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Heritage Railway Opinion - 12 May 2011

First of all, I would like to extend a sincere big thank you to all the contributors who have made this magazine a great one on which to work. Many of them have been with us from the start or at least the very early issues, such as John Shuttleworth, who I have come to regard as the King of Settle and Shap, and whose magnificent photographic work is showcased in the lead feature in our special landmark issue this month.

Looking back at that first issue, as we do towards the tail end of this edition, it is striking to see how far the heritage railway movement itself has evolved along with us.

In that first year, I wrote a feature about West Coast Railway’s steam operation on the West Highland Extension. At the time, that was the limit of the Carnforth company’s operations; now it is the market-leading train operating company for steam and heritage diesel movements over the entire network. Would a superb enterprise like the Railway Touring Company’s ‘Great Britain IV’ which we also cover in depth this month, Dominion of New Zealand and all, have been feasible in 1999? Would anyone have dared suggest that in 2012 we would have not only one such nine-day trip but two, because of the demand from customers? This is not to mention Steam Dreams’ equally adventurous ‘Cathedrals Explorer’ in early May – and what a revelation that company’s services have been since Heritage Railway announced the launch of its walk-on steam trips from London all those years ago.

Back then, we also had a very overgrown formation running across Snowdonia covered in barbed wire and red tape. Now we have one of the most spectacular railway routes in Britain, in the form of the Welsh Highland.

Beginning my career in railway journalism after switching from daily newspapers, I recall my family and I being warmly welcomed on our first visit to Woody Bay station.

There was no track; I remember my son Ross, nearly five, playing with his Ertl push-along trains along the coping stones of one platform. Now steam operation has for many years been back at this station, which has also been graced by a Lynton & Barnstaple Railway Manning Wardle 2-6-2T; and, if sufficient readers can support the appeal to build a Baldwin 2-4-2T, ashighlighted in our News section, will soon see a second historically appropriate engine pull two genuine L&B wooden coaches.

Many new-build schemes have taken off, inspired by the greatest of them all, that of The A1 Steam Locomotive Trust’s Peppercorn Pacific No. 60163 Tornado, which will soon be back in action on the main line after recovering from the learning curve of its boiler problems; and delighting the crowds in its eagerly awaited Brunswick green livery and those who acquire one of the new Hornby models, the subject of our second star prize competition this month.

We have now seen two operational GWR Kings together and look forward to seeing the results of the thorough rebuild of Flying Scotsman, with an authentic A3 rather than A4 boiler, in the coming weeks.

Has the UK steam scene ever been as splendid since 1968? I don’t think so.

Back in 1999, the word ‘railmotor’ was firmly in the domain of the specialist historian or scratchbuild modeller. Now one which has reappeared from all but oblivion is set to wow the public at large big time following its official launch at Didcot on May 28, and maybe change the way in which we look at railway history.

Marvels too many to count have appeared in the years that I have had the great fortune to edit this magazine; and despite the economic gloom, there are many more to come.

If the big stories break after we close for press, don’t worry – you will find them on our www.heritagerailway.co.uk website.

Thank you one and all for your fantastic support over many golden years.

Robin Jones
Editor