Author: Eric Ring

Saddletank 752 to visit Didcot Railway Centre in May 2024

Saddletank 752 to visit Didcot Railway Centre in May 2024

Agreement has been reached for Saddletank 752 to visit the Didcot Railway Centre for their ‘Steam into the 40s’ event during the early May Bank Holiday on May 4th, 5th and 6th 2024.

Currently planned to stay at Didcot to operate there on the weekend of 11th and 12th May.

This is subject to 752 passing some additional testing. This arises because road access to the Didcot site is on the opposite side of the main national rail network line to Oxford so 752 will briefly have to negotiate the main line, albeit not as extensive as its travels in 1980.  

Details of the event can be seen on the Didcot Railway Centre website here (opens in new window)

Saddletank 752 becomes 11305 – update March 2024

Saddletank 752 becomes 11305

IMPORTANT UPDATE 12th MARCH 2024

We were advised at short notice that 752 as 11305 would feature in all 3 days of the East Lancashire Railway ‘Legends of Steam’ event March 15th, 16th and 17th 2024. It operated shuttle services, mostly between Bury and Ramsbottom, but between Bury and Heywood on a morning trip each day.

Images of 752 in use can be found on our page Photos – stock in use
and videos from Youtube on our page Video Online

As we have previously made most people aware, there has been a plan to operate Saddletank 752 as the last survivor in BR service, loco 11305 as a service loco at Horwich Works.

This was to be in conjunction with long-time supporter Harvey Scowcroft, who was in possession of the front numberplate from 11305, but he died suddenly in December 2023.
Harvey was very active with a group who arranged photo charters at the East Lancashire Railway so an event was organised for early March 2024 by this 3P20 Group, taking place in Buckley Wells Yard of the East Lancashire Railway at Bury.
A video of the charter can be seen on Youtube, loaded there by ‘Preserved Railway’ and can be found here (opens in new window)

VIDEO 2024 – click here to view


March 2024 continued with use of our Club Carriage 47 and Bogie Brake 1474 in one of the service trans in the 4-day Steam Gala at the Worth Valley Railway on 21st to 24th March.

21st March, from Banjostrings07 HD 13 minutes click here
21st, 22nd, 23rd and 24th March from MCW Photography, 21st 18 minutes click here and 22nd March 10 minutes click here, 23rd March 11 minutes click here, 24th 8 minutes click here
22nd March, from stephen brass 5 minutes, some taken from inside Brake 1474 click here
22nd March, from Oliver Brooke 5 minutes click here
22nd March, from Crunchy Nut Steam Films 20 minutes click here
22nd March, from Rail View 17 minutes click here
22nd and 23rd March, from acw71000 18 minutes click here
23rd March, from ELR Trainspotter 22 minutes click here
23rd March, from Meengineer100, 12 minutes click here
23rd March, from Liam’s Locos, 24 minutes click here
23rd and 24th March, from Second Valve Steam, 17 minutes click here
24th March, from FrontLineSteam 22 minutes click here
24th March, from Jakeeey154, 24 minutes click here

2024 started with a change of livery for 752 to the last Saddletank in BR service, 11305 at Horwich Works

From a 3P20 photo charter at Bury in March 2024, 15 minutes by Preserved Railway click here
752 went on as 11305 to operate shuttle services over the 3 day ‘Legends of Steam’ event 15th to 17th March as 11305.
First from 14th March from LMS Video showing the locos arriving and being prepared at Baron Street yard with 11305, click here
15th March, 24 minutes from Yorkshire Wanderer click here
15th March, 2 from Arthur Growler at Bury 16 minutes click here and 7 minutes at Burrs click here
15th March, from Trevor Stubbs 16 minutes click here
15th March from The Love of Steam 5 minutes click here
16th March from Railway Scene 14 minutes click here
16th March from David Hennessey 17 minutes click here
16th March from James Trains 15 minutes click here
17th March 8 minutes from Trainiac Videos click here
17th March 15 minutes from The Railtourer! click here
15th and 17th March 26 minutes from EH Steam Videos click here
15th and 17th March 24 minutes from TheModster Railway Videos click here


Documents for trustee meeting 2nd March 2024

Documents for trustee meeting 2nd March 2024

Each link opens a pdf in a new window

The ‘meetingnotes’ are details of events, decisions and emails in the year collated from various emails

Meeting minutes October 2019
Agenda cancelled meeting March 2020
2020meetingnotes
2021meetingnotes
2022meetingnotes
2023meetingnotes
2024meetingnotes
Agenda meeting March 2024 (also sent by email)
ELR AIA application Saloon 12
Notes of meeting Bury 15/11/23

Latest ON TRUST issued

Latest ON TRUST issued

Issue number 41 for Autumn 2023 has now been posted to members and supporters, with the usual mix of news and articles. Also included are reminders for membership subscriptions and some late news.

