Unswerving determination is the answer to our future
PERSEVERANCE and persistence are defining keys to the future of the heritage railway sector. That basic fact was crystal clear in the official opening of the Northampton & Lamport Railway’s half-mile extension on March 30.
Guests at the ceremony heard that it had taken nearly 17 years for volunteers at the 1½-mile standard gauge line with a 300 membership to lay the track, restore a seven-arch viaduct by hand, import a classic Victorian signalbox and return it to full working order, and build a new southern terminus to a markedly high standard, as reported in Headline News, pages 8/9. The end result is outstanding.
At the other end of the scale, I could not fail to be impressed by the joint gala held by the Great Central Railway at Loughborough and the Great Central Railway (Nottingham), based at Ruddington, not only to celebrate the 125th anniversary of the original GCR’s London Extension, but to also seize the opportunity to promote the long-held dream of reconnecting the pair to create an 18-mile heritage line between the outskirts of two cities and become a major, regular contributor to the regional economy.
As highlighted in our special feature on pages 46-51, the concept of a bus replacement service – a feature of the closure of the Beeching era – was used to immense effect to highlight the potential of the reunification project to a family audience far wider than the standard enthusiast fraternity. Classic London Routemasters were packed – more so than they might have been during their days in the capital – as they ferried visitors between the two lines, while an ingenious and much-varied array of attractions, big and small, were laid on at all of the stations. Indeed, what was on offer at every twist and turn was so absorbing that during my day’s visit, I did not find sufficient time to even visit Kinchley Lane’s classic photographic location – a regular port of call for me and many others. In many ways, this gala was unique, and offered so much to the rest of the sector to learn from.
Yes, running any railway largely by volunteers in the current economic climate may seem yet another ‘mission impossible’ as running costs, not least that of coal, soar. However, the 73-year history of the heritage sector shows time and time again that if we have the same determination as those incessant grafters on the Northampton & Lamport, we will win the day.
Likewise, we must all acknowledge the achievements of 12-year-old schoolboy enthusiasts Oliver Walker and Harry Cowley, who refused to sit back when an historic Nene Valley Railway signalbox was badly damaged by arsonists and staged a sponsored walk to raise £17,000 for the completion of its restoration a year after the attack, as featured on pages 90-91. With others like them also championing the cause, our sector is undeniably in safe hands. Thank you again, lads.