Steam Locos of a Leisurely Era – LNWR Jumbos

More from The Mercian, 1968 Vol.1 No.2

Steam Locomotives of a Leisurely Era –  by Casey Jones

Improved Precedent 2186 ‘Lowther’

The Ex LNWR ‘Jumbos’

At the 1923 Grouping, the LNWR handed over to the LMSR a stud of diminutive 2-4-0s of various ages dating back to 1867.  Most of them had since been rebuilt at Crewe Works by F.W. Webb the CME to form an efficient stud of light engines for secondary, semi-fast, inter-urban, piloting duties and engineering duties.  The ‘Jumbos’ as they were nicknamed were comprised of the survivors of the ‘Precedent’, ‘Whitworth’, ‘Newton’ and ‘Samson’ classes and were allotted the numbers 5000-5109 by the LMSR.

Certain of the dimensions in the final form were:

Cylinders,                               17” X 24”

Pressure,                                160 lbs.

Driving Wheels,                                6 feet or 6 feet 6 inches

Weight,                                   34 tons

Allan straight link valve gear.

Names which were indeed a very motley collection – the LNWR named practically everything possible – were listed here, along with the building dates with the LMSR numbers but just too many to list here, but if anyone has a query about a particular engine, please ask.

Out of a total of 110 locos which survived into LMSR stock, 42 were ‘Precedents’, 26 ‘Newtons’, 28 ‘Whitworths’ and 4 ‘Samsons’.  The Precedents were much the same as built, whilst the Newtons and Whitworths had been renewed as Precedents between 1887-94 and again between 1893-1901 to form one standard class.  In later rebuildings some had their driving wheels enlarged to 6’ 9”.  The Samsons were virtually as built apart from Webb cabs and chimneys.

In their heyday the class had to cope, either singly or in pairs, with the heavy West Coast trains out of Euston due to the lack of larger engines and the shortcomings of the Webb three and four cylinder compounds about which the least said the better.  How they managed to cope with the trains during those difficult times in the motive power department no-one will ever know, nevertheless they acquitted themselves very ably until the coming of the Whale 4-4-0s and 4-6-0s.

No.790 ‘Hardwicke’

The highlight of any one member of the class was during the Races of 1895 when ‘Hardwicke’ (LMS 5031) ran the 141 miles from Crewe to Carlisle non-stop at an average speed of 67 mph, no mean feat for such a small locomotive over such a difficult road.

As already mentioned, later train loadings were too much for the class and they were drafted to secondary work all over the system, some specially attached to the Engineers’ Department.  Withdrawal began almost immediately after the Grouping until by 1936 the last had gone, gone that is except for the redoubtable ‘Hardwicke’ which had been restored to LNWR livery and kept as a treasured relic at Crewe Works along with Cornwall, the unique 2-2-2, until its recent removal to the Transport Museum at Clapham.

To complete this brief portrait, the withdrawal dates were given – again too many to list here.No. 2158 ‘Sister Dora’ at Ryecroft in the 1890s

A bit from the scrapbook

One of our visitors this weekend – 27/27 June – brought a couple of newspaper cuttings that he thought might be of some interest to the museum – they will certainly be added to a scrapbook.  Included with the cuttings was a 1994 Chasewater Railway leaflet.

The main cutting was about miniature steam locomotives, although not strictly models, are interesting considering the Chasewater Railway Model Show will be held in a couple of weeks – 11^th July.

Gauging the way to a steaming success.

Miniature loco festival was largest in Britain.

Express & Star, Thursday October 9 1980.  Pictures by Mac Whitehouse.Steve Whapples and barrie Griffin get steam up outside the sheds.

The largest gathering of miniature steam locomotives to be held in Britain took place at Walsall Arboretum.

More than 30 tiny locomotives from all over the country converged on the Arboretum to take part in the annual meeting of the 7¼-inch gauge Steam Society.

Nearly 200 steam enthusiasts went along to the Society’s meeting at the Crest Motel, Walsall, before taking part in a festival of steam on Britain’s longest double gauge track in the Arboretum.Mark and Tony Cheadle of Walsall, as signalman and guard, clear the line for Tinkerbell.

‘The highlight of the weekend was having 20 trains in steam on the track at one time,’ said Mr. Colin Cartwright, who runs the Arboretum line.  ‘We had about 2,500 people on the trains at the weekend.  It was a superb event.’

The festival also attracted two top names in the world of miniature gauge locomotives – Lord John Gretton, who runs the 10¼ – inch line at Stapleford Park, near Melton Mowbray and Joseph Ballantyne-Dykes, who operates the privately-owned Spinney railway in Surrey.

‘They were very impressed with the meeting,’ said Mr. Cartwright.  ‘It was fantastic to see so many people enjoying the meeting.’Dave Pucei of Norton Canes  at work on his GWR tanker.Andrew Martell, aged 10, tops up the water in miniature loco Oliver.

Chasewater Scrapbook items:

And finally, the leaflet from 1994:now t’other side:

Summer Concert by the Walsall Symphony Orchestra

Concert by the Walsall Symphony Orchestra

26-6-2010

A first class concert by the ever popular Walsall Symphony Orchestra.  A varied programme of popular music was enjoyed by a full-house in the Heritage centre at Chasewater Railway.

