Steam News from Railways Illustrated

Blaenavon High Level extension opens
The Pontypool and Blaenavon Railway’s (PBR’s) 1¼-mile extension to Blaenavon High Level station opened on May 29. The opening ceremony featured the newly-acquired Robert Stephenson and Hawthorns 1944-built ‘Austerity’ saddle tank 7169. The locomotive was purchased by PBR member Mary Mahabir specifically to cope with the demands expected to be placed on the line following the formal opening of the extension. The line’s other resident steam locomotive, Bagnall Devonport Dockyard No. 19 copes well with two-coach trains but if a third coach is needed it is likely to be under-powered.
The official opening of the extension will feature GWR 3717 City of Truro and is expected to take place on September 18/19.

Repatriated 8F Returns
After an extensive 20 year restoration, former WD/Turkish Railways ‘8F’ 8274 returned to service at the Gloucester and Warwickshire Railway (GWSR) during May.
This engine was one of 208 LMS design ‘8Fs’ built by North British for the war effort between 1939 and 1942 and carried NBL Works Number 24648. Outshopped as WD 348 in 1940 the loco ran on the LMS for a short time before being shipped to Turkey along with 26 others.
At least six further 8Fs remain stored in Turkey with four earmarked for return to the UK. The loco appeared at the GWSR May 29-June 6 ‘Cotswold Festival of Steam’ temporarily disguised as Swindon-built example 8476.

Cambrians are on!
Months of speculation as to whether the ‘Cambrian’ series of steam-hauled trains would be able to run this year due to the potential difficulties with the new ERTMS signalling system on the line have ended, and the news is good.
Issues with the equipment, centring on visibility issues with the in-cab computer screens, came to light in the first trials of the system in February and have led to the introduction of ERTMS being postponed until after the summer.
One of Ian Riley’s ‘Black 5s’ had already been selected as a ‘guinea pig’ to assess how the equipment could be fitted into a steam locomotive but the delay in introduction means the regular ‘Cambrian’ services can run without it for the time being.

2807 returns
Cotswold Steam Preservation Ltd’s 1905-built GWR heavy freight loco 2807 moved under its own power for the first time in preservation at the Llangollen Railway on June 4.
Progress has been rapid since the first fire was lit in the boiler on March 17; the final steam test was completed satisfactorily on May 18 although minor issues with seals and pipework delayed its entry into traffic causing the locomotive to miss out on its planned debut appearance at the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway’s ‘Cotswold Festival of Steam’.
As expected, the initial testing identified some minor issues and the locomotive was withdrawn for remedial works. Running in was due to resume as we closed for press.