LYN AND LYD ARE UNITED AT L&B AUTUMN GALA
£1.1m Manning Wardle project launched at “most successful gala yet”.
History was made at the Lynton & Barnstaple Railway on September 29/30, with both the official launch of the line’s £1.1 million new-build Manning Wardle project, and the union of two replica L&B locomotives for the first time in preservation.
Ffestiniog Railway-based replica L&B Manning Wardle 2-6-2T No. E190 Lyd made a welcome return to its spiritual home at the railway’s autumn gala, where it was paired with the line’s own replica Baldwin 2-4-2T No. 762 Lyn. The event marked the first time that a pair of authentic L&B locomotives had worked together on the railway since the line closed, 83 years ago to the day, on September 29 1935. The locomotives double-headed several trains throughout the event, recreating the last train which was similarly double-headed, albeit with Nos. 188 Lew and 759 Yeo.
The gala also marked Lyn’s return to the railway after its visit to the Welsh Highland Railway for its ‘Super Power’ weekend on September 15/16 (see Narrow Gauge News), where it was intentionally kept apart from Lyd in order for the pair to be united at the L&B.
They were not the only L&B ‘locomotives’ present at the gala. The first parts for the line’s new Manning Wardles – the name and numberplates for Nos. 759 Yeo and 760 Exe, sponsored by Steam Railway – were on display alongside Yeo’s original chimney, acquired from a steamroller by Lyd’s brainchild, James Evans.
Peter Heaton-Jones MP, Member of Parliament for North Devon, officially launched the £1.1 million project at the gala, and made a speech underlining the significant contribution the railway makes to expanding the local economy and restoring the heritage of North Devon.
Yeo will be built at the workshop in Derbyshire where volunteers have just finished restoring War Office Hunslet 4-6-0T No. 303, while Exe will be constructed at the Ffestiniog Railway’s Boston Lodge. Neither workshop has the capacity to build both locomotives at the same time but they will be built from the original Manning Wardle plans using standardised parts. Furthermore, the L&BR Trust now owns the Manning Wardle name; the two new engines will therefore be genuine Manning Wardle machines.
L&B Press Officer Tony Nicholson said: “The gala was
one of our most successful yet, particularly on the Saturday when the weather was superb – warm and sunny throughout the day. Even on Sunday, when it was overcast all day, the numbers were very good.”
Anyone interested in supporting the Manning Wardle project is invited to contact Jon Pain via jonpain@waitrose.com