STEAM TOURS - THE SOUTH DEVON EXPLORER - TORNADO 60163

The South Devon Explorer

Saturday 29th May 2021

The South Devon Explorer offers an exceptional day out travelling by train from stations in Berkshire to Plymouth in South Devon. We travel along the famous ‘sea wall’ from Dawlish to Teignmouth and over the South Devon banks through Totnes. The special train will be hauled from Bristol to Plymouth and back by steam locomotive No. 60163 Tornado.

Our train starts from Woking in Surrey and will be diesel hauled from there to Bristol. There are additional stops at Guildford, Reading and Newbury to pick up more passengers. The route follows the river Kennet through attractive countryside and then runs beside the Kennet and Avon Canal for some distance before we make our final stop for passengers at Westbury. Once the tour has reached Bristol we will be able to make the change of motive power where steam locomotive No. 60163 Tornado will take over the train.

We shall soon be speeding along through the Somerset countryside and across the Somerset Levels to Taunton, where we make a brief stop for our steam locomotive to take on water. Our steam locomotive will be working hard as we climb to Whiteball Summit on the Somerset and Devon border before descending through the Culm Valley to Exeter.

The route will follow the Exe Estuary, passing the picturesque Cockwood Harbour, and run along the famous sea wall from Dawlish to Teignmouth. This is one of the most famous and scenic stretches of railway line in Britain, which gained international prominence when part of it was washed away in the 2014 storms. After Newton Abbot, we follow the South Devon line to Plymouth. Immediately we start to climb the very steep gradient of Dainton Bank. The climb twists and turns all the way to the summit at Dainton Tunnel.

A short reprieve for our fireman follows as we descend the gradient to Totnes, which will allow time to get the boiler pressure up for the next climb of Rattery Bank. Gradients as steep as 1 in 47 run for four miles to Rattery before they ease off for the remainder of the climb to the summit at Wrangaton. Running along the southern edge of Dartmoor, we descend towards Plymouth, our destination for the afternoon. There will be time here to visit this modern city, with its many attractions, including the Hoe with Smeaton’s Tower, the old Barbican area with the Mayflower Steps, and the many shops in the city centre. The return journey as far as Taunton will be steam hauled by Tornado. The first real challenge faced will be the ascent of the 1 in 42 gradient of Hemerdon Bank just outside Plymouth. There is also the climb to Dainton Tunnel from Totnes, followed by the return run along the Dawlish sea wall to Exeter. From Taunton, the train will be diesel hauled back to Woking. We stop at the same stations as on the outward journey, to set down passengers.

Steam Hauled by A1 Class Pacific '60163 Tornado'
The original Peppercorn A1 series were ordered by the LNER, but the 49 locomotives were built at Doncaster and Darlington for British Railways (BR) in 1948–49, after the nationalisation of the railways in the United Kingdom. Following the modernisation and dieselisation plans of the 1950s, the A1 Peppercorn class was eventually scrapped at a comparatively early age of just 15 years.

The original Peppercorn A1s were designed to cope with the heaviest regular post-war East Coast trains. The A1 Trust intended Tornado to be built from scratch, designed and built as the next locomotive in the A1 Peppercorn class, not as a replica or restoration project, but an evolution of the class incorporating design improvements that would have occurred had steam motive power continued on the mainline railway.
  
Tornado moved under its own power for the first time on 29th July 2008 at Darlington, and then spent two months at the Great Central Railway in Loughborough, where it was tested up to 60 mph (97 km/h) and operated its first passenger train. Tornado then moved to the National Railway Museum (NRM) in York for three test runs on the main line up to 75 mph (121 km/h). After repainting from works grey into LNER Apple Green, Tornado was approved for mainline passenger operation. On 31st January 2009 Tornado hauled its first passenger trip on the main line, The Peppercorn Pioneer, from York to Newcastle and back. By hauling various A1 Trust railtours, charters and other activities, Tornado will begin to recoup the estimated £800,000 debt from the project, which cost around £3 million.

HERITAGE RAILWAYS 2021 PART FOUR - NORTH OF THE BORDER

As we begin to see the easing of the lockdown rules during 2021 we have been looking at a few of the Heritage Railways around Britain. In part one we took a look at some of the relatively local GWR based heritage railways and then we moved a little further down the line for part two towards Bristol and the West where there are several lines which have survived into preservation. Then in part three we headed over the border into Wales to enjoy some of the many 'Great Little Railways of Wales' a second instalment for this is a necessity. Now we are reaching part four of our series we will cross over the English border once more, this time heading north into Scotland. First of all we are looking at heritage railways around the Cairngorms region between Inverness and Aberdeen, then in another chapter in this series we will look a little further down towards Glasgow and Edinburgh themselves.

