ON SHED - OCTOBER 2010 EDITION

"Preserving the steam locomotive legacy...and more...on film"


OCTOBER 2010


FRONT PAGE



On the final approach to Goathland 49395 pulls away from the curve at Darnholme 01/09/10..(c) Nic Burden.

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CONTENTS

Welcome ...and site news....
Video Highlights
Photographic highlights
PRESERVATION PROJECTS
Along the Trans-Siberian Railway
The 50 Best Railway Journeys
AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 RAILWAYS-5 Channel Tunnel to Paris
Christian Wolmar- Newsletter to Subscribers
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Welcome...and site news...

Welcome to this October 2010 edition of "On Shed"
There are now 1,391 videos (89 added this last month) and 6,128 photographs (+615)
in our archives!Page views this month for Steamtube were in excess of 36,000!
And a warm welcome to the new members this last month...25...bringing total membership to 353.

RAILTUBE
Dieseltube,Electrictube and Disusedtube can now be found at Railtube (http://grou.ps/steam_tube)
After Ning's changes we now feel confident that our fresh new look will be easier for us all to navigate. Please sign up to the non-steam channels too!

A Word About Spamming
We would like to apologize to our members for the unnecessary and unwarranted messages you all received from a spammer. We have deleted the "member". In future new members will need to be approved by TFC. Hopefully this will prevent a further occurence of this type of distasteful intrusion.
Please accept our apologies. (Andy TFC and Peter Shedmaster)


Now lets get into this month's edition of "On Shed"..............

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Video Highlights

Double heading.....





6024 King Edward I & 5029 Nunney Castle leaving Plymouth (Chris Sloman)

....a private dining train charter...





9F 92203 Elegant Excursion 28th August 2010 Gloucester and Warwick Steam Railway ( XxBec3509)

...a chance encounter....




92 Squadron at Wansford on the Nene Valley Railway (Dave Greenfield)


...from the USA....




3RR Railfan Weekend Part I (Sean Dunn)

...and from South Africa...




Reefsteamers Class 12AR 1535 Susan seen arriving and leaving Maraisburg on 4 September 2010 (Derek)


Visit: http://steamtube.ning.com/video/video?sort=latestfor more like this...

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Photographic Highlights

Find more photos like this on Steam Tube - steam Train Photos and Video Sharing

Riding Durango & Silverton RR (Jim White)



Find more photos like this on Steam Tube - steam Train Photos and Video Sharing
Brecon Mountain Railway 8-9-10 by Mark Sorrell

...and for garden railway enthusiasts.........Pilton Valley Railway by Jack Thompson

Find more photos like this on Steam Tube - steam Train Photos and Video Sharing


...and another glorious selection from Jim White....

Find more photos like this on Steam Tube - steam Train Photos and Video Sharing

Riding Cumbres & Toltec Scenic RR
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PRESERVATION PROJECTS

The arrival of Tornado on the scene last year certainly enlivened interest in steam locomotion, if the number of photographs and videos is anything to go by.

It is hard to believe that we now have in the UK a total of nearly 500 preserved steam locomotives…some of these are in working order, others are static displays, and others are in the process…often lengthy.. of restoration.
The credit for this state of affairs must go to the owning groups, and the countless volunteers who work behind the scenes in motive power depots and engine sheds.
The enthusiasm for steam locomotion seems endless….
The arrival on the scene of Tornado at the beginning of 2009 has had a tremendous impact on interest in steam locomotion.
And there are other ongoing projects …..a Patriot, County class, Grange class and a Star rebuild amongst others…
Below is a partial listing of locomotives being restored …and some new builds!

1
2409 King George2409 ‘King George’. A Hunslet standard ‘15-inch’ saddle tank locomotive built in 1942. The only steam locomotive owned within the GWR, it entered service in 2000 following a lengthy overhaul at Toddington. ‘15-inch’ refers to the stroke of the locomotive's inside cylinders.

Shunting on industrial railway systems. King George was delivered new to Linby Colliery, Nottinghamshire, in 1942, subsequently moving to other collieries. It was eventually sold for scrap in 1980 but was rescued and moved to Toddington in 1981. Painted red, the locomotive was restored at Toddington. King George distinguished itself by becoming the first steam locomotive for over 30 years to reach Cheltenham Race Course, shortly after track laying was completed, in February 2001. King George is now dismantled and undergoing a 10 year refurbishment which will include re-tubing the boiler as well as some work on the running gear.








