A trail-blazing seaside railway, a restored Victorian express locomotive and a new-build engine lus a whole fleet of historic coal wagons were among the big winners at the Heritage Railway Association Annual Awards 2024, sponsored by Inspire Structures, and held in the Double Tree by Hilton Metropole Hotel in Brighton on February 10.
The Volks Electric Railway beat stiff competition to be named ‘Railway of the Year’ at the biggest awards event in heritage rail, which was attended by 250 guests. Judges were impressed by the authenticity, attention to detail and dedication to the unique history of Brighton’s seafront line.
The world’s oldest working electric railway, built in 1883, just knocked the Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway and Seaton Tramway into joint second place to take the title. It was the first time that a railway with no steam traction at all has won the honour.
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James Barton, the electric railway’s manager, paid tribute to the tireless staff and volunteers who work keep the railway going. “In particular, the Volk’s Electric Railway Association also serves as a vital asset…in collaboration with our management,” he said.
Top steam locomotive honours on the night were divided between the exquisite restoration of a Victorian express engine, and the construction of a brand-new narrow gauge double Fairlie.
The team based at the Swanage Railway in Dorset that restored ex National Collection London and South Westen Railway T3 class 4-4-0 No. 563 were handed the ‘Chair’s Special Award’. The prestigious award, not handed out every year, was given to the 563 Locomotive Group for the stunning results achieved in bringing a locomotive that had not steamed in more than 75-years back to life.
563 Locomotive Group chairman Nathan Au said: “We are also very grateful to everyone who has been involved with the T3’s restoration for their hard work and commitment as well as to our supporters for their donations, contributions and faith in the six-year project that turned a non-working exhibit into a fully working steam locomotive from the late Victorian era.
“It was a thrill to see the T3 steam for the first time and drive the locomotive when it hauled its first passenger trains since 1945 – experiencing what it was like to be a Victorian engineman,” added Nathan who is a volunteer driver on the Swanage Railway.
Restoration of the T3 was started in late 2017 with work on the Victorian locomotive being carried out by specialist contractors at the Flour Mill engineering workshops in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, as well as at the Swanage Railway’s Herston engineering works.
Resplendent in its new lined-out 1890s Drummond passenger green livery, the 81-tonne T3 was officially unveiled in a special ceremony at Swanage station in October, 2023, so that it could haul its first passenger train since 1945 when the locomotive with withdrawn by the Southern Railway after having run a total of 1.5 million miles.
With the £650,000 cost of the meticulous restoration almost all covered by generous donations from railway enthusiasts, No. 563 hauled its first freight train since 1945 during a special Winter Warm Up weekend on the Swanage Railway in January.
Also winning at the glamorous evening in Brighton on Saturday, 10 February, was the Ffestiniog and Welsh Highland Railways. The North Wales line’s reinterpretation of long-lost ‘Double Fairlie’ 0-4-4-0T No. 8 James Spooner took the Coiley Award for Steam Locomotive Engineering, sponsored by Hargreaves, back to North Wales. Judges felt that the technical challenges faced in constructing such a complicated locomotive from scratch, almost exclusively in-house, merited winning this engineering focused honour.
Meanwhile a small team dedicated to the rescue and restoration of an important part of modernising the railways in the 1960s were surprised to pick up a top honour. The National Wagon Preservation group, based at the Chasewater Railway, took home the Morgan Award for Rolling Stock Preservation, sponsored by Paint Man Paints, for their work on a train of ‘Merry Go Round’ coal hoppers, which transformed the transport of fuel to power stations but have now all but vanished.
Heritage Railway Association chief executive Steve Oates said: “This is the biggest event in heritage rail and it’s specifically designed to celebrate the achievements and successes from every part of this varied and dynamic sector.
“To see unique railways like the Volks Electric triumph over far bigger and more famous lines is proof that the heritage rail world is flourishing in all manner of different ways, despite the adversity we so often face. And to have a train of down-to-earth galvanised steel coal hoppers pick up a top award, on the same night as a gleaming Victorian express steam engine, also demonstrates the depth of passion and commitment that is key to everything that heritage rail is good at.”
In the Diesel and Electric Locomotion category, sponsored by Give Life 365, the Severn Valley Railway picked up the award for their special events programme celebrating 50 years of main line diesel locomotive preservation.
It was one of three awards presented to the Severn Valley on the evening.
The SVR-based Class 50 Alliance and the Fifty Fund won the Rail Express magazine Modern Traction Award, and the SVR’s managing director Jonathan ‘Gus’ Dunster was honoured with the Railway Magazine Preservationist of the Year award, both for his work as a volunteer with the Class 50 Alliance and for his role as managing director at the SVR over the past year.
The SVR was also highly commended for its restoration of LMS corridor composite No. 24617 in the Morgan Award for Rolling Stock Preservation and the Class 50 Alliance was highly commended in the Team of the Year category.