Strathspey Railway
https://www.strathspeyrailway.co.uk

The Strathspey Railway (SR) in Badenoch and Strathspey, Highland, Scotland, operates a 10 miles (16 km) heritage railway from Aviemore to Broomhill, Highland via Boat of Garten, part of the former Inverness and Perth Junction Railway (later part of Highland Railway) which linked Aviemore with Forres. It is one of only a handful of primary/secondary main lines to be preserved in Britain today. The Strathspey Railway operates from platform 3 of Network Rail's Aviemore railway station. Until 1998 the railway's southern terminus was Aviemore Speyside about 300 yards further north. Aviemore Speyside is no longer in regular use, although its platform has been retained as a fall back in case of problems with access to the Network Rail station. Coaling of the steam locomotives is carried out at a facility constructed in 2014 on the site of the former Aviemore Speyside station building. Its signal box, which was formerly at Garve West and transported from there in 1986, was retained when the station itself shut. New features are gradually being brought into service at the Aviemore site controlled using traditional British Railways mechanical semaphore signalling. 

The Strathspey Railway’s long term ambition has always been to re-open its line all the way from Aviemore to Grantown-on-Spey, fulfilling the vision of those who opposed the line’s closure in the 1960s and those who backed its re-birth. The Strathspey Railway Charitable Trust was established by the railway to deliver this goal by extending the line from its present northern terminus (Broomhill) through to Grantown-on-Spey. The service is due to reopen in line with current guidance from 21st May. 

Deeside Railway
https://deeside-railway.co.uk

The Royal Deeside Railway is a standard gauge steam and diesel hauled heritage railway, in a beautiful setting running alongside the River Dee. The line is currently about one mile long and the return journey lasts about 15 to 20 minutes. The original Deeside Railway opened on 8th September 1853 and reached Ballater some 13 years later. It amalgamated with the Great North of Scotland Railway in 1876.  The line was regularly patronised by the Royal Family and other visitors to Balmoral Castle until it closed in 1966 as a result of the notorious Beeching Report. Thirty years later, the Royal Deeside Railway Preservation Society was formed and the work of restoring part of the line commenced in 2003.  Although they only have about a mile of track in passenger service and are gradually extending the line along the original track bed until reaching Banchory, which will give a running line of just over two miles.

Historically speaking the Deeside Railway was a passenger and goods railway between Aberdeen and Ballater in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Opening in 1853 to Banchory, an extension reached Aboyne in 1859. A separate company, the Aboyne & Braemar Railway, built an extension to Ballater and this opened in 1866. By 1855 there were five services a day over the 43+1⁄4-mile (69.6 km) long line, taking between 1 hour 50 minutes and 2+1⁄2 hours. The line was used by the Royal Train for travel to and from Balmoral Castle from 1853 and a special 'Messenger Train' ran daily when the Royal Family was in residence. A group, called Campaign for North East Rail, was launched in April 2021 and is campaigning for the reinstatement of the Deeside Railway between Aberdeen and Banchory seeking to build on the successful reintroduction of the Borders Railway services and promote better services in the Aberdeen region.

Keith and Dufftown Railway
https://keith-dufftown-railway.co.uk

The Keith and Dufftown Railway keeps alive an eleven mile line linking the World’s Malt Whisky Capital, Dufftown, with the historic town of Keith, hence is also know as 'The Whisky Line'. The railway runs for 11 miles (18 km) from Keith Town, Keith  to Dufftown via Drummuir and Auchindachy. Dufftown is the main centre of operation of the railway where there is a booking office, waiting room and cafe called the 'Sidings Cafe', which is open March to November. There are two headshunts and a loop.

Work is being undertaken to install a new loop at Dufftown so that there can be two tracks going into the new engine shed. At Dufftown there are seven working distilleries to its name, Dufftown can argue that the title of "Malt Whisky Capital of the World" is justifiably earned! The town was founded in 1817 by the Earl of Fife to relieve unemployment and the quality of its local water sources saw it develop into a major centre for the distilling industry. Perhaps the most famous of Dufftown's exports is the Glenfiddich which is the only Highland Single Malt to be distilled, matured and bottled on one site. The distillery, which is alongside the railway at Dufftown, has, for five generations, been run by the Grant family and is open to the public throughout the summer.

Caledonian Railway
https://caledonianrailway.com

The Caledonian Railway established for over 170 years is now an entirely volunteer run, non-profit organisation that operates heritage steam and diesel hauled trains along the 4 mile branch line between the town of Brechin and the countryside stop of Bridge of Dun. The railway has been in operating as a preservation society since 1979 and is open on weekends throughout the summer.

The line has now been re-instated and preserved for 4 miles (6.4 km) between Brechin railway station and Bridge of Dun railway station and since 1993 trains have run at weekends during the summer as well as on special occasions at other times of the year. The two railway stations have also been refurbished. Although the line originally went all the way to Montrose, which is still a station on the main rail network, there are currently no immediate plans to link the Brechin line back into the main rail network, as the section at Dubton through and onto Kinnaber Junction close to Montrose itself has now been redeveloped, making it difficult for the preserved railway to be reconnected to the national network at all.  However, there is still hope of seeing the "CR Brechin" extended a further 3 1⁄2 miles (5.6 km) to Dubton, bringing it up to a total of 7 1⁄2 miles (12.1 km) in length. This is a long-term aim which would only require the re-instatement of a short length of track.

