Embsay & Bolton Abbey’s first 2021 vintage train: A half-hidden colourful spectacular!
THE Embsay & Bolton Abbey Steam Railway (EBASR) restarted limited services on April 13 after lockdown restrictions eased and, together with resident Stately Trains, the first vintage train of the year ran on Saturday, April 17.
This first train comprised visiting Robert Stephenson & Hawthorns WD Austerity 0-6-0ST No.71516
Welsh Guardsman, temporarily based at the Severn Valley Railway, and three six-wheeled Victorian coaches from Stephen Middleton's Stately Trains fleet of beautifully restored historical vehicles.
The oldest coach in the train was GER No. 14, built in 1889 as a district engineer's inspection coach. Positioned in the middle was GER No. 37, built in 1897 as an all-first class coach, rebuilt several times in differing configurations during its service life but now fully restored and preserved as originally built. The third coach in the train was 1896-built GNSR No. 34, one of only two remaining Great North of Scotland Railway coaches in existence and the only Victorian Scottish-built coach to be preserved and operating in England.
Operation
The first departure of the day, from Bolton Abbey at 11.10am in nearperfect weather, saw the rise of curling clouds of white steam heralding the approach of No. 71516 heading the three six-wheelers. It made a lovely picture as it passed uphill to Embsay. The viewing location chosen was partially against the sun, unavoidable at that time of day, with the engine and coaches on the passenger boarding side of the train being in light shadow but giving good contrast against the brighter background. Coach liveries lose some of their visual colour distinction in these conditions, but the lighter shade evident on the leading coach, GER No. 14, displayed its own differential, compared with the darker colour shades of the other two coaches.
To get an alternative view of the vintage train's second departure from Bolton Abbey, I relocated near the station to see the other side of the train – the sunny side! Then, as the 12pm from Embsay emerged into view a few minutes early, I was amazed to see what appeared to have been a coach change at Embsay.
The paintwork of the coach coupled next to the engine suddenly stood out, being unusually colourful and wholly unexpected. This coach was exhibiting a bright mid-green across the full length of the lower panels beneath gleaming white upperworks.
While being very photogenic, this was like no other livery I had ever seen or heard about.
Looking further down this extraordinary rake of six-wheeler coaches, the paintwork of the two other coaches was beautifully illuminated in the spring sunlight.
Middle coach GER No. 37 reflected the distinctively regal and classical crimson GER livery of the post-World War One period, while the end coach, GER No. 14, revealed a brighter shade of scarlet, cheerfully different from the more austere LNER teak brown.
Seen together, this made for a very colourful scene. All three Victorian coaches were reflecting their own resplendent differences and character, while at the same time creating an extraordinary visual and colourful spectacle for both camera and the memory.
It was therefore in the height of spring sunshine that the 12.40pm vintage train to Embsay pulled away from Bolton Abbey station looking more distinctively colourful than any other Vintage Train I had ever seen.
Mystery
Later that day, I contacted Stephen Middleton and asked him the reasons for the apparent coach change at Embsay.
“No, no,” he said. “We made no coach change. Because of Covid-19 restrictions, we have had to observe much stricter regulation of our volunteer workforce during lockdown, which has resulted in our having fallen somewhat behind in our in-shed restoration activities.
“In consequence, we have been faced with starting the 2021 operating season with some of our planned work uncompleted.
“As painting is often the last activity in such processes, we came to realise we could not be ‘livery ready' within the start-up dates given to us by the EBASR.
“Following in-depth discussions with my master painter, I decided, as an interim measure, we should temporarily finish paint the EBASR passenger boarding side of GNSR No. 34 in LNER teak brown and apply the other side with an uncomplicated ‘camping coach' scheme.”
So it was; same coach, two entirely different paint schemes on each side, which most passengers who ride this train will probably never notice!
Stephen added: “We plan to finish coat both GER No. 14 and GNSR No. 34 in their appropriate liveries sometime this year when Covid-19 regulations have hopefully further relaxed and our volunteer workers are allowed less restrictive access to covered premises.
“In the meantime, the painting schemes you saw will probably never be seen together again after we finish coat these two coaches.”
While traditionalists might baulk at the schemes used, if they were the proprietors of such a business, they would surely have to agree one thing. When the financial situation demands, then management/trustees must exercise and adopt whatever means they can to get things going and re-establish post-lockdown income as quickly as possible.
Unusual circumstances require unusual solutions, and we must applaud the pragmatic efforts of Stephen Middleton and his support team in getting his six-wheelers ready for EBASR's opening run of its vintage train in this unusual year.