Steam Charter to Peak Rail

'Oliver Cromwell' drifts through the Down Platform at Darley Dale with its 11-coach Charter, passing the empty stock from the 7-coach top-and-tailed service train standing in the Up Platform.

In May 2010, Pete Waterman inaugurated the turntable at Rowsley and I've described this in the post In a Spin with Pete Waterman.

Pete Waterman handsignalling '8F' 8024 onto the 60-foot turntable at Rowsley during the inauguration (Photo: Sheila Rayson).

In July of the following year, Peak Rail's running line was extended from Matlock Riverside to Matlock Town Platform 2. This was the occasion for some festivity, described here.

Peak Rail veteran 68013, carrying headboard and union flags, alongside a completely out-classed '153' DMU at Matlock Town.

Normally, Network Rail and Peak Rail operate as separate railways but a Ground Frame allows trains to pass between Network Rail and Peak Rail when required.

The Network Rail Ground Frame at Matlock Town, released by the Key Token for the Ambergate - Matlock line.

These two events opened up the possibility of Steam Charter workings coming from Network Rail right through to Rowsley, where the Charter locomotive could be turned and serviced prior to working the Steam Charter back to Network Rail metals. Such a Charter was planned for 2011 but was cancelled. However, on 27th May 2012 a Charter from London via the East Coast Main Line triumphantly terminated at Peak Rail's Rowsley station and returned later in the day. This Charter was in the hands of the popular main-line certified 'Britannia' Class locomotive 70013 'Oliver Cromwell'.

Peak Rail's service train currently operates top-and-tailed with a diesel locomotive at one end and Peak Rail stalwart 'Austerity' tank locomotive 68013 at the other end in between Rowsley and Matlock Town. On the day of the Steam Charter, a special timetable had been arranged, allowing the service train to be 'recessed' when the Steam Charter arrived and departed and I was driver on 68013 with Richard as fireman.

The normal 6-coach rake had been re-inforced to 7-coaches because of likely interest and because it was intended to allow passengers from the Steam Charter to have a round trip on the Peak Rail service as an alternative to a road trip to Chatsworth and Bakewell. In another variation from normal, 68013 was to work at the north end of the train facing north with 'Peak' class diesel electric 'Penyghent' at the south end of the train. Our normal first departure is at 11:15 but on the day of the Steam Charter, the first train was at 09:45. 'Penyghent' hauled the train to Matlock Town and then 68013 returned us to Rowsley.

68013 ready to leave Matlock Town. The 'white feather' from the safety valve indicates that the engine is ready and Richard is taking a breather in the shade alongside the first coach.

With seven coaches and 'Penyghent' on the back, the trailing load on 68013 was well over 400 tons but this presented no problem and my normal setting of not-quite-full 'First Valve' and the reverser taken up two notches allowed us to maintain the timings even though much of the route is uphill at around 1 in 400.

When stopping at Darley Dale, the first two coaches had to be taken beyond the platform to ensure that 'Penyghent' was clear of the Track Circuit extending from the facing points into the platform. Failure to do this would prevent the signalman from reversing the points for an Up train (which would be important later in the day when we would be 'recessed' in the Down Platform for the Up Steam Charter to pass).

On arrival back at Rowsley, we took water from the grey tanker wagon which serves as our water supply. As is often the case with Steam Charters, it appeared that the journey on Network Rail metals was not without incident and we started to get reports of late running. We made our second round trip starting at 11:02 and by the time we got back to Rowsley the delay to the Steam Charter seemed to have extended. Undaunted, we set off again at 12:19 on the third round trip, watering again when we got back to Rowsley.

The special timetable called for our next working to be at 13:29, Empty Stock to Darley Dale where we were to wait on the Up whilst the Steam Charter passed us on the Down on its way to Rowsley. But the late-running Steam Charter was still miles away so instead we were told that there would be a fourth passenger round trip leaving at 13:39 which should allow us to get back to Rowsley around 14:38. On the trip back, when 68013 was doing the work, there were noticeably more photographers around lineside and in the fields. Perhaps it was my imagination, but I seemed to sense their disappointment that we were not the big green engine with a chime whistle that they were expecting. Most of them seemed to make the best of a bad job and took pictures of us anyway.

A fifth passenger round trip had been arranged for us, leaving Rowsley at around 14:50, with only a brief stop in Matlock Town, leaving at 15:17 to be back at Rowsley about 15:39. This trip was performed without incident but on the way back there seemed to be even more people watching. At least nobody was shaking their fist at us or making rude gestures because we were not 'Oliver Cromwell'.

