WHELDALE. Wheldale is an Austerity saddletank locomotive built for the war effort in years ago this year.

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1 WHELDALE Wheldale is an Austerity saddletank locomotive built for the war effort in years ago this year. Designed by the Hunslet Engine Company of Leeds and adopted by the War Department (WD) as one of their standard locomotives, the first Austerity was completed in 1943 and they saw use all over Europe following D-Day. 377 were built by a number of different locomotive builders. Post-war, 75 of these locomotives became the LNER J94 Class while the National Coal Board (NCB) and the Army both operated a fleet of these very useful locomotives. Wheldale became the last steam locomotive to work in the Yorkshire coalfields, not being retired until As at December 2014, the fund totals 5149 and, having raised sufficient funds to buy the boiler tubes, the current target is the smokebox wrapper. This total has increased very satisfactorily during the Summer months. The donation envelopes provided on the trains together with the encouragement given by the regular on-train Travelling Ticket Inspector Mike Walsh assisted by our Fundraising Champion, Malcolm Tonge, has resulted in a healthy income towards the future of our flagship locomotive. There is another way to help return Wheldale to steam which is simple and does not cost us anything personally: Easyfundraising. Easyfundraising operates in connection with on-line purchasing Companies and they pay back to your chosen Charity usually a percentage of what you spend. First you register with the site and nominate your Charity as Yorkshire Dales Railway Museum Trust. This links the payments back to the Railway. When you make an on-line purchase do not go direct to your chosen supplier but go via first then select your supplier from their site. When you make a purchase the price of the goods is exactly as if you had gone direct. We currently have 20 members registered and have raised the sum of so far. So, let s get registered and raise some cash for Wheldale! DAVID BARLOW 10

2 Well firstly I would like to thank all members who have helped get the project up and running and off to a great start. The project to restore Wheldale has been on the go for only 6 months now, but is doing really well on the funding side, we ve raised over Expert fundraiser Mike Walsh has raised the bulk of the money on trains from our coach parties and passengers, selling posters, badges, and bookmarks. On the locomotive itself some cleaning work with a simple bucket of water and paint renovator just to show people that the loco is been looked after. It has made a difference members and customers alike have noticed. If anyone wishes to support the project it can be done in a number of ways: Donating in any RED donation tins on the railway Spreading the word about the project Buy a print of Wheldale in Happier Times Sponsor a part or parts Or simply helping Malcolm Tonge, Mike Walsh and myself with the fund raising (all ideas welcome) For updates, you can find us on Facebook and join the S.134 Wheldale Restoration Fund (WRF). The overall aim of the project is to return Wheldale to traffic before her 80th birthday in 2024, as well as giving the Railway a running loco of its own and so far we re hopeful of reaching our target. OLIVER HARRISON Completing a standing order form Wheldale: Great fundraising progress Seen here in happier times at Skiebden on a Permanent Way engineering train, Thursday 28th December 1995 (Rob Shaw) 11

3 COLin DAVIES On the evening of 6th August 2011, the railway got together to show its appreciation of the many years of service given to the railway by Driver Colin Davies. Colin started off working on the big railway (straight from school) at Normanton loco sheds, although this was not to last too long. His step-dad was the Area Coal Board Manager and Colin soon found himself working at Newmarket Colliery in the tub shop, making new tubs and repairing the old ones. Colin progressed from the tub shop, transferring his skills to the wagon repair shop, a job which he really enjoyed. However, an opportune chat in the canteen one lunchtime saw Colin offered overtime at the screens. The screens separated the coal into different grades (singles, doubles, trebles, cobbles etc) and Colin s job involved filling the wagons, removing the chocks, moving them, braking them and filling the subsequent wagons. Working at the screens became a regular occurrence, even though Colin at the time was still working on a regular basis in the wagon repair shop too. Holding down what was essentially two Colin Davies: A lifetime of railways, coal and steam 12