SVR chairman Chris Walton said: “Any one of these awards and commendations would by itself be cause for celebration; the fact tat the SVR and its associated groups and people scooped this many in a single evening is truly inspiring.
“It shows the breadth of the SVR’s talents and the depth of its determination to continue as a leading member of the UK heritage sector. These awards will be welcomed by everyone who works or volunteers at, or visits, the wonderful Severn Valley Railway.”
Steve Oates said: “It was a big night for the Severn Valley team as a whole at the HRA annual awards in Brighton. There was tough competition in every single category, but the fact the SVR has so many new additions to their trophy cabinet is testimony to the hard work and dedication of everyone there.
“I’ve got to give huge congratulations to Gus and the entire team at the Severn Valley for what they’ve achieved. I look forward to seeing what they accomplish in the next 12 months, and perhaps even welcoming them back on stage at our next awards event.”
The Award for Innovation in Business and Customer Experience, sponsored by PNP events, was won by the Keith & Dufftown Railway for the conversion of a redundant DMUtrailer car into a whisky bar known as the ‘Dram Tram’. The conversion has opened up a range of new business opportunities for the Banffshire-based line.
The Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway won the Award for Marketing and Communications, sponsored by Fox and Edwards Events. The Cumbrian line impressed with the depth and thoughtfulness of its marketing and communication activities, but also for the amount of research and measurement the team undertook to ensure that it was delivering on wider business goals.
RER general Manager (visitor experience) Stuart Ross said: “This is an award given because of provable results and I’m so proud of everyone involved. Our marketing team do a phenomenal amount of work on our behalf, to showcase our historic railway and tell the stories which has made it a must-see attraction for almost 150 years. Good job!”
The Infrastructure Award, sponsored by Ernest R Shaw, was won by the Llangollen Railway for their Corwen station project. The completely new station returned passenger trains to Corwen permanently for the first time since 1964 and went on to serve 30,000 visitors in the first month since opening.
The Seaton Tramway won the Environmental Innovation Award, sponsored by Premier Park. They beat the competition with a festival designed to celebrate the rich natural and cultural heritage that surrounds the unusual 2ft 9in gauge electric tramway in Devon.
The HRA Annual Awards does not just focus on the physical parts of a railway:there’s also a growing element of celebrating the people who make heritage rail a success.
In the Rising Star category this year, sponsored by Purple Lighting, Osian Hughes of the Ffestiniog and Welsh Highland Railways was the victor by an extremely narrow margin. Osian moved to heritage rail from the education sector and has spearheaded a fresh perspective to the marketing of the famous narrow0gauge line. He was heavily involved in the development of the train ‘experiences’ that the FfWHR now promotes successfully.
The Talyllyn Railway’s ‘Tracksiders’ group of young volunteers scooped the prize in the Team of the Year category, sponsored by Expian. The team was first formed in 1997 to encourage young people to participate in hands on tasks at the Talyllyn. Going from strength to strength, seven of the original recruits are still active volunteers 24 years later and the Tracksiders recruit new youngsters every year.
The Lord Faulkner Young Volunteer of the Year for 2024 is Jonathan King of the Downpatrick & County Down Railway. Jonathan is the youngest steam locomotive fireman in Ireland, has been playing a vital role in recovery from a devastating flood and also became a director of the line at the age of 23.
Downpatrick & County Down chairman Robert Gardiner expressed his elation at Jonathan’s achievement, emphasising his invaluable contributions that transcend his age. “Jonathan absolutely deserves this recognition, His exceptional contributions to the railway read like the CV of someone much older. His remarkable tenacity, generosity, and dedication make him a standout team player.”
Jonathan has been a volunteer at DCDR since his early teens and in January 2023 he was elected on to the railway’s board of directors at the age of 23. He carries out his railway duties – both administrative and on-the-ground – while also studying a law segree at Trinity, regularly travelling back and forth between Downpatrick and Dublin.
“In the face of the recent floods, Jonathan played a pivotal role in safeguarding the railway,”said Robert. “He not only monitored floodwaters when others couldn’t but also assisted local businesses in removing stock from flooded shops, purchasing sandbags from his own pocket.
“In the challenging summer of 2020, amid a wave of vandalism and the ongoing COVID pandemic, Jonathan went above and beyond by serving as a night watchman, patrolling the DCDR site until the early hours. His tireless initiative is evident in his leadership of projects previously mentioned, and additionally, he has organised and represented the DCDR at events across Ireland, acting as a dedicated ambassador and expanding the railway’s reach to a broader audience, putting the DCDR back on the tourist map after the period of enforced closure over Covid-19. His role as a social media admin and website editor since 2018 further demonstrates his commitment to promoting DCDR online.”
The victory for the Downpatrick & County Down Railway also meant that all parts of the UK were represented by winners at the 2024 awards.
