At the Heritage Railways Association Annual Dinner and Awards held in Birmingham last Saturday, 11th March, nearly 200 of Britain’s leading preservationists assembled to celebrate the winners of awards in 12 categories that recognised the best practice in everything from income generation to waggon restoration.

Among the big winners were the Isle of Wight Steam Railway, Ffestiniog Railway, and Sittingbourne and Kemsley Light Railway.

The premier accolade as Top Railway of the Year award accolade was scooped by the Isle of Wight Steam Railway for its authentic locomotive restorations, iconic wooden carriages, and exceptional visitor experience. The award was sponsored by Hallett Steam Oils, and although contested by a number of leading heritage railways and tramways, it was the Isle of Wight’s friendly welcome and booming visitor numbers that earned it first place.

A surprise winner of the Coiley Award for Steam Locomotive Engineering was the 2ft 6in gauge Sittingbourne and Kemsley Light Railway for its restoration of its Brazil Class 0-4-2ST Premier. The locomotive was built in 1905 by Kerr Stuart and, relying on photographs, was painstakingly returned to as-built condition before returning to steam on the former paper mill line.

It was the level of detail shown and the commitment from a small team at the railway that saw Premier triumph over a string of more famous competitors.

The Ffestiniog Railway project to restore and recreate a less glamourous aspect of Britain’s railway heritage with a gravity slate train earned the railway the prestigious Manisty Award, for showing excellence in restoration, developing and maintaining heritage skills, and operation.

The project includes 200 waggons and the construction of a purpose-built storage shed, which has helped to advance thinking about waggon preservation in the whole heritage sector.

Volunteers at Peak Rail picked up the Team of the Year trophy, a new award for 2023, for the day-to-day running of the Derbyshire-based line that has led to a string of successes and boosted it to an all-time high.

Another new category was the HRA Award for Business Innovation. This went to the Bodmin and Wenford Railway for creating the Cornish Rail Coffee Co. brand and trading company, which extends its expertise beyond the heritage railway’s traditional boundaries and now has coffee shops on the national rail network too as well as rapidly expanding into Devon.

Another new award was the HRA Award for Rising Stars, sponsored by Rail Signalling and Power, which went to the West Somerset Railway. Judges were impressed by the way General Manager Kerry Noble created a string of initiatives to boost the railway’s financial performance and her collaborative approach to working with a huge variety of stakeholders.

The Georail Heritage Volunteer Group went home with the HRA Award for Diesel and Electric Locomotion for its restoration of Andrew Barclay 0-6-0DM Duke of Edinburgh, especially for its reconstruction of the locomotive’s badly damaged and complicated gearbox.

For its approach to building digital audiences gained the Talyllyn Railway the HRA Award for Marketing and Communications. The project came about through the coronavirus pandemic, and now video production forms a major part of the railway’s overall marketing activity.

Another new award for 2023 was the HRA Award for Infrastructure, sponsored by Volker Laser, which went to the Hampton and Kempton Waterworks Railway in recognition in how it has transformed its operations with a new coach shed and maintenance facility, which has taken maintenance of its rolling stock from converted shipping containers to a purpose-built facility.

The Morgan Award for Rolling Stock Preservation was presented to the Lincolnshire Coast Light Railway for its restoration of the Nocton Estates Railway’s ‘Queen Mary’ carriage.

An initiative that has focused on the restoration, conservation and connection of two miles of lineside resulted in the North Yorkshire Moors Railway winning the HRA Award for Environmental Innovation. Its Primrose Path project has restored lost habitats and worked to protect species such as the Duke of Burgundy and declining adder populations.

The most fiercely contested category is always the Lord Faulkner Award for Young Volunteers. This year there were five finalists this year, with the winner being a 19-year-old trustee and guard Oliver Harrison from the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway for his excellent abilities as a role model for other young people joining the railway.

However, there were also special commendations for Ben Field from the Ecclesbourne Valley Railway, Alex Caulfield from the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway, Liam Barnes from the East Lancashire Railway Preservation Society, and Isaac Farnbank from the Isle of Wight Steam Railway.

Heritage Railway Association Chief Executive, Steve Oates, said: “We hear so much about how challenging times are in the heritage rail sector. But this awards event sends out a strong signal that it is still possible to get it right, to achieve great things and to really succeed as a heritage railway or tramway.

“The sheer variety of projects this year showed the strengths that the sector has; a real grasp of our history, huge volunteer commitment, and a level of dedication to the cause that so many will be envious of.

“I need to congratulate, not just the winners, but everyone who made it to the finals for showing that the future can be bright for railways, locomotives, carriages, viaducts and so many other aspects of our amazing heritage rail sector.