32 Breaking BR’s steam ban

October marked the 50th anniversary of ex-GWR ‘King’ No. 6000 leading the return to steam on the main line. Chris Milner recalls how the ban was broken, and how steam then developed under British Rail up to the point when the railways were Privatised.

October marked the 50th anniversary of ex-GWR ‘King’ No. 6000 King George V leading the return to steam on the main line. Chris Milner recalls how the ban was broken, and how steam then developed under British Rail up to the point when the railways were Privatised.

FIFTY years ago on October 2, 1971, steam officially returned to British Rail metals, after being banned for just over three years since the ‘15 Guinea Special’ of August 11, 1968 marked the official end of mainline steam.

The lifting of the ban was an historic moment as, during the intervening years, the only steam loco permitted to operate on BR had been Alan Pegler’s A3 Flying Scotsman, which had been subject to a three-year agreement from April 1968.

With the expiry of the Pegler contract, the agreement to run that first train from Hereford to Birmingham as part of a fourday tour, hauled by GWR 4-6-0 No. 6000 King George V, was in no small part due to the lobbying of BR chairman Richard Marsh by Peter Prior and many others. At the time Mr Prior was the chairman and managing director of Hereford-based cider makers Bulmers, which had custody of the ‘King’.

Just to be factually correct here, BR’s ban had been previously relaxed in July 1969 to allow three steam locomotives – Nos. 5593 Kolhapur, 7029 Clun Castle and 5428 Eric Treacy – to run on a length of track at an open day at Cricklewood depot held on July 12, while a number of other BR open days around the time also featured steam locos. But

nothing other than No. 4472 had hauled a tour under its own steam on the main line.

The ban is broken

October 2, 1971 saw the ‘King’ haul a number of Pullman carriages, owned by Bulmers, and some Mk.1s from Hereford via Severn Tunnel Junction, Swindon and Oxford to Tyseley. The fare was £5 – equivalent to just over £70 in today’s money.

King George V worked the second of the four specials on October 4, returning steam to London on a working from Birmingham Snow Hill to Kensington Olympia. The third special on October 7 took the ‘King’ from Olympia to Swindon, and the final leg on October 9 saw it returning triumphantly to Hereford.

With the die cast and a growing appetite by enthusiasts, BR sanctioned a limited number of steam excursions in 1972, over what it called ‘permitted routes’, totalling 301 miles. These included Shrewsbury-Hereford-Newport, Birmingham Moor St-Didcot, YorkScarborough, Newcastle-Carlisle and Carnforth to Barrow-in-Furness.

These routes were chosen as they were not heavily used, had turning facilities at each end, and – in several cases – preservation groups had locos based nearby. At the end of 1972, BR said it would review the trial steam operations.

As part of the return to steam operations, BR sanctioned the use of 23 locos for main line use (see table p35), of which some were in the final stages of overhaul. Amazingly, 50 years later, more than half-a-dozen locos on that first list still have mainline credentials and work railtours. That is a fantastic tribute to the owning groups.

For the purposes of a steam excursion in 1972, BR would hire a loco for the nominal sum of £1. BR would not only expect the loco to be mechanically fit, but fire lighting, steam raising, coaling, watering and disposal was the responsibility of the owners. BR would provide the footplate crew. Owners were also required to take out insurance to indemnify BR.

It was a far cry from steam operation today, where loco hire usually costs around £70009000 and it requires an independent fitness to run examination before each tour. The loco will now be fitted with additional mandatory safety equipment: TPWS, GSMR communications equipment, and the ‘black box’ data recorder. Given the cost of owning and operating a steam loco in the 21st century, that £1 deal with BR in 1972 appears somewhat paltry!

With steam on the mainline being a new venture, organisations such as the Locomotive Club of Great Britain (LCGB), Stephenson Locomotive Society (SLS) and Manchester Locomotive Society (MLS) began to collaborate on joint tours to benefit members.

One such tour on October 14, 1972, saw the LCGB use No. 6000 from Newport to Hereford, then ‘Jubilee’ No. 5596 Bahamas onward to Shrewsbury, with the SLS/MLS using the same locos in the reverse direction. A clever use of resource sharing, and an aspect of railtours that seldom happens today.

