New light shone on railway’s history
A NEW window into post-war life at England’s first public narrowgauge railway, the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway, has recently been acquired by the Ravenglass Railway Museum in West Cumbria.
In December 2020, a collection of negatives taken by wellknown railway photographer H C Casserley came up for auction. The museum was keen to purchase the lot, consisting of 44 negatives, for the unique perspective on life at the railway these show.
Henry Cyril Casserley visited the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway on September 14, 1950, at a difficult time for the company. Both money and materials were scarce and the railway was facing an uncertain future. The photos that he took offer a window into this turbulent part of the railway’s past and also show the task that was facing the then fledgling Preservation Society. They also offer a unique view in terms of their physical viewpoint from the train, with half of the images being taken, unusually, from the back of loco NG 39.
Collections Assistant, Claire Winter-Moore said: “We are thrilled to have acquired this collection of negatives, which gives us a more detailed and representative view of the railway during a decade that was to signal great change for the R&ER.”
The museum’s Volunteer Photo Archivist, Dave Simpson, added: “Being taken from the back of the train, these images will enable us to produce some interesting ‘then and now’ features. One of the future projects we wish to do at the museum is to show the tremendous changes in the valley, with vegetation creeping up on the line, almost hiding it from view in places. This will contrast to modern views of the line in very good condition.”
For more information about Ravenglass Railway Museum visit www.ravenglassrailwaymuseum.co.uk