It’s ‘ softly softly’ as Mangapps Museum reopens its doors to summer visitors
JOHN Jolly, normally one of the preservationmovement’smore ebullient characters, adopteda‘ softly softly’approach as he planned the reopening of hisMangapps Railway Museum on August 1 following its coronavirus closure.
Theworking museum, near the Essex town of Burnham- on- Crouch, has recently undergone a £ 1million expansion that has included an improved layout for its threequarter- mile standard- gauge line, the construction of a carriage shed and a five- road extension to the museum itself, and increased covered accommodation for rolling stock.
The completion of suchamajor project would normally be the cause of much celebration for John and his wife June, but caution, interwoven with an“it could have been worse” approach, is their overriding emotion.
“Wewere resigned to having to remain closed for the foreseeable future, and certainly until next year, but the Government’s change of tack has encouraged us to have a go at opening,” said 76- year- old John.
“We are well- equipped to run trains in a socially distant environment thanks to our suburban compartment stock and singlemanned diesels, but the museum is another matter.
“It is now twice the size as previously and the layout is almost a cross between the old Liverpool Street and the NRM, though not quite as big as either! Arranging one- way systems and sanitising, yet still allowing visitors maximum access to the exhibits, is challenging.
“We normally open every day in August, but this year we will have to be cautious and see how it goes. As to autumn, we are normally open throughout September and October, but whether we can operate into October will be dependent on a number of factors. Also, Santa Specials, normally one of our main events, look doubtful.
“Mangapps has developed a great deal over the past 12 months, and we are determined to showpeople what we are proud to have achieved, but theremay be only a relatively short windowof opportunity to see for themselves this year.”
On a brighter note, John said he was currently arranging a number of special private group events, which he said were easier to organise. One of these is the annual former Stratford 30A railwaymen reunion, which has been provisionally arranged for September. “It is something we look forward to, as there is always a great atmosphere and some fascinating stories from the participants,” said John.
This event is organised by retired Stratford driver Dave Brennand, who said he hoped that if it went ahead, visitor numbers would exceed the near 30 that attended last year.
“There is a very rare bond between old Stratford drivers and secondmen that has to be seen to be believed,” he told Heritage Railway.
Themuseum is knownwithin preservation circles for its collection of ex- BR diesels that includes two Class 31s, a Class 47, five Class 03 shunters and a Class 04, and there are also four industrial steam locomotives, three industrial diesels and more than 80 carriages and wagons.