There is a real need for suitable accommodation to restore and maintain the Trust's collection, and to display those small artefacts that cannot be hired out to other museums and heritage railways. Plans are being advanced for a workshop and small museum at the Ribble Steam Railway in Preston - the preferred choice of the Trust's 2008/09 Feasibility Study. The Furness Railway Trust is now emerging as a major provider of heritage railway locomotives and rolling stock for hire, with the collection housed at various locations around the county with, it is hoped, a central base at Preston to carry out the restoration, overhaul and maintenance work.
You can express your views on this project now.
Without a workshop, restoration of No. 4979 "Wootton Hall" cannot commence, and it will be much harder to overhaul No. 5643 or "Cumbria" when the time comes around for that. Similarly, we cannot restore the rest of our vintage carriages.
Until April 1999 this was our big restoration project, but the engine is now a major player in the heritage railway world, winning hearts everywhere it's been. It is splitting its time in 2010 between Locomotion - the National Railway Museum at Shildon and the Open Air Museum at Beamish, both in County Durham, but it also has a visit to the Great Central Railway in May and then Bluebell Railway in August as that line celebrates a half century of preservation; FR 20 was the first choice of visiting locomotive amongst the Bluebell footplate volunteers.
It toured the North East of England in Autumn 2008, taking in the Tanfield Railway, Beamish and the National Railway Museum "Locomotion" outpost at Shildon, and spent the majority of 2009 back at Locomotion as its operational steam locomotive in residence.
The oldest working standard gauge engine in Britain, plus the North London Railway Coach, were amongst the star guests at Railfest 2004, marking the world's first steam railway, 200 years ago. The North Yorkshire Moors railway wrote a glowing "thank you" letter following our visit in the autumn of 2000, saying the staff had "fallen in love with the locomotive" and praising us for our "enthusiasm and dedication in providing such a spectacular and unique train" that was the "highlight" of their gala event.
As well as a decade operating special trains at the Lakeside and Haverthwaite Railway, it has also been to the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway, the Barrow Hill roundhouse and Midland Railway Centre. You can rest assured that these won't be the last special appearances - watch this website for the the latest news first!
In September 2000 we completed a contract for the locomotive to appear in a starring role alongside Gwyneth Paltrow in her film "Possession", based on A. S. Byatt's award-winning novel (see photo, left).
FR Number 20 is limited to a maximum trailing load of 75 tons, because of its age, and relatively low power output by modern standards. For this reason it is not used on service trains but is restricted to special services.
Although the locomotive is now a "runner", there is still much work to do. It needs much running maintenance, being the oldest working standard gauge steam locomotive in the country, and also needs to be kept spotlessly clean: one of the requirements of the grants to fund the restoration was that it would be a 'working museum piece'.
This locomotive is is now complete and earing its crust, representing the FRT at heritage railways across the country. It is generally on hire to the Llangollen Railway, where it has spent the majority of its time since it returned to service in September 2006 - 43 years after its fire was dropped for the last time on British Railways Western Region. In its first full year of active service - 2007 - it was the star at nine separate steam gala events!
Like many ex-British Railways engines, it was sent to the Barry scrapyard at the end of its life, but was not cut up, and was "saved" in the 1970s. Several earlier restoration projects foundered, before it was bought by the Trust.
Income from hiring fees by other lines to use 5643 helps pay for future projects, particularly the Museum and Workshop project, which will unlock the restoration of "Wootton Hall", more on which below, and, looking further ahead, for 5643's own heavy general overhaul after it completes its first ten years in preservation.
A travelling team headed by Keith Brewer makes frequent visits to the locomotive wherever it is on hire, to keep on top of maintenance tasks. It is hoped that this will not only ensure the wheels keep turning, and so bring in the revenue, but fingers crossed also will allow a speedier heavy general overhaul when the time comes.
"Cumbria" was the FRT's first steam locomotive, bought to run trains on the Lakeside and Haverthwaite, a role it performed excellently for 35 years. Surpassing 100,000 miles, almost certainly the first non British Railways locomotive to achieve this feat in preservation, it ran approximately 40% of the total passenger mileage on the L&HR in the time it was resident there.
Now "Cumbria" is out and about earning its keep for the FRT, with appearances at the Ribble Steam Railway at Preston and the Cholsey and Wallingford Railway in Oxfordshire already under its belt.
It has a 12 month booking at the Embsay and Bolton Abbey Railway looming from spring 2010. Like our other operational locomotives, "Cumbria" needs regular attention to keep it in tip top mechanical and visual condition.
Next in the queue after 5643, this is our "big" engine! There had long been a desire amongst members to own a main line tender locomotive, preferably one that hauled express passenger trains. 4979 "Wootton Hall" came up for sale locally in early 1994 and members of the Trust stepped in quickly to secure the purchase.