We are sorry that this is later than our normal schedule due to some issues with printing.

Issue No. 41 – Autumn 2023

Coach 1507 doors re-build                                                     
Obituaries  A.J. Adams . Robin Lush                                      
Gillett’s Crossing Halt                                                             
L&YR Coaches in South Wales                                               
The Ironclads, History.                                                            
East Lancs. Autumn Gala                                                       
51456 in Service                                                                        
Photos From Facebook                                                              
52044 on Vintage Trains K&WVR                                          
Pug on Wedding Special                                                         
Legacies                                                                                  

Front cover – 51456 in platform 4 Bury Bolton Street – photo Joan Sagar

CIO accounts and reports 2022-2023

CIO accounts and reports 2022-2023

This page contains links to the Accounts and Trustees Annual Report covering the period 2022-2023 for submission to the Charity Commission.
These are normally made available with a notice of a General Meeting but the next meeting has been deferred for various reasons including continued disruption to travel.
When the next General Meeting can be arranged, details will be circulated to members.

Each document is in Acrobat pdf format and opens in a new window.

The content of the Accounts document has been changed to use a format recommended by the Charity Commission

2022-2023 Accounts click here
2023 report to Charity Commission click here

Fundraising appeal 2023-2024

Fundraising appeal 2023-2024

The year 2023 has been one of consolidation for the Trust, with our two operational steam locomotives in use at the East Lancashire Railway and our carriages in use at the Worth Valley Railway – that is with the exception of six-wheel Third 1507, on which three of the ten doors were found to be in need of major repairs and one needing some repair for safe operation.

After extensive research into the options available we were able to secure the services of the joiner who had made new doors for six-wheel First 279 and Club Carriage 47 some years ago.  The image below (supplied by Dan Winters) shows delivery of the first replacement door in December 2023 and the other two requiring replacement ready to be taken away.

The cost of this work will be nearly £10,000 including repainting and can be met from the Trust reserves but we would appreciate donations towards the cost, hopefully 1507 will return to service in 2024 Vintage Trains services.

Full details of how to help with this work and our other activities can be found here (opens in new window)

Expected use of our stock on Worth Valley in 2024 – updated March 2024

Expected use of our stock on Worth Valley in 2024

THE STEAM GALA – Thursday March 21st to Sunday March 24th 2024, Worth Valley have published the working timetables, 2 of our carriages, Club Carriage 47 and Bogie Brake Third 1507 were in service train use for the 4 days on one of the main carriage sets, the one which includes their Jubilee Bar.

Images of our carriages in use can be found on our page Photos – stock in use
and videos from Youtube on our page Video Online

VINTAGE TRAINS – there is now a dedicated web page on the Worth Valley website which can be found via this link (opens in new window)

The trains will run for full weekends in July and August –
20th & 21st July, 27th & 28th July, 3rd & 4th August, 10th & 11th August, 17th & 18th August

Our Third Class 6-wheeler 1507 is currently undergoing repairs to some of the doors but we hope that these will be complete before July.



Expected use of our locos at the East Lancashire Railway in 2024 – updated March 2024

Expected use of our locos at the East Lancashire Railway in 2024

At the first time of first writing in November 2023 it was expected there would be two major steam events in 2024 during which our two operational locos were expected to be in use on the East Lancashire Railway.

Legends of Steam – Friday March 15th to Sunday 17th March, our Saddletanf 752 featured in all 3 days liveried as Horwich Works service loco 11305 as we have reported elsewhere on this website, running shuttle services each day.

Images of 752 in use can be found on our page Photos – stock in use
and videos from Youtube on our page Video Online


Autumn Steam Gala – Friday 11th to Sunday 13th October, our locos will be in use, see details on ELR website click here (opens in new window)

There may be other public events during 2024 featuring our locos of which details will be published on this web page.