Dining trains and a special visitor as SpaValleyRailway bounces back
THE SpaValley Railway, one of the small clutch of standardgauge heritage lines within less than an hour’s train ridefrom London, isdeterminedto hit theground running after its enforced5 ½ - month closuredueto the coronaviruspandemic.
TheTunbridgeWells- based line reopens on August 29, and over that three- day bank holidayweekendwill run a programme of steam- hauled trains, while on September 5 there will be a steam and gin special.
In addition, it is hoped visitors will be able to enjoy the sight of Southern Railway Battle of Britain No. 34053 Sir KeithPark on display in light steam following its arrival fromTyseley LocomotiveWorks, where it has been undergoing work on its bottom end.
Motive power over the holiday weekend and on September5will be provided by No. 62 Ugly, an exCorby steelworks 0- 6- 0ST built by Robert Stephenson and Hawthorns in 1950 ( works No. 7673). Its name comes from the nickname of the class, due to what some enthusiasts regarded at the time as their ungainly appearance.
Services
Trains willdepart fromTunbridgeWells West over the bank holidayat10.30am, 12.30pmand 2.30pm foraseven- mile roundtrip to Groombridge, thefirst beinganormal service, the secondafish and chips special, andthe thirdacream teas train. TheSeptember5gin special, onwhich passengers willbeable to samplethree differentgins accompanied by tonic waterand light snacks, departs at 2.30pm.
Social distancing and other Covid- 19 regulations will be in operation, and tickets must be booked in advance, and passengers will be able to alight at Groombridge station prior to their return to TunbridgeWells.
Jonnie Pay, the railway’s commercial manager, said: “It has been a very difficult time, but everyone has pulled together to make all the necessary changes to allowus to not only open safely, but to bring back some of our popular dining trains such as lunches and teas. We are determined to hit the ground running as much as we can, and hope passengers will come and support us so that we can continue to run trains for the remainder of the year, including our popular Santa Specials.”
Attraction
While passengerswill enjoythe delights of their train journey, No. 34053 will alsobeacentreofattentionif it is preparedin time to beputonshowin light steamatTunbridgeWellsWest. The1947- built Pacific isownedby SouthernLocomotives Ltd, andis to spend the winter inundercover storage in the SpaValley’smotivepower depot at the station, and alsobeavailable to head trains.
“Wewere thrilled to receive a request from Southern Locomotives Ltd to bring it to us for winter storage, during which time it will also see active service and be a huge motivational boost for our volunteers,” said Jonnie. “It didn’t take us long to make our minds up!”
As a‘ thank you’, No. 34053 is set to open the railway's 2021 season.
The Pacific, which will be the largest locomotive to visit the railway in the preservation era, is named after the New Zealand- born SecondWorldWar commander of 11Group RAF, the unit responsible for the fighter defence of London and south- east England during the Battle of Britain.
He was regarded as one of the greatest commanders in the history of aerial warfare, and Battle of Britain aceDouglas Bader said of him:“The awesome responsibility for this country’s survival rested squarely on his shoulders.”