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RADIO STARDOM FOR BEDFORDSHIRE WAR VETERANS
BBC Three Counties Radio presenter Ian Pearce visited the Leighton Buzzard Railway at the weekend, in pursuit of an object that changed the course of history.
The radio station is producing a local version of the Radio 4 series “The History of the World in 100 Objects”. Ian’s choice was the petrol-engined narrow-gauge locomotives, designed and built in Bedford by the Motor Rail & Tramcar Company, for the supply lines to the First World War battlefields.
War Department No 3098—on long-term loan from the National Railway Museum collection—was started up specially, and provided distinctive sound effects while Ian interviewed Mervyn Leah, Chairman of the Leighton Buzzard Railway. The interview recalled how the urgent need for a reliable military transport system, as the war became bogged down in the trenches, led to the widespread adoption of lightweight petrol locomotives and portable track.
No 3098 was one of a more powerful later version, with a cab to give the crew some protection against the weather and enemy fire, giving it a very unusual appearance. A few heavily armoured examples were built, looking like small tanks on rails, and the Leighton Buzzard Railway has the only surviving example still with its original engine and gearbox. An appeal for its restoration will be launched shortly.
Several of both types were bought as war surplus by the Leighton Buzzard Light Railway company, and could be seen hauling sand trains around the town until the 1950s. A line of sand wagons had been attached to No 3098, and Ian rounded off his visit by driving the 92-year-old machine and its train for a short distance, under close supervision.
The item will be broadcast on Ian’s Sunday morning programme, and will also feature on the station’s website at bbc.co.uk/threecounties.
This coverage follows the railway’s appearance on national television in November, when it was the only heritage railway to be featured in the popular ITV1 series “John Sergeant on the Tourist Trail”.