‘DUKE’ TRUST BUYS INTO TYSELEY TOC

Duke of Gloucester’s keepers have bought into the idea of Tyseley’s new in-house train operator. Not only figuratively but with real money. The Riddles ‘Pacific’ is currently under overhaul at the former 84E, and now, says BR Class 8 Steam Locomotive Trust Chairman Trevor Tuckley, his organisation “has bought a significant number of shares in the Community Benefit Society. We’re duty-bound to do what’s in the best interests of the engine – taking a stake is the right thing to do.” You’ll have to take your own view on what ‘significant’ might mean, for No. 71000’s man declined to make the number public. Yet whether it’s £5,000 or £50,000 the real message here is one of new alliances and groupings, as the main line’s tectonic plates shift. After all, it is just weeks since the trust said it was tying up with Vintage Trains Ltd as “primary operator” and basing its engine in Birmingham for the next ten-year ticket (SR478). Its announcement now means it has itself taken a holding in the vehicle specifically set up to fund that operator. It’s hoped the ‘Duke’ will steam in 2019, and Trevor has a message for members: £10 gets you on the trial run, planned to start from Tyseley. Trevor acknowledges that members “provide the lifeblood which enables us to achieve our objectives,” and adds “we therefore felt we should give something back to them, hence this offer.”