We report on the Aln Valley Railway’s 10th anniversary celebrations, which took place at Alnwick Lionhart Station, in Northumberland.
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Aln Valley Railway celebrates: Steam in action at Alnwick on Easter Sunday, 2022, as Austerity number 60 approaches with a train. The line’s Pacer unit, intended for public services to Alnmouth, is in the sidings. (Pic: AVR)
Northumberland’s Aln Valley Railway marked 10 years in operation at Alnwick’s Lionheart Station by operating steam trains at Easter. Trains ran over the current one-an-a-half-miles of track towards Alnmouth, which the project aims to reach to allow interchange with the East Coast Mainline, and to restore Alnwick’s branch which was axed by Dr Beeching.
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Richboro steams away from Alnwick with a train of ex-BR Mk 1s. (Pic: Hugh Dougherty)
The heading train was Austerity 0-6-0 saddle-tank number 60, HE3686 of 1948 which, after a working lifetime on colliery railways, came to Lionheart in 2018 and has since been restored. It joins the railway’s other operating steam locomotive, Richboro, a 1917-built Hudswell Clarke 0-6-0t, which has been the main steam workhorse of the line.
Other rolling stock includes a ‘Pacer’ unit, several industrial diesel shunters, assorted carriages and historic wagons. The line’s terminus and headquarters at Alnwick Lionheart Station is remarkable as it had to be built on a greenfield site from scratch as access to the original Alnwick Station, now home to Barter Books, was blocked by a supermarket occupying part of the trackbed.
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Tailed by a restored, North Eastern Railway brake van, Richboro and her one-coach train head out of the station. (Pic: Hugh Dougherty)
AVR chairman Michael Proctor said: “We are very proud of all that we’ve achieved over our first decade. The year is a very significant anniversary for us and we are pressing on towards Alnmouth to restore a direct rail service between Alnwick and Alnmouth. We have a variety of events and open days throughout the 2022 season, so please pay us a visit if you’re in the area. You won’t be disappointed.”
Full details of operating days, special events and appeals are at: alnvalleyrailway.co.uk
This news item comes from the latest issue of Old Glory, and you can take advantage of a great, money-saving subscription to the magazine simply by clicking HERE