Stainmore rail enthusiasts save lost steam heritage

RAIL enthusiasts have secured a rare artefact for their heritage project.
Last month saw a long-held dream fulfilled for the volunteer preservation group at Stainmore Railway Company with delivery to Kirkby Stephen East station of an original steam locomotive turntable. It had been buried for many years beside the East Coast Main Line at Darlington station.
Volunteers heard about the turntable from Dave Husband of 76084 Locomotive Company Ltd, owners of a steam locomotive recently restored to working order. Working closely with a team from Network Rail led by Bob Colley, volunteers from Stainmore worked behind the scenes for many months to get ready to take heavy lifting gear onto the side of the mainline at Darlington station.
Meticulous planning was needed to extract the 50ft metal turntable deck from within yards of tracks with 25,000 volt overhead wires.
The turntable was smoothly lifted from its well by Bray Cranes and loaded onto specialist transport provided by Reed Freight for its journey from Darlington across the A66 to Kirkby Stephen East station.
It was taken to a temporary home at the side of the main station car park, where restoration work will be carried out to make it ready for installation in a new well so that it can be brought into use again.
David Rayner, from Stainmore Railway Company, said: “We are committed to placing this where the visiting public will have a good view and can enjoy watching it operate.
“The turntable is a great find because it comes from part of the same railway system which operated trains from Darlington to Kirkby Stephen until the line closed in 1962, and is of the same design as the original turntable at Kirkby Stephen East’s Locomotive Depot. Development after the railway closed resulted in demolition of the original loco shed, with industrial units and an access road built over its site.
“We send our sincere thanks to everyone who made this remarkable recovery possible.”
The turntable will become another key feature in the recreation of North Eastern Railway-style operations the organisation has been working towards since 1997.
Current projects include construction of a 300ft running and restoration shed, building a new water tower and crane for filling steam locos with water, and an application to the Heritage Lottery Fund for funding to restore a Victorian steam loco.
Kirkby Stephen East station is open to the public on Saturdays and Sundays throughout the year, weather permitting, from 10am to 4pm. Entry is free.