More miles and locos

With a series of successful operations completed, BR authorised a further 460 miles for use by steam in 1973/74, including several notable scenic routes: Inverness-Kyle of Lochalsh; DundeeLadybank-Dunfermline-Thornton Jct-Dundee; Hull-Filey; Carnforth-Leeds; Barrow-inFurness to Sellafield; Guide Bridge to Dore; Oxford-Hereford; and Tyseley-ShirleyStratford-upon-Avon. BR mandated that steam excursions had to run in April-June or September-October, with insurance and crewing as per the previous year.

Taking advantage of the Scottish route inclusions was Lochty Private Railway-based ‘A4’ No. 60009 Union of South Africa owned by John Cameron, which appeared on the Dundee circular route. It is sad that one of the original and most popular main line performers has now been withdrawn from active service and destined for life in a museum (see pages 17-21).

Other new locos to the main line in that year included a second ‘Jubilee’ No. 5690 Leander, ‘V2’ No. 4771 Green Arrow, ‘Black Fives’ Nos. 44871 and 45407, and a third ‘A4’ No. 60019 Bittern. Somewhat smaller, Tyseleybased 5700 Class 0-6-0PT No. 7752 was used to work shuttle trains between Birmingham Moor Street and Stratford.

No. 6998 Burton Agnes Hall worked across the Cotswold line between Didcot and Hereford (and a month later on Marlow centenary specials), while David Shepherd’s ‘9F’ No. 92203 Black Prince made a return back to BR metals with Eastleigh Works Open day specials on May 13, then six days later headed Wirral Railway Circle’s ‘Royal Giants’ tour, which also included the Cotswold line.

One of the highlights for 1974 was the appearance of the Great Western Society’s Vintage Train of historic GWR carriages in October, hauled by No. 6998 and No. 7808 Cookham Manor. Earlier in April, ‘Merchant Navy’ No. 35028 Clan Line returned to Southern metals – and today this loco is one of the most resplendent preserved steam locos on the network, and a credit to its owning society to have diligently returned the loco to the main line after each overhaul.

One of 1974’s oddest workings must have been No. 4079 Pendennis Castle doubleheading Flying Scotsman on a positioning move to Newport – Bill McAlpine owning a share in the ‘Castle’ with John Gretton.

Shildon cavalcade

The initial years of steam back on the main line had been a valuable learning lesson for British Rail, because 1975 marked the 150th anniversary of the Stockton & Darlington Railway – the highlight of which was a steam cavalcade between Shildon and Heighington. BR also sanctioned four special ‘Rail 150’ workings over the East Coast Main Line between York and Newcastle.

Movement of cavalcade locos to Shildon in steam was permitted, one remarkable movement was that of No. 7808 from Didcot with preserved stock, which paused in the centre road under York’s arched roof.

Some of the smaller locos on the initial approved list were removed (Nos. 1466,

7752, 7760, 6106, 6697) and replaced with ‘9F’ No. 92220 Evening Star, ‘B1’ No. 1306 Mayflower, and ‘K4’ No. 3442 The Great Marquess. The year also saw the formation of the Steam Locomotive Operators’ Association (SLOA), which would play a major role in future steam operations by liaising between tour operators, loco owners, and BR over an achievable programme of main line steam tours. The January 1976 issue of The RM reported the good news that BR had approved steam over previously agreed routes for the next four years based on the same policy: trips on Saturdays and Sundays only, from mid-March to June, and September to mid-October. The statement was tempered by news of a review

of operations in 1978, with the rider that BR considered it unlikely there would be steam on the main line beyond the early 1980s.

BR also wanted locos to work in and around their ‘home’ areas to ease admin and make best use of staff. One plus, however, was the addition of Manningtree-Ely to the approved routes list as well as EdinburghStirling.