King George at Toddington







2 6984 Owsden Hall
6984 'Owsden Hall' - Modified Hall class mixed traffic locomotive, built 1948. Owned by Trevor Westbury and under restoration at Toddington on the GWR.

A powerful mixed-traffic locomotive, as at home on express passenger trains as on freight work. 330 of the Hall and Modified hall classes were built and could be found all over the Great Western system. Owsden Hall left Dai Woodham's Barry scrapyard in late 1986 has been undergoing restoration at Toddington ever since.

3. 35006 'Peninsular & Oriental S. N. Co' - Rebuilt Merchant Navy class express passenger locomotive, built 1941; rebuilt 1959. Owned by The 35006 Locomotive Company Limited and coming towards the end of its restoration at Toddington.

4
44027
44027 (4027) - Fowler 4F class goods locomotive. This engine, part of the National Collection, moved to the GWR in 2009 and is awaiting completion of its restoration


4F 44222 at Toddington on the GWR


These locomotives were found all over the LMS area and some 772 examples were built between 1911 and 1940. Although goods locomtives, 4Fs were often found working local passenger trains. No 4027 was the first loco completed for the LMS in 1924.





5
76077
76077 - BR Standard Class 4 mixed traffic locomotive, built 1956. Awaiting
restoration on the GWR.
A mixed-traffic locomotive, at home on semi-fast passenger trains and on freight work. 115 of the class were built at Horwich and Doncaster and they could be found on all the Regions except the Western, most being allocated to the Southern and Scottish. No 76077 was shedded at Sutton Oak, near St Helens in 1962 and was withdrawn in 1967. It was brought to Toddington from Barry some 20 years later.

6
4270
4270 - “42xx” class tank locomotive. This locomotive's restoration started at Toddington in mid-2003 and is now continuing off-site.

7
9642
9642 - '57xx' class pannier tank locomotive, built 1945. Arrived on the GWR in May 2005 but now out of 'boiler ticket' and is undergoing overhaul off-site.

8
THE GCR Class 2 - LNER D7: 4-4-0http://www.gcr-rollingstocktrust.co.uk/news_output.asp?id=227

9
New Build Patriot Locomotive
Although no Patriot in either rebuilt or unrebuilt forms survived into preservation there are plans to build a new Patriot. Based at the Llangollen Railway, the charitable status LMS-Patriot Project is presently appealing for donations or regular contributions to fund the new build, 3 cylinder, Fowler designed, parallel boiler, 4-6-0 express passenger loco.
The group proposes that parts from an unrestored former Woodham Brothers scrapyard LMS 8F would be used, including the axle boxes and leading wheelset and an unrestored surviving LMS Fowler tender would also be used for the project. The new build Patriot would be assembled at the Llangollen Railway, and carry the number of the last built – LMS number 5551 or British Railways number 45551. After a public poll, it is proposed to name the locomotive The Unknown Warrior, whose tomb is located in Westminster Abbey.
The first part of the engine to be built will be the frames, while the Fowler tender will be restored at Barry. It is hoped that the wheel pattern used on LMS Jubilee Class 45699 Galatea, which had a wheel cut at Woodham Brothers after a derailment, can be used as the two classes had the same size 6'9" driving wheels.
The project was formally launched at the Llangollen Patriot Gala in April 2008, by the project's first commercial sponsor, John Buxton, Managing Director of Cambrian Transport Ltd. The Frames Appeal was also announced at the gala with an appeal target of £48,000. In August 2008, at the Barrow Hill Rail Power 2008 gala, the Patriot Project launched a Membership Scheme.
In October 2008, the frame plates were ordered from Corus Steel. Measuring 39ft in length 4ft high and 1 1/8 in thick, the two steel frame plates will give the new Patriot locomotive an official identity for the first time. The frame plates will require plasma cutting to the correct shape before being machined and drilled. Delivery to the Llangollen Railway Works is expected to take place in Spring 2009 for assembly to commence.