CLASS 3F [0-6-0] (4mm) OO GAUGE - KIT [CRAFTSMAN MODELS]

"OO" GAUGE CLASS 3F 
CRAFTSMAN MODELS KIT 

0-6-0T LMS Black Livery No.7312

Long before my Dad started building wonderful O Gauge model kits he started out by putting together a few OO Gauge items too. This would have been one of his very early kits, an LMS tank engine from Craftsman Models. I cannot find these available now other than a handful of accessories on eBay while Hatton's have a few OO Gauge models / spares but nothing 'new' as such. Further research suggests that the company changed hands towards the end of 2015 and was run down ceasing new business about a year later. I believe this model would have been from the mid 1990s once I had left home and Dad claimed my room as his modelling den instead. Also interesting to see the range of LMS, Southern, LSWR locomotives and rolling stock that he had spent time building because as time went on his focus certainly shifted to the LNER. 

A bit of wear and tear on the original box, not bad given it's at least 30+ years old so that's not too bad really. I dearly wish I had more information about this and what chassis Dad used etc. But all that knowledge was sadly lost when he passed away. At least with the many models he created, some good, some less so, as well as many outstanding especially when he moved into O Gauge, I have a pleasing reminder of him and the quality work he put into every item big or small. 

Given it's lack of running and had probably been stored in it's box for a good number of years was pleased that it immediately came back to life on our small test track. Running nicely at low speed too and having been given a good clean up as well as some much needed tlc and lubrication this will give someone plenty of enjoyment as it's passed on. Really pleased with the outcome after such a long period of inactivity. 

LMS CLASS 3F BACKGROUND

The London, Midland and Scottish Railway Fowler 3F is a tank engine which was built between 1924-1931 in considerably large numbers. The "Jinty" is considered to be one of the most popular, recognizable, and reliable types of tank engines built in Britain. Many were purchased by the London, Midland, and Scottish Railway, (LNER) and were soon reclassified, renumbered, and soon withdrawn in the late 1950's by British Railways (BR). The first of the Fowler 3F tanks were scrapped in 1959; the last were withdrawn in 1967 after a 40+ year career.

In Preservation
Thanks to their large numbers, renowned performance and late withdrawals, nine of these engines have been preserved, along with a spare set of frames and a boiler (from 47564). Many were restored within a few years of leaving the scrap heap, and most have a further working life ahead of them. All have steamed in preservation, with the exception of 47445.

One member of the class has operated on the main line in preservation. This was 7298/47298, which took part during the Rainhill celebrations in 1980 when it hauled a number of Steamport residents from the museum in Southport to Rainhill and also took part in the cavalcade. Owned by Ian Riley, in February 2017 it was undergoing its 'ten-yearly overhaul' and was expected to return to operation "in a couple of years".

Locations and condition are shown below
(current numbers shown in bold);

MAY 2021 RAILTOURS AS LOCKDOWN CONTINUES TO EASE?

With the calendar showing no model railway exhibitions available for May, also early June does not look too hopeful either, so we will keep our eyes on the possibility for the resumption of rail tours in the not too distant future. Looking at the calendar for May 2021 it would appear that a lot of planned events are still being cancelled or rescheduled for later. The one exception seems to be north of the border where the regular service known as The Jacobite. The seven-month season will have two trains running each day (morning and afternoon service) starting in April and continuing through October 2021. This 84 mile round trip takes in some of the breath-taking views the highlands can offer including a ride over the famous Glenfinnan Viaduct.

Steam Dreams look like they are preparing the Flying Scotsman for some regular tours beginning with a trip around the Surrey Hills from London Victoria later in May, then there's a run down towards Southampton early June departing Paddington behind the world famous Steam Locomotive as well as rides to Oxford and Salisbury and all these trips are sure to fill up fast. 

Elsewhere the HST rebranded as the Midland Pullman (pictured right) will set out on 29th May bound for Cornwall. Highlights of the journey include the twisting scenic line around the breath-taking Devon sea wall at Dawlish, views of the Dartmoor National Park, and the iconic Royal Albert Bridge spanning the River Tamar designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel. Early June they will set off from Bristol Temple Meads up around the Settle / Carlisle line. Expecting the return of a regular steam service now departing London Victoria to Windsor which began just before Covid originally from Waterloo, The Royal Windsor Express runs three services available every Tuesday from 1st June till 14th September and should prove to be popular again too.

As always these tours are subject to change, though hopefully it's a positive sign if we can see some opportunities to get out and about now. In our next blog we will be creating another in the series on the Uk Heritage Railway scene with a look north of the border around Scotland. Probably some of the most scenic views in the British Isles that can be seen from the comfort of a train, will begin with a look at the Cairngorms region, which also has it's funicular train to help the tourists (below), but predominantly looking at the heritage scene.