BR5MT No.73082CamelotpassesHazeldenwiththe9.30amfromSheffield ParkontheBluebellRailway onJune30. Builtat
Derbyin1 955, the4-6-0wasrescuedfromBarryscrapyardbytheCamelotLocomotiveSociet yin1 979.NICK GILLIAM
Aworking shunterfor just £1!
ByRobin JonesTHE AvonValley Railway has snapped
up whatcould be the bargainofthe
century–inthe form of aClass 08
shunter inworkingorder forjust £1.
No.08663 (D3830) has been sold
to the Bitton-based lineby Train
Operating CompanyGreat Western
Railway forless thatyou might
be askedto payfor aspares-only
OO gauge modelversionat acar
boot sale.
Starting in 1952,atotal of 996
Class 08 diesel-electric shunters
werebuiltuntil production ended in
1962, making it the most numerous
of all British locomotiveclasses.
Therewerealso 26examples of the
near-identical but higher-geared
Class 09, and 171 similar locomotives
fitted with differentengines and
transmissions,some of which became
Class 10, bringing thetotal number
of outwardly-similar locomotivesto
1193.
More than 80 have enteredthe
heritage sector.
Out-shopped from Horwich
WorksasD3830 on June 5, 1959,
the shunterwas first sheddedat
Danycraig and subsequentlyat
Landore, Cardiff Canton andSt
Blazey,befor eending upat Bris tolSt
Philips Marsh.
There, it wasused to move DMUs
and Class 43High-SpeedTrain power
cars and carriages around the depot.
Fitted with air brakes,itw ill needto
be equipped withvacuum brakesto
haul Avon Valley stock.
Theline’s commercial and business
managerMark Simmons said:
“The Avon Valley Railway would
like to than kGWR forits extremely
generous sale.Clas s08No. 0866 3arrivingat theAvonValleyRailway –afull-sizeoperational
locomotiv eforjust£1.AVR“The Avon Valley Railway Company
Limited will also be lookingat
opportunitiesforthis locomotiveto go on hiretoother heritage or
industrialworks, in orderto payfor its
futuremaintenance.”BARROWHillroundhouse has
completedthe purchase ofMidland
Railway Johnson‘half cab’0-6-0T
No.41708–officiallyreunitingthe
roundhouse with the locomotivethat
spentmuch of itsworking lifethere.
Following its purchase of the
long-timeresidentfromthe 1708
Loco moti ve Pr eservationTrust Ltd
foranundisclosed not-for-profit
sum,Barrow Hill’s first objective
will beto have thelocomotivefully
assessedby industryspecialists
with aviewtoreturning itto steam,
and it plansto launchafundraisingcampaignfor it soverhaul.The trust
will nowbewound up.
Barrow Hill EngineShed Society
chairmanProfessorMark Robinson
said:“Wehavebeen tryingto
bring this Johnson engine into
the charityfor se veralyears as it
forms an importantchapter of the
Roundhouse story, having been
base dherebetween 1947 and 1965.
“Wehavemade afirm
commitmenttor estor eNo. 41708
and thiswork will begin with a
thorough surveytoestablish the
scale of the challengewe face.“Wewill be seekinggrants and
undertaking fund-raising activities
forthe restor ation, whichwe aim
to beginby 2020; ayearthatalso
marks the 150th birthdayoft he
roundhouse.
“I would liketocongratulate all
involved formakin gthis happen
and Iwould especially liketot hank
the 1708LocomotivePreservation
Trust forbelieving in us and
trusting usto protectand restore
this keyhistorical asset.”
No.41708, which is the only 1Fto
have been preserved, wasboughtfrom BR and has visited several
heritage lines.
It wasthe star of the showwhen
the roundhousereopened its doors
to the public in July 1998.It made
further visits between then and
2002 andreturnedto its‘home’
shed onapermanentbasis in 2004,
whereith as remained on display
ever since.
No.41708 is one of onlytwo
locomotives thatworkedat Barrow
Hill tha thavebeen preserved, the
other beingClass 10 D4092, which
is also basedat theroundhouse.Johnson‘half cab’set forretur ntoaction afterBarrow Hill purchase
Writetous:Heritage Railway,MortonsMediaLtd,POBox43,Horncastle, Lincs LN 96 LZ. eritagerailway.co.uk 19
IN BRIEF
➜THE RoyalDeesideRailway
Preservation Societyhas
completed its newWest Lodge
platform, aroundamile from its
baseat Milton of Crathes station.
Volunteers built the platform
using 20fthalf-heightcontainers
laid endto end,with timber
decking andfencing,and access
ramps,steps and lighting.
➜A£9million projecttoconvert
the disused 1880s goods shed
building and adjoining land
alongside the BarryTouristRailway
at Hood Road,BarryWaterfront,
has beengiventhe greenlight by
the Vale of GlamorganCouncil.
DevelopersLoft Co planto
transform the structureintooffice
space, re tail units,restaurants and
acoffee shop,with aflexible events
spacefor use as an outdoor cinema,
farmers’market and pop-up street
food zone.