Three in steam for season finale at Launceston line

THE Launceston Steam Railway added an extra day, October 28, to the final week of its 2022 season and brought all three resident locomotives – Quarry Hunslet 0-4-0STs No. 679 of 1898 Covertcoat, No. 763 of 1901 Dorothea, and No. 317 of 1883 Lilian – together in steam.

Director Jonathan Mann said: “Having remained closed to the public during the pandemic, we were delighted to open again this year.

“While we were not sure what the post-lockdown demand would be like, we have actually had a very pleasing year, with some remarkably busy days.

“It has not only been really good to see many regular visitors returning, but also to see many new faces as people once again enjoy the sight and sounds of steam locomotives in the unspoilt Cornish countryside.”

Next year, the line, laid on part of the trackbed of the standard gauge North Cornwall Railway, will be celebrating not only its 40th year since it opened, but also Lilian’s 140th birthday. It was in 1964 that the railway’s managing director, Nigel Bowman, who operates the line with his wife Kay, bought Lilian from the Penrhyn Slate Quarry in North Wales.

DEBBIE LEWIS/LSR Watched by Launceston Steam Railway managing director Nigel Bowman, Covertcoat, Dorothea and Lilian make a rare appearance together in steam on October 28.

VISITBRITAIN/PETER KINDERSLEY Enthralled spectators watch the North Eastern Locomotive Preservation Group’s J27 0-6-0 No. 65894 depart from Grosmont. The National Portfolio Organisation grant will boost the North Yorkshire Moors Railway’s programme to remove barriers to travel for people with special needs.