10
http://www.gwcountyproject.org.uk/

11
http://www.6023.co.uk/

12
GWR Steam Railmotor and Trailer Projecthttp://www.railmotor93.org/homepage/homepage.html

13
About Project 62Project 62 represents the owners of Yugoslavian built Class 62 USA type 0-6-0 tank steam locomotive 30075 (formerly JZ 62-669 acquired from Store Steel in Slovenia in 1990) which has been operational since June 2004 following heavy overhaul and is based on the Mid-Hants Railway "Watercress Line" from August 2009. The group is also involved in the current project to construct 30076 from 62-521, which has been acquired from ArcelorMittal Zenica in Bosnia & Herzegovina and is also based on the "Watercress Line" in Hampshire having arrived in December 2006. Project 62 also has a "Friends of 62-121" arrangement with the Slovenian National Railway Museum in Ljubljana, Slovenia. Class 62 "Yankee Tank" steam locomotives are a pattern build of the World War II USATC S100 Class 0-6-0T Switcher/Shunters designed by Colonel Howard G Hill.
http://www.project62.supanet.com/

14
http://www.6880.co.uk/wp/
Building the 81st Grange “Betton Grange” 6880

15
The Saint Project - 2999 “Lady of Legend”http://www.didcotrailwaycentre.org.uk/guide/projectitems/2999project.html

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ALONG THE TRANS SIBERIAN RAILWAY

Over the Kia River towards Krasnoyarsk








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The 50 Best Railway Journeys
..as listed by Anthony Lambert, published in The Independent 2nd August 2008

Settle & Carlisle

No other railway in England compares with this main line through the Pennines for landscapes on a majestic scale. Trains from Leeds thread through the Aire Valley to enter the Yorkshire Dales National Park, just north of Settle. There is not a dull mile in the whole line as it weaves between such peaks as Ingleborough, Pen-y-ghent and Whernside. Its symbol is the 24-arch Ribblehead Viaduct, a rugged arc of stone amid moorland. There are fine walks from any of the 10 intermediate stations.

Ffestiniog and Welsh Highland railways

From spring 2009 these two narrow gauge steam railways will meet at Porthmadog, offering two lovely routes through the mountains of Snowdonia, to Blaenau Ffestiniog and Caernarfon respectively. At present the WHR operates from Caernarfon to Rhyd Dhu where one of the walks up Snowdon begins. The FR offers glorious views from the moment it crosses the Cob at Porthmadog and has the unique British feature of a spiral to gain height above the waters of the Tanygrisiau Reservoir.


The Harz Mountains
The 140km network of charming narrow-gauge railways serving the towns and villages of the Harz Mountains offers one of the great daily steam spectacles of the Continent, as huge tank locomotives tackle the steep gradients. The system carries over a million passengers a year, many to the 3,747ft summit of the Brocken, setting for a scene in Goethe's Faust and off-limits until German unification. Wernigerode or Quedlinburg - a World Heritage Site for its 1,600 listed timber-framed buildings - are the usual choice of resort.


Train to Skye
A journey on this steam railway between Sheffield Park and Kingscote is made memorable not only by Sussex countryside but also by the historic carriages and atmospheric stations, each restored to evoke a different period: Sheffield Park the Edwardian era, the inter-war years by the classic country junction of Horsted Keynes, complete with small refreshment room serving real ale, and Kingscote the 1950s.

Cologne-Frankfurt via Koblenz or Neuwied

The railway lines along each bank of the Rhine are the best way to appreciate the beauty of the gorge between these cities, which is regarded as the waterway's most impressive stretch. Both are served by stopping trains, so it is easy to break the journey to visit the many castles that line the banks, though some are a stiff climb into the woods. It's best to make both journeys, as many of the hilltop castles are invisible from the riverbank on which they are situated.


The Far North
The journey from Inverness to Britain's most northerly town, Thurso, is overlooked in favour of better-known Highland lines further south. Yet from the moment the train clatters over the Caledonian Canal on leaving Inverness, the journey is full of interest and takes in some of Scotland's most beautiful scenery. In winter, especially, you would be unlucky not to see deer.


West Somerset Railway

A bus link from Taunton station delivers passengers to the start of this 20-mile line at Bishop's Lydeard. Through rolling farmland between the Quantock and Brendon hills, steam trains make for the coast at Watchet. From Washford station you can reach the splendid cloisters of the Cistercian abbey of Cleeve, and Dunster's lovely village and castle (NT) are an easy walk from the last station before Minehead.


Golden Eagle Trans-Siberian Express

Inaugurated in 2007, this train is a joint venture between Cheshire-based GW Travel and a Russian company to operate an entirely en suite train on various trans-Siberian routes. At last it is possible to do the world's longest train journey in comfort. The cabins have DVD players and the shower room has underfloor heating. Destinations from Moscow include Vladivostock by two different routes and Ulaan Baatar.



The Road to the Isles Unquestionably one of the world's great railway journeys, the line from Glasgow to Fort William and on to Mallaig traverses some of Britain's loneliest landscapes: "A wearier looking desert man never saw" was how the hero of Robert Louis Stevenson's Kidnapped described Rannoch Moor. The lovely scenery is enlivened by the bark of steam locomotives that work the Jacobite Steam Train.


