40 GREAT ACHIEVEMENTS
40 milestones from SR’s lifetime so far
June 1979 was a different preservation world. The steam railway movement had put down strong roots nearly three decades after the reopening of the Talyllyn, but was still a very long way from becoming the multimillion pound industry and living museum of a bygone age that it is now. Trains were run for the pleasure of day-trippers under the banner of ‘stepping back in time’, but in truth there was much less attention to detail in recreating the past than there is today.
That month, a locomotive that epitomises that period was born – Earl of Merioneth at the Ffestiniog Railway. This new double Fairlie marked a major turning point – the first ‘full size’ (as opposed to miniature) steam locomotive built from scratch in the preservation era.
Despite its significance, Earl of Merioneth was not lauded at the time – certainly not in the way that new-build
‘A1’ Tornado would be nearly 30 years later. Unlike the Peppercorn ‘Pacific’, which captured the imagination of the enthusiast world, many hated the Fairlie.
It was a product of its time; a locomotive built not to recall times past, but for sheer expediency, to keep the trains moving. Instead of overhauling life-expired original Fairlie Livingston Thompson with a new boiler, the FR constructed the new ‘Earl’ – but with little regard for aesthetics. It was the narrow gauge equivalent of the Bulleid ‘Q1’ or the Ivatt ‘Flying Pig’ – its boxy appearance shocked many observers, and it was clearly a machine built to do a job, with function prioritised over form.
Forty years later, the wheel has turned full circle for ‘The Square’, as it became known. The ‘Earl’ is now lifeexpired, and another new double Fairlie – James Spooner – is being built to replace it, but this time with all the Victorian trimmings of the originals.
The contrast sums up how not only the Ffestiniog, but the movement as a whole, has matured. No longer is the aim just to run trains – we’re here to provide an authentic, educational experience as well.
A PRESERVATION PARADIGM
In the same year that Earl of Merioneth was outshopped, another significant event took place in the narrow gauge world, yet one that is easy to overlook today. The Lynton & Barnstaple Railway seems like one of preservation’s relative newcomers, and indeed it is in operational terms – but it was 40 years ago, in 1979, that the L&BR Association was formed with the aim of reopening this most beloved of lost lines.
Inevitably, there have had to be a few compromises along the way – but the new L&B set out to accurately recreate the line as it was, with replica locomotives, original stock and as many period details as possible. So revered is this railway by enthusiasts, that to have anything less simply would not do.
Today’s L&B at Woody Bay is perhaps the finest showcase for what preservation can achieve. A new Manning Wardle 2-6-2T has been built (with more on the way) along with a replica of Baldwin 2-4-2T Lyn; a full set of five coaches has been restored, all incorporating original material to some degree; and the distinctive Swiss chalet-style station has been lovingly restored. ‘Stepping back in time’ was not always true of steam lines in 1979, and since then it has perhaps become a rather over-used phrase – yet in the 21st century, Woody Bay really is about as close as you can get to time travel.
MAGAZINE OUTSHOPPED
In the same month that Earl of Merioneth appeared, another significant event took place in the railway preservation world. A new magazine called Steam Railway was published, the first to solely concentrate on that rapidly developing preservation movement.
Much like the Fairlie, the Steam Railway of those days was a product of its time. Certainly, we wouldn’t get away today with a mere five pages of relatively brief news (at the back!), or with every photograph being monochrome, save for the front cover and four pages in the centre…
But ever since then, Steam Railway has been highlighting the achievements of preservation (and yes, holding a mirror up to the bad news as well). As the Ffestiniog prepares to roll out its new Fairlie, and as the L&B gears up for its extension to Blackmoor, let’s look back on the last four decades and celebrate the feats of which our wonderful, innovative and tenacious movement is capable.