Unusual combinations

1976 also saw the welcome return of Stanier ‘8P’ No. 6201 Princess Elizabeth to the main line, as well as LNWR ‘Precedent’ No. 790 Hardwicke, which worked some specials on its own between Carnforth and Grange-overSands. Hardwicke also featured in bizarre pairings with ‘Compound’ No. 1000, ‘A3’ No. 4472 Flying Scotsman and ‘9F’ No. 92220 Evening Star – a ‘David and Goliath’ combination if ever there was one. The centenary of the opening of the Settle & Carlisle in May 1976, which would have been ideal for a steam special over the famed route, only saw Nos. 790 and 4472 working between Hellifield and Carnforth (replacing the booked locos No. 1000 and a ‘Black Five’). With a pattern of tours basically set for the next few years, steam did return to the Settle & Carlisle line on March 25, 1978 with a SLOA-organised special hauled by No. 4771 Green Arrow. It was named the ‘Norfolkman’ in honour of D W (Bill) Harvey, who had masterminded the loco’s restoration. Further steam over the S&C came in September with memorial trains for that doyen of railway photographers Bishop Eric Treacy, who had died suddenly in May at Appleby while waiting to photograph No. 92220. With greater demand for steam over the iconic 72-mile route, with its 20 viaducts and 14 tunnels, it was an inconceivable act that BR published a closure notice in December 1983 – the reasoning being the cost of viaduct repairs against the level of traffic on the route. A campaign to save the line started before BR’s announcement, which in any event was withdrawn due to a legality, but the notice was reissued later in 1984. The fervent campaign by the line’s ‘Friends’ to save the line was successful in 1989, and the popularity of the route remains as strong as ever.

Despite BR’s belief (or was that more of a hope?) that the steam bubble would burst, it did not. At the start of the 1980s, the

150th anniversary of opening the Liverpool & Manchester Railway was marked by steam specials between the two northern cities hauled by No. 6201 Princess Elizabeth or No. 5690 Leander, and a cavalcade ran over three days at Rainhill featuring 40 locos.

Rainhill remembered

The steam locos were gathered at Bold Colliery (near St Helens) and there were a number of movements to achieve this. On May 17, for example, Nos. 6201 Princess Elizabeth, 46229 Duchess of Hamilton and 850 Lord Nelson all hauled specials – but, following an unseasonal dry spell, a number of lineside fires led to BR insisting on diesel pilots, much to the disappointment of all involved. Also due to work south from Scotland that day to Bold was North British ‘J36’ No. 673 Maude with two Caledonian carriages. The story was that BR insisted on a diesel for Maude from Carlisle over the S&C, but BR was told if that was the case, the loco would

be going no further. Eventually an agreement was made to run Maude at 30mph, and some historic pictures were taken that day, while somewhat ironically Maude’s return north at the end of May was in almost total rain.

Some loco movements to or from Bold under their own power resulted in unusual combinations – such as ‘Jinty’ No. 7298 with ‘Schools’ No. 925 Cheltenham and ‘Merchant Navy’ No. 35028 Clan Line.

1980 was the year that also saw Severn Valley Railway-based locos Nos. 43106,

5000 and 80079 venture onto the mainline, the ‘Black Five’ double-heading with both stablemates during the season.

Following Maude’s eventful outing in May,

August 21 saw diesel No. 40179 fail with a goods train on the S&C, blocking the passage for a southbound steam charter hauled by

No. 5690 Leander. BR decided that Leander could leave its stock at Kirkby Stephen, run wrong line to Garsdale, set back and haul the stricken train to stable in Garsdale’s sidings, before returning to collect its train!

Clearly a year for unusual steam moves, 1980 saw Midland Railway ‘Spinner’ 4-2-2

No. 673 haul No. 4027 and two carriages from Butterley to Tinsley for an open day. It is thought to be No. 673’s only mainline outing. The pinnacle of the 1980s, however, was when BR’s ScotRail division allowed steam to return to the West Highland Line extension in May 1984, the first trains being hauled by Maude and ‘Black Five’ No. 5407.

Sewing the seed in the popular Highland tourist and holiday area, the ‘Jacobite’ as it is now known (previous names included the ‘West Highlander’ and the ‘Lochaber’), has become a staple of the steam calendar running from April to the end of October.

After the Privatisation of BR in the 1990s, operation of the ‘Jacobite’ from 1995 was switched to West Coast Railways, who in

2011 added a second daily service to cope with demand – much additional patronage stemming from the use of Glenfinnan Viaduct in the Harry Potter films. Other than the initial season in 1984, steam locos used on

the line have centred around LMS ‘Black Fives or LNER’s ‘B1’, ‘K1’ or ‘K4’.

