On This Day
Yesterday
04 March 1976
The fire was lighted on Northern Rock for the first time in order to warm up the boiler, and on the following day as the water was brought to the boil, steam began to be made and she started to make encouraging noises. However she was to perform, there was no doubt that the loco was coming to life.
Today
05 March 1966
The foundations for the new Eskdale Green Station were laid. The project to create the new station building and platform at Eskdale Green was undertaken by the West Yorkshire Group of the Preservation Society.
Tomorrow
06 March 1976
Designed by Dugald Drummond and built in 1900 by Kerr Stuart for Dundee Gasworks, steam locomotive Bonnie Dundee, arrived at her new home at Ravenglass following the ride of her life over the Sidlaw Hills to Scone to pick up a part load of bagged barley for delivery to Penrith, then a tour of the Lake District followed by a night's lodgings at Mockerkin. Following consultation with Preservation Society Member Ian Fraser, who donated the loco to the railway, she was re-gauged from 2' to 15", and converted to a 0-4-2 tank engine, complete with tanks that had been fitted originally to the Heywood loco Ella. In 1996 she was converted again into a tender engine, and had outside Southern valve gear added to replace the former interior ones.
06 March 1982
Staff and volunteers reported for duty at 03:30am to meet the 760 Hertfordshire Venture Scouts on a Mystery Excursion. The excursion train arrived at Ravenglass at 03:40 and from 04:30 until 06:40 there was a 20 minute headway service up the valley. All that the scouts knew beforehand was that they had to report to Watford Junction Station at 22:30 the previous night.
06 March 2018
An acceptance meeting for The Train From Spain (now Whillan Beck) was held with Ron Whalley (the designated Suitably Qualified and Experienced Person), Old Hall Engineering, and the Railway Company. The meeting confirmed that the test programme had been completed. the technical file adequately recorded the work undertaken and the key interfaces with the railway infrastructure, and that the locomotive could be accepted into service.
