October 12 2005
The Heritage Lottery Fund has given another boost to railway heritage in the East of England, with an additional £200,000 put towards the restoration the Royal Scot and Martello steam engines, based in Diss, South Norfolk. The total grant of £547,000, awarded to the Bressingham Steam Preservation Company, is just the ticket for rail enthusiasts across the region.
The Royal Scot will be given a complete overhaul to get it back to working order, whilst restoration work on the Martello has just been completed thanks to the initial HLF award. The two engines will be used to bring the story of steam locomotion to life for as many people as possible in a highly interactive environment.
The Royal Scot will operate at Bressingham Steam Museum during the summer and on the national network and other heritage sites, whilst the Martello, a Terrier Tank locomotive will be used for training opportunities and footplate rides. Built in 1875, the restored Martello is one of the oldest working steam locomotives in the country.
Other recent awards for rail and industrial heritage include £50,000 awarded to the St Albans Signal Box Preservation Trust to restore a Grade II listed Midland Railway box adjacent to St Albans Station. Currently derelict, the building will be vastly improved and opened up to the public for the first time. Visitors will be able to try out the signalling equipment and learn about signalling during the 19th and early 20th centuries, and there will be considerable involvement from local volunteers and ex signal operators keen to pass on their memories and experiences.
A £50,000 grant was also awarded to save Sirapite, an historic steam engine based at Leiston in Suffolk. The cash was awarded to the Long Shop Project Trust, who will give the deteriorating engine a complete overhaul and return it to its former glory. Sirapite was built in 1906 and is one of only two remaining shunting engines of its type. The engine ran from Garretts of Leiston’s Works site to Leiston railway station up until 1966, and became the visible connection between the company that dominated life in the town, and the townspeople. Once restored, it will operate on a track behind the Long Shop Museum for everyone to learn about and enjoy.
Robyn Greenblatt, HLF’s Manager in the East of England said; ‘We have given almost £15 million to a huge variety of projects to conserve and open up our industrial heritage in the East, from steam engines to wherry yachts. Railways and steam engines in particular form a hugely popular connection to the past, so we were thrilled to support these projects for the thousands of people who grew up wanting to be train drivers, as well as their children and grandchildren.’