4 of Heaven and locomotive S134 was painted green for the occasion and moved on a temporary basis from Allerton Bywater to Newmarket for the filming. Colin eventually transferred to Wheldale Colliery (due to a shortage of shunters and drivers) where he was subsequently re-united with the engine with which he has become synonymous. The manager at Wheldale inferred he would obtain Colin a steam engine - not a statement that Colin took too seriously considering there weren t that many steam engines left. Colin Davies pauses between trips at Embsay. (Rob Shaw) jobs, meant Colin was at the pit from 8AM until 9.30PM. However Colin soon took advantage of an opportunity to become a shunter, progressing through the grades of Trainee shunter, Assistant shunter eventually to become Chargehand shunter, a position which frequently involved driving the locomotives, especially if the colliery was a driver short. However, one day a train trundled past Colin s house which caught his eye; a diesel, a steam loco and two guard vans. Back at work at Wheldale Colliery, Colin was duly informed of the arrival of S134 from the nearby Allerton Bywater Colliery - where it had been in store. As an experienced steam man, Colin was delighted to be using steam traction once more. In some circumstances Colin was able to move up to 18 wagons of coal, rather than the typical load of of In 1962 Colin was working at Glasshoughton, with the coke oven only being 10 minutes drive from his house, this was a very short commute! He became a Driver at Glasshoughton and remained there until he was transferred back to where it all began, Newmarket Colliery. Here, Colin first encountered the locomotive which we now know as Wheldale. During 1978 the BBC were filming Hills Colin Davies and Jon Mitchell (Yorkshire TV Weatherman) 13

5 Board. The retirement package also offered free coal for life, but sadly for the railway this did not translate into free coal for life for Colin s favourite steam engines! Norman was partially marked up how S134 appeared in its final days at Wheldale Colliery. which the diesels were capable. What Colin might not have realised, was that early retirement from the NCB merely meant starting another (slightly less intensive) industrial stint with the Yorkshire Dales Railway. Since retiring in the 1980 s Colin has amassed (approaching) another 30 years worth of toil, only this time as a volunteer! Henry Meyer presenting the model S134 In addition to S134 s capabilities, it was famously more suited to the winter weather of 1981/1982 compared to the diesel locos. Colin joined the YDR around 1980 and like many of us, was initially only able to offer his services to the railway on a weekend. S134 soon followed when the YDR acquired the loco towards the end of Eventually Wheldale Colliery closed down and Colin refused the offer of alternative employment in the goods yard at Kellingley Colliery in favour of early retirement offered by the National Coal The model of S134 presented to Colin Davies There can be few volunteers, if any, who have put in the hours of labour for the YDR as Colin has done over the years as Cleaner, Fitter, Fireman and Driver. There have been many occasions in which the railway simply would not have been able to run its services if it were not for Colin Davies being available, particularly for the hard-to-fill mid-week rosters. It s a measure of the respect in which he is held, by young and old alike, that so many people got up to speak about his service to the railway at the special cer- 14

6 was the train-mad Yorkshire TV weatherman Jon Mitchell, who had previously struck up a friendship with Colin after a friendly chat resulted in a cab ride! Colin Davies addresses the audience. emony to mark his service in August Colin was presented with a mounted brass plaque commemorating his service, a gift and a model of the locomotive S134 Wheldale. Amongst those attending the ceremony Colin was at the regulator for the trip from Bolton Abbey to Embsay, and those that were on board that evening were not disappointed with the run back - being treated to the memorable sound of the main valve being opened up fully - on an Austerity in the hands of a master. Although Colin no longer undertakes rostored turns as Driver, you ll still see him out on the footplate and crucially, still passing on his vast experience and working to help maintain the railway s fleet of engines. Retirement is not a word you ll hear from Colin Davies. ROB SHAW Colin Davies: Passing on his experience (Rob Shaw) Colin Davies, Embsay, 6th August