EATURES

THE CHANGEOVER YEARS: THE DAY THE MOORSLINE CLOSED
In March 1964, a fresh-faced 18-year-old enthusiast called Maurice Burns set out with his camera to record the scenes after it was announced that two lines, from Whitby to Scarborough and Whitby to Malton, were to close on 6 March 1965. Here is the story and unique photographic record of what he saw on the day of closure, published to coincide with the special events being organised on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway to mark the 40th anniversary of the linea€ s demise under BR.

NEWS FOCUS SPECIAL: GALA WARS!
Two of Britaina€ s biggest heritage lines a€ the Great Central Railway and the East Lancashire Railway a€" a€~squared upa€ to each other over the weekend of 29, 30 January to provide stunning live steam displays with their winter gala events. Despite disappointing lighting conditions over the two days, there was still much glorious action to be captured on film, with many enthusiasts visiting one event on the Saturday and the other on the Sunday, reports Robin Jones. We present a superb selection of the best views taken at each line.

NEWS FOCUS SPECIAL: TAKING THE COUNTY HALL BY STORM!
The way ahead is now fully clear for the Great Western Society to embark on one of its most ambitious and rewarding projects to date a€" the recreation of GWR Hawksworth County 4-6-0 No 1014 County of Glamorgan, using parts from locomotives which made up the fleet of rusting hulks known as the a€~Barry 10a€ . As the ground-breaking yet very achievable scheme is officially launched to both the society members and the public at large, the societya€ s chairman, Richard Croucher, outlines the schemes and explains how you can help plug one of the great gaps in UK railway preservation.

NEWS FOCUS SPECIAL: HERITAGE RAILWAYS a€" TAKING THE a€~COMMUNITY RAILa€ ROUTE?
Many of Britaina€ s top heritage railways were set up as a reaction to the closure of a€~loss-makinga€ branch lines by BR. The wheel has now turned full circle, and the successful principles of the volunteer-driven preservation sector, which has turned closed lines into hugely-popular tourist attractions, may now be pressed into service to save rural lines on the national network from closure. Dr Paul Salveson, general manager of the Association of Community Rail Partnerships, looks at ways in which heritage lines may become involved in the new generation of a€~community railwaysa€ .

NEWS FOCUS SPECIAL: AT HOME WITH BRESSINGHAMa€ S BRAITHWAITE
Bressingham Steam Museum, one of the earliest pioneers of British steam preservation, which gave a welcome bolthole to BR Britannia Pacific No 70013 Oliver Cromwell, has a new chairman. Bevan Braithwaite, who has filled the post vacated by former Inter-City special trains manager David Ward, has already established a railway pedigree for himself by introducing a passenger-carrying line at his last place of work, and has two replica US a€~Big Boysa€ on the stocks. Geoff Courtney meets the man whose job is to upgrade the Diss museum into a major national heritage attraction for the 21st century.

STEAM CENTRE BEWDLEY PART 2: LINES TO HARTLEBURY AND THROUGH THE WYRE FOREST
Bewdley is today the biggest intermediate station on the Severn Valley Railway, but in BR days was much more. It was a junction where the cross-country route from Shrewsbury to Hartlebury and Kidderminster met the line from Tenbury Wells. In the second half of a special feature to mark the inaugural meeting of the SVR revivalist group 40 years ago, John Crosse has surveyed these lines to find out what remains of their infrastructure.

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