By Robin Jones, Editor

You might have been forgiven for thinking that in a star-studded gala featuring Oliver Cromwell and two ‘Black Fives’ not to mention Leander and a Stanier mogul, that a humble LMS ‘Jinty’ might have been somewhat innocuous.

Yet as highlighted in this issue, No 47406 stole the show at the Great Central Railway’s hugely successful winter steam gala.

It has been a project at the back of the Loughborough loco shed for as long as anyone can remember. For countless years, owner Roger Hibbert plodded on a piece at a time, until the rusting Barry wreck had become a gleaming masterpiece once more.

To see it storm away from Loughborough after its official launch by Mike Stanier and new National Railway Museum supremo Steve Davies with a rake of four maroon coaches was breathtaking.

For me, the apex of the preservation movement is not necessarily the sight of a big steam locomotive per se – which greatly disappoints when it is seen on the main line hauling a Heinz 57 rake of coaches in disparate liveries. It is when a scene from yesterday is recreated as accurately as possible to the point where it becomes instantly evocative. In this respect, a pannier might beat a Princess!

There are a total of nine ‘Jinties’ in preservation, but this one will come into its own very much on our only double-track heritage main line, accurately recreating local stopping services and providing a very economical engine on days when anticipated patronage is lower than at high-profile gala events.

There are those who might ask “why bother” – we’ve all seen a ‘Jinty’ before and it might be better keeping just one or two in pristine condition and using the others as sources of spare parts until they are no more.

Thankfully, most of the steam fans I know would be horrified at the thought, but the concept again illustrates a major problem in another but less popular area of railway preservation – electric traction.

Mike Stanier’s grandfather Sir William disgusted many by cutting up classic 7ft 01⁄4in gauge locomotives at Swindon Works, then scrapped several Midland old timers when he graduated to Derby. He saw no use for them, and better use could be found for the space.

Thanks to his vandalism, next to nothing was left to remind us of the groundbreaking GWR broad gauge system which once boasted the fastest trains in the world.

In the same way, because there is no electrified heritage railway as such, there appears to be no practical future for withdrawn slam-door EMU stock. Yes, some groups run short trains using Motor Luggage Vans on non-electrified lines, while other vehicles find their way begrudgingly onto other heritage railways as locomotive-hauled stock.

An old soapbox of mine, yes, but the situation is far from getting better.

It was therefore highly commendable when Bruce Knights, the man who saved Eastleigh Works, announced plans to restore a 4CIG and seek special dispensation to run it on the main line as heritage stock, like the popular Hastings DEMU.

However, modern traction followers were left dismayed when, as reported in this issue, he sold it to the 5BEL ‘Brighton Belle’ project so its electrical running gear can be stripped out and reused, effectively scrapping the 4CIG. So an entire heritage train is sacrificed to make another.

The ‘Brighton Belle’ is a magnificent project and deserves every reader’s full support, and yes, there are still other 4CIG vehicles still around, like the 3CIG units to be withdrawn from the Lymington branch. We must also take into account the economic realities faced by Knights Rail Services with regard to the uphill and
very expensive struggle that the firm would face to get a 4CIG recertified before we pass judgement on its actions here.

Yet Southern Region EMUs, which kept London commuters moving for many decades, are an enormous part of British railway heritage, and yet if serious steps are not taken by the movement as a whole to address the difficulties of lack of resources in electric preservation, it is logical to assume they will go the way of the many extinct steam locomotive classes that we now all loudly lament and dream of building from new.

On that note – a big thanks again to everyone who has helped push our new LMS Patriot The Unknown Warrior wheels appeal above the halfway mark – and please keep those cheques coming in!

Robin Jones
Editor