Tynedalesman - Members Jottings

Mike Ryan Interviews Preservationists

The procedure is this, I am going to ask you to describe briefly your preservation project, how long it took, whether you worked alone or with others etc. Then I will ask you one or two questions as to what your plans were after completion, and how successful they have been.

Hello, my name is Joyce Harrison. Together with my brother and my father who owns a medium-sized garage, I helped restore a Morris Cowley 2 Seater Coupe manufactured in 1926.

The project lasted about three years altogether, as the garage repair business sometimes prevented the male members of the team from spending any time on the car. The end result was put on display as a sort of advertisement, but then a lucrative offer combined with investment needs of the business resulted in its sale.

A year later we were able to purchase a second Morris Cowley Coupe which was in almost identical condition to the first, found in local farm outbuildings. Almost immediately my brother developed a more exciting leisure time hobby, investigating the body parts of local girls, and I became the chief engineer and restorer. My father helped with some of the heavier work, and instructed me in the operation of some of the equipment I hadn�t used before, but I accomplished at least 90% of the restoration work and, two and a half years later, I am the proud co-owner of a gleaming vintage car in near perfect running order.

Well done! You have made full use of the facilities and training available on site and have toiled patiently and effectively. Now, I am sure you wanted to drive your car and show it to as many people as possible. How successful have you been?

Well, I drive it to vintage vehicle shows usually with my father or boyfriend, and we enjoy meeting up with fellow enthusiasts, and comparing notes and experiences. Also, I communicate with other owners of similar cars and attend several rallies each year when we motor through some very nice countryside, or even tackle some mountain roads to test our cars' mechanical prowess.

As it is a vintage car, do you ever try to place it in an historical context? Would you consider creating a small wayside garage of the period complete with antique petrol pumps, or a country road lined with thatched cottages?

Certainly not! Mind you, there is one annual event where the show organisers urge the entrants to dress in appropriate costumes, and most of us do.

It must be quite an expensive pastime at times, when tyres or moving parts wear out. Did you ever consider taking the public for rides and charging a fee?

No, never. All hobbies involve expenditure. I enjoy what I do.

Hi there! I�m John Critchlow. In 1989, I acquired a Fowler general purpose steam traction engine, a 7 NHP compound, class �R�, number 112156. This Fowler was built in 1907 and until 1945 it worked on several farms and in a sawmill. After the War it was used in various forestry operations such as logging and removal of tree stumps, and strangely enough, on river bank maintenance.

The restoration I undertook was arduous, because I had to learn so many different skills, and money for contract work was hard to come by. The completely rotten coal bunkers and drawbar were replaced by new builds. The motion was overhauled, and new piston rings and axle bearings were fitted, together with boiler cladding and a hardwood canopy.

However, just in time for the millennium, I was celebrating the completion of a roadworthy and fully operational traction engine. There is a marvellous network of traction engine enthusiasts and societies, and I attend roughly six shows a year, where she can be seen in all her old glory. I would attend more steam fairs but the cost of transportation is so high these days.

I must say that you have done extremely well on your own, especially as your engineering background was in a completely different field, and a long time ago. You mention transportation costs. Are you able to drive your engine to any events?

Yes, but only one venue is feasible, at the East of England Showground. Obviously, at the steam fairs one can take part in various processions or tests of manoeuvrability. It is always a matter of pride to be in full steam, before an appreciative audience.

That is very true. Your engine has a very interesting work history. Have you ever been tempted to re-create say some forestry work and test the Fowler out by hauling some large logs? Presumably, it could also be easily connected to some old farm machinery. Wouldn't it be nice to see it working again?

To be honest, I would be fearful of doing some damage to her. No, I am very happy to see her moving under swathes of steam and smoke, to be covered in coal dust and smelling all those lovely smells that bring back so many memories. Of course, at many shows you can see some very interesting demonstrations of traction engines working such items as threshing machines and conveyor belt hoists, but no, I�m pleased to continue as I am.

I believe you now own a small field near your house. Why not create a replica barn or barns, a haystack and trailers full of potatoes or turnips. Your Fowler could put on displays of real agricultural operations at bank holidays or weekends and you could levy admission charges on the spectators. How does that grab you?

It doesn�t!!