When we got back to Rowsley, we watered again ready for the delayed Empty Stock working. Instead of the originally-planned departure at 13:29, we set off around 15:49 with 'Penyghent' in charge for the short trip to Darley Dale. Here we waited. It wan't too long before we heard a chime whistle and the long-expected train rumbled through and disappeared towards Rowsley.

Photographers and onlookers cluster on the Down Platform at Darley Dale as the delayed Steam Charter approaches.

The arrival was around two hours late, leading to a similarly-delayed departure back to the main line, so the carefully-arranged special timetable had to be abandoned. The original plan was to wait at Darley Dale until 'Oliver Cromwell' had gone on shed and the 11-coach charter train had been shunted into the loop at Rowsley. The Peak Rail service train was then to have returned to Rowsley and provided a round trip to Matlock not stopping at Darley Dale. This working was cancelled and we simply shunted the Peak Rail train across to the Down platform and waited, leaving the Up line free for the returning Steam Charter. We didn't get to see 'Oliver Cromwell' turned, coaled and watered but eventually, around seven o'clock the Steam Charter set off on its return journey.

The Charter return working approaching Darley Dale.

At last, we were able to take our 7-coach train back to Rowsley and shunt 68013 to No. 1 shed road for disposal. 'Penyghent' followed us onto No. 3 shed road. An interesting, if tiring, day.

More pictures here.

Battlefield Line Modellers' Weekend 2012

The DMU at Shackerstone ready to depart for Shenton. The Class 47 can be seen at the far end of the platform.

The Battlefield Line ran its Modellers' Weekend on Saturday 26th and Sunday 27th May 2012. On the Saturday, the service was provided by the diesel railcar and I was the driver. The formation was the single-unit 'Bubble Car' coupled to half of the 2-car Diesel Multiple Unit (DMU) and we were booked to operate five round trips from Shackerstone to Shenton, stopping at Market Bosworth where most of the models were exhibited.

Although preparing a DMU is much quicker than getting a steam locomotive ready, I always like to allow plenty of time, because you never know what you'll find. What I found was that the DMU was 'boxed in' by a Class 47 coupled to a van and 20-ton brake van. I did the normal checks and successfully started up the four 150 horse power engines.

Whilst the compressors produced sufficient air pressure for the Electro-Pneumatic (E.P.) controls, I considered whether we could propel the Class 47 and the two vehicles out of the way so that we could operate the first train at 11:15. The early DMUs had standard buffers and standard screw couplings meaning that, when necessary, they could run with 'tail traffic' or, as in this case, shunt other vehicles. The weight of the vehicles to be moved was approaching 150 tons but moving the vehicles was not the major consideration, rather it was had we sufficient brake power to safely control the movement.

I judged that the movement was safe so I moved the DMU up to the Class 47 and coupled up. By the time I'd released the handbrakes on the Class 47 and the box van, Adrian had arrived and he agreed to release the handbrake on the leading vehicle (the 20-ton brake van) and then 'ride the brake' acting as our shunter. Once the road was set from the signal box, we slowly moved the odd-looking train out of the DMU Siding and into Platform 1. We 'tied down' the Class 47 and the two vehicles at the North End of the Platform and detached them from the DMU, allowing the DMU to operate from the South End of Platform 1.

At Shackerstone, we're allowed to bring a passenger train into an already-occupied platform. The signal box authorises movements into both platforms with ground disc signals and, conventionally, ground signals authorise a driver 'as far as the line is clear towards the next signal' rather than to the next main signal. Many passenger stations needed this flexibility back in the days of mechanical signalling and a special form of Permissive Block Working called 'Station Yard' was often used. An approaching driver would be given an 'Off' Main Arm if the whole platform was clear or an 'off' subsidiary arm displaying a 'C' when 'off' for 'Calling On' onto an occupied line. In modern installations with colour light signals, matters are somewhat different but it is still common to find a 'subsidiary aspect', two white lights displayed diagonally when 'off' (often called 'cat's eyes') underneath a 'main aspect' displaying red for 'stop'.

Driver's view of the Inner Home at Shackerstone. The upper disc reads to platform 1; the lower disc to platform 2.

On a glorious hot sunny day, we made the scheduled five round trips to Shenton, stopping at Market Bosworth in each direction.

The DMU pauses at Market Bosworth en route to Shenton.