Under BR’s Special Trains Unit, which liaised closely with SLOA, luncheon specials were introduced between Marylebone and Stratford-upon-Avon in 1985, and steam also returned to the Southern Region in 1986 (and 1987) masterminded by Salisbury area manager Gerry Daniels.

A longer season

By the mid-1980s, there was far more steam than in previous years. The use of spring and late summer/autumn had also fallen by the wayside and steam was, as a rule, running somewhere several days per week.

The ‘Great Western 150’ celebrations of 1985 with planned steam specials went ahead – despite the poorly timed announcement from BR in March that year that Swindon Works would close in 1986. While events at Swindon were rather muted, several steam specials ran between Bristol and Plymouth worked by GWR locos.

Most notable was when Nos. 6000 and 7819 double-headed over the Easter weekend; the ‘King’ failed at Taunton with a hot box, leaving the ‘Manor’ to work solo to Exeter where a pair of Class 37s took over to Plymouth. A hotbox on the ‘Manor’ was discovered on arrival at Exeter, but repaired overnight, while Severn Valley stablemate

No. 4930 Hagley Hall was quickly rustled up for the northbound return from Plymouth on April 8.

GW150 events also saw steam return to Cornwall on September 6, 1985 – reported to be the first since May 1964 – when

No. 7029 Clun Castle hauled a PlymouthTruro working. The loco returned north after turning at Par. Another unusual

GW150 working involved the Severn

Valley’s 28XX Class 2-8-0 No. 2857 hauling a demonstration freight train between Kidderminster and Newport.

When BR closed Birmingham Moor Street in September 1987 (services being transferred to the rebuilt Snow Hill), there was a steam farewell with No. 7029 and Ivatt No. 46443 working to Stratford and back. Luckily the Grade II-listed buildings were refurbished, and now the reopened Moor Street sees steam again.

Cambrian adventures

The highlight for 1987, however, was without doubt the return of steam to the Cambrian Main Line after a 20 year gap. Hertfordshire Rail Tours’ ‘Barmouth Bay Express’ on May 24 utilised Severn Valleybased GWR 4-6-0 No. 7819 Hinton Manor between Machynlleth and Barmouth. The following day, the same loco ran over the same route with BR’s ‘Cardigan Bay Express’, and on May 28 BR Class 5 No. 75069 saw some action around the scenic coastal line. The ‘Manor’ ran additional trips in August, sharing duties with the Standard, but it was sidelined with a firebox crack and replaced by Ivatt 2MT No. 46443 for the bank holiday weekend. Both Nos. 7819 and 75069 were involved in further steam over the Cambrian line, this time between Shrewsbury and Barmouth in 1991, which took in the demanding Talerddig summit. The subsequent introduction of the ERTMS signalling system on this route has prevented steam operations since 2010 unless accompanied by a Network Rail Class 37.

Privatisation in the mid-1990s saw BR’s Special Trains Unit sold to Pete Waterman along with six Class 47s and 200 carriages, but this did not include an operating licence and the company was reliant on Res (Rail Express Systems). Costs and other difficulties saw the assets sold off as the tour market became more fragmented.

What also came in the 1990s was the emergence of a few enterprising railtour promoters who wanted to break the mould. One such operator was Mel Chamberlain, who created ‘Days Out’ and launched in 1995 taking steam back to St Pancras.

Tackling Shap

The year saw many planned trains cancelled due to two serious lineside fires, while a high number of planned steam specials left the market oversaturated with too much choice and insufficient passengers. Inevitably, questions began to arise over the viability of whether steam on the main line had a long-term future.

But it was Chamberlain’s audacious plans to take steam over Shap Summit with three specials each hauled by a giant of steam – Nos. 71000 Duke of Gloucester, 46229 Duchess of Hamilton and 60007 Sir Nigel Gresley – that really recaptured public imagination.

Backed and exclusively revealed by The RM in its July 1995 issue, the Shap Trials (as they had become dubbed) would run between September 30 and October 2, creating an event that critics said could not be done.

But they were proved wrong, with the trips showing Duke of Gloucester to be the outright winner over Duchess of Hamilton.

