TWO leading diesel preservation groups, who have excelled in their respective fields for decades, were presented with the Rail Express Modern Traction awards by Editor Chris Milner during the annual Heritage Railway Association (HRA) dinner and awards event in Llandudno on March 7.
The HRA awards, which are railway preservation’s equivalent of The Oscars, recognise outstanding achievements in the field of preservation by groups, organisations and individuals. More than 300 people from heritage rail organisations in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland attended, with Transport for Wales being the headline sponsor.
Taking the Rail Express award were the Diesel & Electric Preservation Group (DEPG), marking the 50th anniversary of saving ‘Hymek’ No. D7017 by public subscription. The group also looks after eight ex-BR locos, two shunters and an AC railbus.
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Joint winners with DEPG were the Hastings Diesels Limited, their award recognising the operation for 30 years of their popular ‘Thumper’ to the exacting standards required for the main line. Such has been the strength and success of this train, that a second operational set has been formed.
The team of regular RE contributors found it impossible to separate the two contenders.
In an evening celebrating outstanding achievements throughout the preservation sector and with the biggest short list ever considered by the judges, other key winners on the night included the HRA’s Diesel and Electric award going to the father and son team of Andy and Dale West, who completed a stunning nine-year restoration of Network SouthEast Class 03 No. 03179 Clive. This story of this remarkable project, which will be featured in next month’s 30th anniversary issue of Rail Express. Highly commended in this category were Great Central Railway’s Class 27 No. 27056, Motor Rail Simplex pair of Morris and Ubique from the Chasewater Railway and Hunslet 0-4-0 diesel mechanical No. 1786 of 1935 from the Middleton Railway.
With strong competition in the Team of the Year category, coming out as winners were the Southern Electric Traction Group, a small, dedicated team led by Steve Upton who have restored ‘4VEP’ Electric Multiple Unit No. 3417 Gordon Pettitt to operational condition. The group have also just acquired a Class 455 EMU which it intends to use on railtours.
The rolling stock award was won by the Bluebell Railway who completed a 32-year volunteer restoration of Maunsell 1931-built brake third carriage No. 3687.
Cambrian Heritage Railways won Station of the Year for the impressive restoration of Oswestry station for railway and community use. It is the only main line pre-grouping headquarters station in preservation.
A ‘predict and prevent’ asset management strategy that is delivering improved resilience and reliability on Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway won the Infrastructure Award, while the Middleton Railway was awarded Innovation of the Year for its innovative railway ‘almoner’ role, which helps former volunteers who are no longer able to be active still feel part of the Middleton Railway family.
Individual awards included Lord Faulkner Young Volunteer of the Year award which resulted in joint winners of Jamie Taylor from the Fife Heritage Railway and Ben Wilson from the Tanfield Railway. The Downpatrick and County Down Railway’s compliance officer Christopher McCausland won the Rising Star award.
The Chairman’s Special Award is an occasionally-presented award and the recipient was the Severn Valley Railway having overcome the devastating landslip at Mor Brook in an incredible team effort with Network Rail and specialist contractors to reopen the line in six months rather than the predicted 12 months.
Heritage Railway Association Chairman, Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay, said: “Running a heritage railway has perhaps never been harder thanks to a whole range of external economic and societal challenges. But these awards prove without a shadow of doubt that heritage rail can carve out a successful future where we preserve what is important and adapt to overcome whatever is thrown at us next.”
