and work continues on the Esk. The machine work on the rods and other components is evidently of a high In early winter we will be having a new phone system installed. Much needed, it standard, the loco improved with roller bearings throughout; the frames are will give us the luxury of a talking timetable, among myriad other features. It is original and the 1920s boiler is in ‘as new’ condition – and this is not conjecture; hoped that the New Year will see the radio kit upgraded to a digital system. This the team comprised of Mungo Stacy, Peter van Zeller, Keith Herbert, and the will include the base station, signal box and all the mobiles [on the locomotives]. railway’s insurance company boiler inspector Bob Garnett, who commented The ‘old’ system went through three generations of radio sets and saw the main that machines this old, yet this ‘new’ were simply “unheard of”. mast moved three times. Although it has taken us some time to get round to So is this now R&ER preservation’s prime target? Let’s just say that perhaps a this upgrade, I wonder how long it will be before we change again… Perhaps lump of coal for Christmas might make rather a kind gift, after all. RANDER pigeon will be the next evolution! Volunteer recruitment has been impressive in the latter part of the main season, News from Ravenglass with a number of new guards passed out [at least twelve that I can count – Ed.]; Trevor Stockton long may it continue. If you have any spare time and you would like to come and help in any aspect of volunteering please do not hesitate to get in touch. Contact details are inside the front cover. As we approach Christmas 2015 we can look back on another good season for the railway; much has been achieved within the budgets set. More importantly Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year to all. is the conclusion of moving back into the workshop, completing phase one of the museum and resurfacing two thirds of Ravenglass car park. The hundredth anniversary was a huge success, the railway received a large amount of publicity both in the local press, television and radio, the sun shone most of the time, and the railway ran almost faultlessly. Importantly everyone had an enjoyable time. What was very noticeable, most welcome and almost overwhelming was the contribution from the volunteers. It was possible to send personnel to all stations (including the Mill for the special centenary shuttle), cover the guarding turns (including the free train at the workshop) and still have folk to spare. A big thank you to all involved. Although we did approach our friends at the Bure Valley and Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railways, try as they might they couldn’t release locomotives to us for this season. We have been very fortunate to enjoy their support in recent years, however we have survived 2015, just, with our own fleet. The ‘three steam, one diesel’ service in the high summer was sustainable most days, with some occasions of two steam engines and two diesels. Two Perrygrove’s Soony and KLR’s Katie on the workshop yard shuttle. Statesman Rail tours stretched us, but we got everyone up and back in time and Photo: Jackie Pharaoh 4 5 Traffic News graded track with appalling rail conditions. Although the locos work hard in Peter van Zeller such challenging circumstances, remarkably little goes wrong. Against this background, River Mite missed 6th-8th May with faulty cylinder River Irt, River Mite and Northern Rock were available throughout 2015 as all draincocks and 11th May from a tender air compressor issue. On 2nd July when had their boiler examinations before the running season. Hence three steam it was the only steam loco available, injector problems on its first run were locos were running on 17th May, the Spring Bank Holiday of 23rd-29th May, 17th- cured for its last run by cleaned filters, clogged by leaves from one of the water 18th, 20th-21st, 27th June, 3rd-4th July, much of the peak summer yellow service, tanks. Its steam compressor failed on 22nd July. On a happier note, it pulled the Shaun the Sheep weekend and scheduled for the last week of daily trains Harrison Christening train on 7th June, hauled eleven cars effortlessly on 16th and the Narrow Gauge Gathering.