A SPECAIL event to commemorate the late Bishop Eric Treacy a celebrated photographer of steam trains will take place Saturday at Appleby station.

Bishop Treacy collapsed and died at the station on May 13, 1978, while watching a steam train. To mark the 25 years since the bishop's death, a special excursion train will be hauled by steam loco 6233 Duchess

of Sutherland from Birmingham to Appleby, where a gala event will take place.

Loco leasing company HSBC will hand over a nameplate from the Treacy train, which has just been withdrawn from service, to the Friends of the Settle-Carlisle Line for display at Appleby Station. The Loco was

named by Bishop Treacy's widow in 1979 at Penrith Station.

The presentation will be made to the Bishop of Carlisle, the Rt Rev Graham Dow, who is vice president of the Friends, and to David Ward, a retired British Rail manager who organised the memorial service excursion in 1978.

The original Naming Certificate, which was presented to Mrs Treacy, has also been found, via links between Appleby and Halifax bell ringer.

Carlisle Diocese Group Church Bell Ringers PRO, Appleby-based Frank Harland, said: "I was discussing this matter via e-mail with a bell-ringing friend from Halifax who knew Bishop Treacy from his time as Vicar of

Halifax and he mentioned that he thought he had the original Naming Certificate, which was presented to Mrs. Treacy after the naming ceremony. A search of his boxes produced the certificate and the Friends were

contacted to see if they were interested.

"The certificate, now framed, will be handed over to the Friends on the 17th at the ceremony at the station for display alongside the Nameplate, completing an unusual double.

May 14, 2003 08:30