The Cumbrian Coast

The deeply incised estuaries of the Cumbrian coast make the railway between Lancaster and Carlisle one of Britain's most circuitous routes. It is a railway of contrasts, from the forlorn post-industrial landscapes of Workington and Barrow to the bird sanctuaries of the Kent and Leven mudflats and saltmarsh. For much of the way, the sea is close enough to smell, and there are fine views of the Lake District hills.


This is the first 10 of The 50 Best Railway Journeys
Source: http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/the-50-best-railway-journeys-883074.html
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AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 RAILWAYS

5.Channel Tunnel to ParisFrom Wikipedia:

The LGV Nord is a French 333-kilometre long high speed rail line, opened in 1993, that connects Paris to the Belgian border and the Channel Tunnel via Lille.

With a maximum speed of 300 kilometres per hour, the line appreciably shortened rail journeys between Paris and Lille. Its extensions to the north (Belgium, the Channel Tunnel) and the south (via the LGV Interconnexion Est) have reduced journey times to Great Britain and Benelux and for inter-regional trips between the Nord (Pas de Calais) region and the southeast and southwest of France.

Its route is twinned with the A1 for 130 kilometres. As it is mostly built in flat areas, the maximum incline is 25 metres per kilometre (2.5%).

Of all French high-speed lines the LGV Nord certainly sees the widest variety of high-speed rolling stock: the TGV Sud-Est, TGV Réseau, TGV Atlantique, TGV Duplex, Eurostar, Thalys PBA and PBKA as well as the local trains. Traffic is controlled by the Lille rail traffic centre

The LGV Nord begins at Arnouville-lès-Gonesse, 16.6 km from the Gare du Nord on the Paris-Creil line. At Vémars, the LGV Interconnexion Est joins it via a triangular junction, leading to Charles de Gaulle Airport and Marne-la-Vallée-Chessy; this enables direct trains from London and Amsterdam to Disneyland Paris.

After passing east of the forest of Ermenonville over the viaduc de Verberie, it joins the A1 around Chevrières and accompanies it to the Lille suburbs.

At Ablaincourt-Pressoir (Somme), a new station, Haute-Picardie, is served only by inter-regional TGVs. At Croisilles, Pas-de-Calais, a junction leads to the Agny link towards Arras. The LGV crosses the A1 autoroute at Seclin (Nord).



Fretin triangle flying junction


At Fretin, a triangular junction links the LGV to the Lille-Brussels HSL 1 high-speed line eastwards, crossing the border at Wannehain and joining the conventional network at Lembeek, south of Brussels. After the Fretin junction, the LGV has a connection to the conventional network at Lezennes, near Lille. This junction is used for TGVs going to Lille-Flandres. All TGVs and some Eurostars stop at Lille-Europe. Non-stop Eurostars pass through a tunnel under the city of Lille at 200 km/h.

The line passes south of Armentières and north of Hazebrouck. At Cassel, a link provides a connection with Dunkirk. The LGV continues west, crossing the A26 autoroute at Zouafques and ends at Calais-Fréthun, at the Eurotunnel terminal. This enables TGV service to Calais and Eurostars through the Channel Tunnel to London. The TGVs continue to Calais-Ville or reverse and go on to Boulogne-sur-Mer.

The route was much criticised, particularly by those in the Picardie region. The LGV crosses the region without a stop; Amiens in particular would have liked to have been on the line. The government judged a route via Amiens to be impracticable, as the Lille route demanded a straight line between Paris and Lille in order to give a reasonable Paris-Lille-London journey time. The LGV Picardie project would address this issue by serving Amiens, and would reduce the Paris-London journey time to less than 2 hours




Heading to Paris on a TGV (Courtesy Prestonparish on Youtube)


Whilst in Paris, why not take a look at the sights? The Seine, Notre Dame, Sacre Coeur, the Latin Quarter, Eiffel Tower, Champs Elysee, l'Arc de Triomphe....and Metrolink.












According to one encyclopedic entry, the Paris Métro or Métropolitain (French: Métro de Paris) the rapid transit metro system in Paris-the first line of which was opened on July 19th 1900 - is a symbol of the city, notable for its 300 stations and their architecture, influenced by Art Nouveau. It has 16 lines, mostly underground, and a total length of 214 km (133 mi). It carries 4.5 million passengers daily, making it, after Moscow, the second biggest European system.