An awful lot of effort has gone into bringing Market Bosworth station back into use. There's a car park and a gated pedestrian level crossing over the railway to reach the platform. Major work continues on the restoration of the ex-L&NWR signal box (there are some pictures of the work in progress here. With a childrens' play area and refreshments available, the station is now a destination in its own right. The former Goods Shed at Market Bosworth was in use as exhibition space for Modellers' Weekend and a large relocatable office building in the Yard held more layouts and displays.

View from Market Bosworth Platform looking towards Shenton. Left to right: Relocatable Offices, Goods Shed, Level Crossing.

Currently, the end of the line is at Shenton. We use the former up platform. There''s a run round loop flanked by the former down platform which is not in use but fenced off from the large car park. Another gated crossing allows people to cross from the cark park to the station and, via a footpath, the Visitor Centre for the Battle of Bosworth.

The DMU waits at Shenton, ready to return to Shackerstone.

With only a two minute booked stop at Market Bosworth, there wasn't really time for me to look at the exhibits but, on the last round trip, I agreed with the guard that I'd dash across to look at the models on display. As soon as we arrived, I 'tied down' the DMU and removed the Master Key before running over the crossing for an exceptionally quick look at what was there before returning to the DMU and continuing with the diagram.

John Ward operating a large 3rd rail 'tinplate' layout.

By the time we returned to Shackerstone for the last time, Mike had pulled '3803' (the Great Western 2-8-0) out of the shed and lit up so that the Sunday service would be steam hauled. There's some information on '3803' here.

So it only remained to position the DMU in the long siding, shut down and perform the final checks before locking-up and signing off after an enjoyable 'non-steam' day.

More pictures here.

London & Birmingham in 2012

A 'Pendolino' on arrival at Wolverhampton's Platform 4 with a service from Euston in 2007.

Following the amazing success of the Liverpool & Manchester railway (opened 1830), London was linked to Birmingham in 1838 by a route still in use today. There's an earlier post on the origins of the London & Birmingham Railway.

In the post The Premier Line I disclosed my enthusiasm for the London & North Western Railway. This Company operated the London & Birmingham railway until the Railways Act of 1921 caused the 'Grouping' when the L&NWR became part of the London Midland & Scottish Railway. The LMS did good work and, like the L&NWR, was profitable.

The second world war took its toll on all the Britsh railways and the post-war Labour government nationalised the railways in 1948. The Euston to Manchester route was chosen for the first major 25kV a.c. overhead electrification project and the work was carried out during the 1960s.

By the 1990s the calamitous Railtrack had embarked on a disastrous project to modernise the whole of the West Coast Main Line which incorporates the London & Birmingham. Railtrack's successor Network Rail managed to complete a degraded form of this modernisation plan in 2009. There's a useful 'Wikipedia' article West Coast Main Line.

I use the route today reasonably regularly to get to London and back. So what of the modern travelling experience?

Well, reading my posts Brave New Railway and Brave New Railway (again) you might just gain the impression that I'm not a total fan of the way things are done now.

Passengers still leave London from Euston Station. In my post London's Terminal Stations, the present-day Euston gets short shrift compared with King's Cross (reviewed prior to the recent extensive rebuilding) and St. Pancras (reviewed after its incredibly expensive rebuilding which added 'International' to its title).

For Network Rail's 'take' on Euston, go to their Euston Webpages. There's a page with a brief history of the station.

This statue of Robert Stephenson originally stood in the (long gone) Great Hall at Euston. It now stands in "Smokers' Corner", a depressing, muddled paved area immediately outside the present station building which Network Rail are pleased to dignify with the title 'Forecourt'.

Photographs

To illustrate the route today, there are various sets of photographs listed below. The camera technique for most of them is the "drive by shooting" taken from a moving train so the quality is pretty grotty, sorry.

London & Birmingham Railway.
London: Euston.
Rugby.
West Midland Railways.

References

You can find more detailed track and signalling diagrams of the route prior to electrification in the excellent series of publications from the Signalling Record Society 'British Railways Layout Plans of the 1950's'. Euston to Rugby is included in 'Volume 1: ex-LNWR main line, Euston to Crewe' (ISBN: 1 873228 00 7) and Rugby to Birmingham and Wolverhampton is in 'Volume 11: LNW Lines in the West Midlands' (ISBN: 1 873228 13 9)

For details of what remained of this route in 2005, refer to 'Railway Track Diagrams' Book 4: Midlands & North West', Second Edition, published by Trackmaps (ISBN: 0-9549866-0-1). The First Edition of this book was published by Quail in 1988.