Not only did the time trials bring steam back to the West Coast Main Line north of Carnforth, it was yet another erosion of routes yet to see a return to steam, whetting appetites for where to take steam next. ■

Readers wishing to look up past steam, diesel and electric railtours are recommended to visit the excellent www.sixbellsjunction.co.uk website, which was used during the preparation of this feature.

From August 1968 to October 1971, the only exception to the steam ban was ‘A3’ No. 4472, which had a three-year deal agreed between owner Alan Pegler and BR. The celebrity loco and double-tenders is pictured arriving at King’s Cross on October 20, 1968 at the head of a special from Leeds in connection with the opening of the Museum of British Transport in Clapham, South London.

HAWTHORNE COLLECTION ‘King’ No. 6000 broke BR’s three-year steam ban when it hauled passengers from Hereford to Tyseley on October 2, 1971. Two days later it brought steam back to the capital when it ran from Tyseley to Kensington Olympia. It is seen here during an hour-long break at High Wycombe, when there was clearly a much different attitude to health and safety on the line.

Between the first two legs of the ‘Return to Steam’ specials, No. 6000 is pictured at Tyseley on October 3, 1971 working open day shuttles within the depot’s boundaries ‘top and tail’ with No. 6201.

Several of the versatile LMS/BR ‘Black Fives’ have featured on the main line since 1971, including No. 5305 – seen leaving York with a circular trip via Leeds and Harrogate on June 17, 1979.

1976 saw the return of LNWR ‘Precedent’ No. 790 Hardwicke and Midland ‘Compound’ No. 1000 to the main line, the locos’ first outing being paired together on April 24’s ‘London & North Western & Midland Railways Joint Tour’ from York to Carnforth, which is pictured at Leeds.

‘8P’ No. 6201 Princess Elizabeth returned to the main line in 1976, and two years later on May 20, 1978 it is seen leaving Chester working a return charter to Wellingborough as far as Hereford.

FERNDALE MEDIA When this shot was taken on April 17, 1982, ‘9F’ No. 92220 Evening Star was still only 22 years old – but had spent most of that time in preservation. As the last standard gauge steam loco built by British Railways, it was only in service from 1960-1965, but made its preservation return to the main line in 1975 and is pictured here leaving Shrewsbury at Sutton Bridge Junction with a ‘Welsh Marches Express’ to Hereford.

The 150th anniversary of the Stockton & Darlington Railway was celebrated with a cavalcade of locos on the main line between Shildon and Darlington, as well as a series of ‘top and tail’ shuttles from the wagon works at Shildon – including this one on August 28 powered by Nos. 6960 and 41241. Note the makeshift loading platform by the middle coach.

Another main line cavalcade ran in May 1980 to mark 150 years of the Liverpool & Manchester Railway and the 1829 Rainhill trials, and this included a number of surprise workings such as the replica Sans Pareil – seen passing the grandstand of spectators on May 26, 1980.

FERNDALE MEDIA Today’s ‘Jacobite’ workings between Fort William and Mallaig date back to an initiative by BR’s ScotRail business in 1984. The trips were an instant success, and three years later on August 30, 1987, ‘K1’ No. 2005 (disguised as K4 No. 3445 MacCalin Mor) climbs the last few hundred yards to Glenfinnan station with a westbound working. The K1 was reputed to have carried No. 3445’s boiler during its BR career, hence the identity change.

FERNDALE MEDIA All four ‘A4s’ preserved in Britain have had spells back on the main line – including No. 4498 Sir Nigel Gresley, which is seen leaving Hull Paragon on September 22, 1984 with the ‘West Yorkshire Enterprise’ special to mark the 150th anniversary of the Leeds-Selby Railway.

A popular performer in the 1980s was ‘N15’ No. 777 Sir Lamiel, captured leaving York in August 1983 at the head of a southbound ‘Scarborough Spa Express’.

FERNDALE MEDIA Ex-Southern ‘Pacifics’ have also been popular returnees to the main line – including ‘West Country’ No. 34027 Taw Valley, which makes a vigorous start from Holyhead on August 13, 1989, returning a ‘North Wales Coast Express’ to Crewe.

FERNDALE MEDIA GWR veteran 4-4-0 No. 3440 City of Truro looks somewhat incongruous hauling a rake of InterCity-liveried Mk.1s away from Banbury on May 13, 1989 while working from Marylebone to Stratford-upon-Avon.