For a description of the system's highlights....and with a special emphasis on the architectural styling, this clip from Mark Ovenden (PenguinGroupUSA) tells all.......




Paris Underground, Mark Ovenden (PenguinGroupUSA on Youtube)

So, that's Paris.........

Where now?

Germany..........?

Cologne....?
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Christian Wolmar- Britains's leading transport commentator
Newsletter to his subscribers on www.christianwolmar.co.uk


Dear subscriber,

This is the proper newsletter for August. Things have, of course, gone quiet for the summer though I did hear Libdem Norman Baker, the junior transport minister, try to defend the withdrawal of earmarked funding for speed cameras as part of the government’s ludicrous ‘end the war on the motorist programme’ by suggesting that it was all part of giving local government more power.
It was not edifying listening. He must know that the whole point of centralising the funding of measures like speed cameras is precisely to stop weak local politicians, who are prone to succumb to vociferous protests from vocal minorities on their patch yielding to such pressure.
An article on ‘what is the point of Norman Baker’ seems to be brewing in my head and is likely to emerge soon.
The Libdems need to show that they are making a difference and if poor Norman can’t defend something as basic as saving lives on the roads, he ought to consider what he is doing in among the grown-ups on Marsham Street.
There is also a threat to Cycle England, the organisation which promotes cycling with a £60m budget and on whose board I have sat since its creation five years ago. Technically it is seen as a quango by the Department and the government is busy scrapping quangos which are seen as second only to Osama bin Laden in its list of public enemies.
It was gratifying to see senior police officers defend speed cameras and point to the number of lives that have been saved by forcing motorists to reduce speed. I am currently working on a series of articles for a Guardian supplement on road safety which will examine the case for speed cameras and other safety measures.
Otherwise, it’s August and it’s quiet. I am preparing for the launch leture of my new book Engines of War and now is the time to buy a ticket as they are beginning to sell fast and the capacity of the hall is limited. I am more excited about this book than any other I have written. It breaks new ground, explaining the way that railways were fundamental to the waging of war for more than a century.
The illustrated lecture, is on September 28th at 6pm for 6 30pm at the German Gymnasium next to St Pancras. The ticket price of £15 includes £5 discount off the purchase of the book and a free glass of wine, and all the proceeds will go to the Railway Children charity. Book through here.
I will, of course, be signing copies of the book. If you can’t make to the launch, and want a signed copy of the book reserved for £15 and £2 75 p and p, email me and I will advise you as soon as I have copies.
I am also drawing up the synopsis for the next book, a history of American railroads which will examine why the US so embraced the iron road and then, quite quickly, rejected it. I am heading off for America in October to do a grand tour of the country by rail as research for the book – and to have a bit of fun!
My attempt to clear out the space below my bed of excess hardback copies of Fire & Steam – at £5 plus £2 75 postage and package - proved very successful and there is now room for the odd suitcase. I am therefore now extending the offer to hardback copies of my history of the London Underground, The Subterranean Railway also for a fiver plus £2 75 p and p. Either pay through PayPal, using my email address xian@pro-net.co.uk, or email me for the address to which you can send a cheque. All books will be signed, of course
So just a couple of new Rail columns on the site, though I have been blogging and, as usual, getting plenty of comments and there will be much more in September. The first Rail column is my annual round-up of the naughty tuck-shophaloic boys and girls in the railway industry which is always fun to do and concludes, not surprisingly, that the tuck shop will remain closed. The other focusses on the Tories’ attempts to redefine franchise policy and suggests they are stuck with the same old conundrums.

And thanks to you, advertisement income on the site is up. Please keep clicking on the ads.

Cheers as ever,

Christian Wolmar"

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Forthcoming Steam Railtours


Full details of forthcoming steam rail tours can be found at:


http://www.uksteam.info/tours/trs10.htm

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Steamtube...and On Shed ..welcome your thoughs and contributions.....though nothing controversial please!
Perhaps it is something to do with your own interest in all things railway...perhaps you worked on the railways...perhaps you are involved as a volunteer on a heritage line..or a member of the support crew for a locomotive.
We would be pleased to publish your expressions for a wider audience.
So, get writing to us!
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So, this brings us to the end of another newsletter...
There is so much to write about....too much to put in one newsletter/magazine. But you can catch selected railway news items by checking out RTNnews daily.
And for those interested in diesel/electric/ disused railways, visit our other site Railtube.
Till next month.....
Peter S.Lewis
Editor (On Shed)