Peckett 2153 at Southport. Photo courtesey of Geoff Cryer- visit www.geoffspages.co.uk
CALEDONIAN RAILWAY LOTTERY WIN
The Heritage Lottery Fund has given
the go-ahead for a new project to develop the railway's activities, funded
mainly by themselves but with contributions from Scottish Enterprise Tayside and
the Caledonian Railway itself.
The HLF is funding the costs of the CR taking on its first-ever paid employee.
The new post will be a "development officer" whose wide range of
duties will include opening the station daily, acting as museum curator,
attracting new volunteers and searching out new avenues of funding amongst
numerous other roles. The new employee will also engage in the marketing of the
railway and oversee general development, such as pushing forward plans to
reinstate the platform canopies at Brechin.
The award comprises £47,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund, £6,300 from
Scottish enterprise Tayside and the remainder made up by volunteer labour-based
contributions. The grant will enable Brechin station to open daily as a museum, rather than the
summer Sundays only at present. This is seen by the board of the railway as the
first stepping stone to more operating days in the future.
The £6300 contribution from Scottish Enterprise Tayside allows funds for construction of a new shop, plus enhanced museum
facilities.
Details of how to apply for the job will be announced shortly in the Railway
press.
Peckett 2153 at Southport. Photo courtesey of
Geoff Cryer- visit www.geoffspages.co.uk
A new steam engine has
arrived on the Caledonian Railway. It is 0-6-0ST number 2153, built by Peckett
and Sons of Bristol in 1954 making it one of the last locomotives produced by
Peckett before the company closed. The locomotive is almost identical to the
Caledonian's other Peckett, number 1889 "Menelaus". Number 2153 last
steamed some six years ago, during its residency at the now-closed Steamport
Southport Railway Centre in England. Following this it was dismantled for
overhaul and remains in this state now. It is expected to be reassembled for
static display, following 'Menelaus' in the overhaul queue.
The loco's proud new owner is Dr Steve Pegg, the
Caledonian's Chief Mechanical engineer. Steve said that having two locos with
interchangeable parts was a great bonus on a railway like the Caledonian, where
volunteers are in short supply. With the working Barclay, (no. 1863) Steve hopes
to have a fleet of three locos within the next five years where two are working
and one is under repair at all times
Number 2153 is basically in a good state of repair, but will need a boiler overhaul and tyres turned before it can run again. It will probably be named once steaming again, on a local theme. The arrival of 2153 brings the total number of Pecketts in Scotland to 3, all of which are on the Caledonian. The remaining one is the 1915 0-4-0ST from Burntisland Aluminium, also owned by Steve and safely stored awaiting overhaul.
Enthusiasts' tour will head for Brechin!
On Saturday 1st September, Pathfinder Tours has
provisionally booked a train on the Caledonian Railway, scheduled to be the
first railtour to run over the branch since a DMU excursion when the line closed
under BR in 1981. Due to the current lack of rails between Montrose and Bridge
of Dun, a fleet of buses will ferry passengers from the charter train which will
be 'looped' at Montrose, to Bridge of Dun where a 9-coach train will take them
to Brechin. This will be the longest train operated on the Brechin branch since
preservation, and harks back to the days of 1950s football specials when 'Black
Fives' hauled trains of Brechin City fans to away matches!
The train is scheduled to be hauled by class 26 no. D5314 and 27 27024, which will make two
round trips over the line.
Pathfinder Tours website can be found at http://www.toursatpathfinder.freeserve.co.uk/