It is currently stored at the Appleby Heritage Centre - alongside the Settle and Carlisle railway line. Work is being held back whilst the Trust focuses on securing a Museum and Workshop, because there is little appetite for restoring the "Hall" in the open, as was done with 5643. But this engine is not forgotten; there is a small team that visits the engine once a week to carry out preventative maintenance - keeping all surfaces painted, removing rust, cutting away parts that are so badly wasted they will need replacing, and buying parts as funds allow.
"Fluff" is our first locomotive, bought from the Barrow Steelworks.
The little diesel has been out of action for a number of years, but has now received a cosmetic restoration, carried out by two of the FRT's younger members.
Now this important part of our heritage is on display at Vintage Vehicles Shildon, just a stone's throw from FR 20 at Locomotion.
The Furness Railway Trust owns the oldest working standard gauge steam locomotive in the country. Now we are making real progress assembling a suitable train that is worthy to go behind an engine as special as Furness Railway Number 20.
The first major step was taken on 15th February 2001, when the Trust was awarded a grant of £49,200 from the Heritage Lottery Fund, covering 85% of the cost of restoring the first vehicle in this train. This has paid for the return to working order of the Trust's North London Railway 2nd class coach body, which later ran on the Furness Railway before ending up in the grounds of Ulverston station. This body had then been used as a store at Haverthwaite for thirty years. The restored body is mounted on a shortened former British Railways PMV luggage van; the contracts for both the chassis shortening, and the repair of the old teak body, were let to the Appleby Heritage Centre in East Cumbria.
The coach is described as "unique" and "historically very important" and passengers can now experience Victorian-style travel behind a Victorian locomotive.
The Trust also has in its possession a NLR Birdcage Guards brake van, a matching NLR 2nd class carriage, and a NLR 1st class carriage that was converted to an ambulance coach in the First World War. These four together will form a cohesive and attractive vintage train.
The icing on the cake is our flagship vintage carriage - the former Royal Saloon built for Princess Alexandra in 1898. This vehicle is structurally complete and is now in the final stages of major interior and exterior work before it can run again. You can read the fascinating month by month diary of the overhaul.
Progress on assembling the rest of our vintage train is on hold whilst our energies are focused on creating a Museum and Workshop.
Railway restoration and maintenance is an expensive business! It cost about £150,000 to return Furness Railway Number 20 to working order. The work on 5643 set us back by well over £100,000 (and this is very cheap, because so much of the work was done by volunteer labour) - and this money has had to be raised from scratch following the completion of Furness Railway Number 20, which had drained the coffers dry. So where does the money come from?
First of all, many of our members supplement their annual subscriptions with donations towards the activities of the Trust. Members of the public also make donations when they visit Furness Railway Number 2o. The Trust is eternally grateful to all those who give money to help us achieve our goals.
Our chairman, Tim Owen, who undertook a major part of the restoration of Number 20 along with locomotive superintendent Alan Middleton, has written a book on the engine, titled "The Great Survivor". This brings in a steady stream of income not only from our sales stand and from sales at Haverthwaite, but everywhere the engine goes too.
In 1999 we were also given a lovely water-colour of Number 20 at work on the L&HR, donated by the artist Roger Street to use as we chose to raise funds. This kind offer was made by someone who is not a member of the Trust, and indeed had never even seen the locomotive in the flesh at the time he committed it to canvas (he worked from photographs); we are extremely grateful for this kind offer. A limited edition series of 850 prints are selling well, and are also making us money.
We have a sales stand that tours model railway exhibitions, traction engine fairs and the like which brings in a slice of revenue. This sales operation is also in action at Ulverston's Dickensian festival when the Trust operates a shop during the event each year in late November.
In addition, having 5643, "Cumbria" and Furness Railway Number 20 out and about brings in an income: we charge other railways a daily steaming fee for the privilege of using our locomotives. The filming contact with Gwyneth Paltrow also brought in some money in hiring fees, but is equally valuable in raising the profile of the Trust.
And then there's our musical dimension...
How many heritage railways can lay claim to having their own folk group?! The social side of the business has always been very important to us, and Live Steam was born of sing-a-rounds in the mess van after an evening in the local pub! Unlike most such singing sessions, these ones were at least half decent, and a band was formed to take things further.
That was all in the dim and distant past, and Live Steam are now a regularly established feature on the local music circuit - performing all over Cumbria and Lancashire on a regular basis, and donating their fees to Trust funds.
Their fame has also spread round other railways, and quite a number have asked the group to visit and perform at their line. The National Railway Museum also hired the group to play there. A CD is now on sale, as are number of cassettes, all of which help raise funds for the Furness Railway Trust.
Home | About us | FR20 | 5643 | "Wootton Hall" | "Cumbria" | Vintage Train | Museum | Gifts | Live Steam | LRS | Links
©Furness Railway Trust 2010
Hunslet
Austerity "Cumbria"