My name is George Ashley. In 1981 at Santander in Spain, I bought an 0-4-0 tank locomotive built by the French makers Couillet. For ten years I could only afford to store it in dry conditions. Then a fortunate change in my financial circumstances enabled me to start work on this rather dilapidated machine.

I progressed satisfactorily for five years, the work being slow but not too expensive. However, when it came to boiler and firebox repairs, and new items like injectors, I had to involve specialist contractors. Three engineering friends came along around 1996 and the loco was completed in 1999 and named Isabella.

Obviously the team all wanted to have the loco running on real tracks, and after sounding out two foot gauge railways within a radius of a hundred miles, Isabella found a home at a seaside railway. She operates proper passenger trains in turn with the other locos on the line, and I and my associates love to see her in action.

I can quite understand how you and your team would want to see your loco in action after all your hard work. This was a historical project and you did not want the loco to end up sitting on a plinth in a museum. So a proper length of track was essential.

Three questions now. Did you always feel deeply that this was a heritage project? The Spanish line near Santander was an industrial line for the transportation of limestone, is your loco regularly used on demonstration freight trains? Would a mile of track be sufficient to allow your loco to perform to its best advantage?

Firstly, yes, we were all inspired by the idea that we were recreating the past. In fact, that sense of history was so important when sudden difficulties made us a little depressed.

Secondly, no, there are no regularly run freight trains, though Isabella did haul one freight train at an enthusiasts gala three years ago. I must add though that she always looks splendid when operating the passenger service.

Lastly, we are delighted that she has twelve miles of line to run along.

Isabella is a beautifully restored engine. It is quite rare that very few brand new major parts were needed. Yet Isabella was made in France and always worked in Spain, is your project a genuine heritage project for the east coast of England?

I know what you are driving at, and I find your question rather insulting. We, and the railway volunteers are giving our visitors the chance to experience what travel on a steam railway was really like. There are two stone built original stations, (though the line was standard gauge of course), two signal boxes have been brought over from Warwickshire and rebuilt, there is a splendid stone goods shed from near Cambridge, and the home made water towers look just right, typical narrow gauge in design.

Indeed! Please do not think I am trying to disparage either your or the volunteer�s efforts. What I am endeavouring to do is to discover your restoration philosophy. Just two more questions. You say it is important that the railway�s visitors are able to experience what rail travel was like, say, before World War 2. When you hold a Thomas The Tank weekend, with lots of smoke box faces and staff dressing up as certain Awdry characters, or with Santa Claus and his elves boarding the train and distributing presents, how do these activities fit in with historical accuracy?

Of course, they don�t fit in. The point is the shop does a roaring trade in gifts and toys at the first weekend, and the railway itself makes a huge profit at the December events. I really think you are forgetting that we have a business to run. This is a genuine steam railway, you know.

I fully accept what you are telling me. Since the railway has grown greatly, its expenses and running costs forever expand. So just like any other tourism based business you constantly have to find innovative ways of increasing income.

This is becoming tiring. I feel as if I am on the main line and you are trapped in a loop line, or a headshunt tender first. Anyway what was your final question?

I am sure that your main aim as a team was to find a line of the right gauge where your loco could operate regularly, a line not too far from home. However, my final question is this. In a perfect world, how historically accurate should a heritage line be with regard to its position, locomotives, rolling stock, buildings, trackside features and operations?

Please reply to the Editor.

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For more information about the South Tynedale Railway, please contact:-

THE SOUTH TYNEDALE RAILWAY PRESERVATION SOCIETY,
Registered Office Address:-
The Railway Station, Alston, Cumbria, CA9 3JB.
Telephone 01434 381696.
Talking timetable - Telephone 01434 382828.
Registered Charity No. 514939.
Limited by Guarantee: Company Registration No. 1850832 (England).

E-mail enquiries - please click on links below:
South Tynedale Railway information - Send e-mail to South Tynedale Railway
STRPS membership information only - Send e-mail to Kathy Aveyard
Tynedalesman information only - Send e-mail to Tynedalesman compilers

Mission Statement for the South Tynedale Railway:-
�To provide satisfaction for our customers and volunteers
by operating a friendly, safe and efficient narrow-gauge railway.�

� South Tynedale Railway Preservation Society, June 2007.

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