As well as the music, the audience enjoyed two train rides to Chasetown, Church Street – Barclay engine No.1964 of 1929 was the loco for tonight.The Burntwood Rugby Club also had a busy evening – this is their tented village!Some railway staff had been working!!

Some Early Lines – The Corris Railway

Some Early Lines

Google Maps – Corris is at point A, the railway ran from north of that point to Machynlleth and originally to Derwenlas.

The Corris Railway is a narrow gauge preserved railway based in Corris on the border between Gwynedd and Powys in Mid-Wales. The line opened in 1859, and originally ran from Machynlleth north to Corris and on to Aberllefenni. Branches served the slate quarries at Corris Uchaf, Aberllefenni, the isolated quarries around Ratgoed and quarries along the length of the Dulas Valley

The railway closed in 1948, but a preservation society was formed in 1966, initially opening a museum; a short section of line between Corris and Maespoeth was re-opened to passengers in 2002. The railway now operates as a tourist attraction.  A new steam locomotive was built for the railway, which was delivered in 2005. The two surviving locomotives, plus some of the original rolling stock, are preserved on the nearby Talyllyn Railway.

The gauge of the railway is 2 ft 3 in (686 mm).

(Wikipedia)

O.S.Nock

The Corris Railway

I paid my only – to date – visit to this railway in around 1976/77, when I think there was only the museum open.  Although I spent a fair amount of time in Mid-Wales over the next 25 years or so my interest in heritage lines had not been ignited at that time, so another visit was just one of those things which did not happen.  Nowadays, in retirement, a great deal of my spare time is spent on museum stuff for our local heritage line, but I have always followed news about the Corris Railway with interest.

I came across a magazine with an article about the Cannock Chase Railway and found a paragraph about the Corris Railway – including a few photographs. I shall repeat the paragraph here:

From ‘The Railway Magazine’

November/December 1948

Price  2/-  (10p)

The Corris Railway

When we closed for press with our September-October issue, the fate of the Corris Railway was in some doubt, for, although the ‘Montgomery County Times’ of July 31 had definitely announced its closure to all traffic, the Western Region was unable to confirm this officially.  Actually, the statement appears to be premature, but on August 24, the ‘Liverpool DailyPost’ stated that the line had been closed on the previous day.  Even this closure has not been confirmed officially, mainly, we understand, because of uncertainty as to what ‘closure’ means.  The last goods train ran on August 20, since when traffic has been suspended, and is unlikely to be resumed.  Part of the line has suffered from flood damage, and costly repairs would be necessary to restore traffic.  When the Corris Railway was opened in 1859 as a horse tramroad, it extended from the slate quarries to the shores of the River Dovey.  When the Cambrian Railways were built in the neighbourhood in 1863, trans-shipment arrangements were made at Machynlleth, and the portion of the Corris Railway thence to the river at Derwenlas was abandoned.

Chasewater Railway Museum Bits & Pieces 45 More Aug 1968 Mercian

More from the August 1968 ‘Mercian’

Turner’s Asbestos Cement Co. Ltd ‘Asbestos’

Hawthorn Leslie 2780 of 1909

By Gerald Wildish

Many of you will by now have seen our splendid new locomotive.  Two years ago exactly to the day that she left Trafford Park, I first found ‘Asbestos’ – 15^th June 1966.  She was not working on that particular occasion and had been specially hauled out of the shed for me and put in a photographic position.  She appeared in excellent condition.  On the occasion of my visit I learnt that she was likely to finish working that September, and I duly put in a bid for the RPS.  I was informed that the Society’s interest had been noted.

A little over a year later a letter arrived from Turner’s asking me if I would care to bid for the engine – I made an offer of £50, and shortly afterwards received a telephone call informing me that a scrap merchant had offered £100 – we could have her if we could reach that figure.  By this time we were in October and I was already engaged in trying to raise funds for the Neilson.  My reply said that if they could hold the locomotive until after our Christmas raffle, we would do our best, but I did not hold out a great deal of hope.  Considering all things, the raffle was a success, but we did not raise the sums necessary to allow us to move in two directions and I informed the Company that we would have to let her go.

My surprise could not have been greater, when Mr. Francis, the manager of the buying department, rang me to say that we could have ‘Asbestos’ free of charge.  Without doubt this was one of the happiest days of my life.  I made arrangements to go to Trafford Park to arrange the handover and had an excellent morning.  The handover was arranged for a date three weeks later when the presentation plaque could be fixed to the locomotive.

I could not have been dealing with nicer people throughout the negotiations, right from the time of my first visit to the works.  Our thanks must go to Mr. A.H.Wailes, the Works Director, Mr. T.Noble, the Purchasing Director, Mr. T.N.Chadwick, the Works Manager, who also arranged for the locomotive to be ‘done up’ for us during the week before the handover, to Mr. W.D.Francis, the Purchasing Manager, who dealt with most of the negotiations and Mr. S.McCormick.

Little is known of the history of ‘Asbestos’.  She was built by Hawthorn Leslie in 1909, for the Washington Chemical Co. in County Durham, where she became No.2, along with two other Hawthorn Leslies and a Fox Walker engine.  A further Hawthorn Leslie was added in 1918, and presumably replaced the Fox Walker.  In 1920, the Company became part of the Turner and Newall group.

In 1933, two of the locomotives were transferred to the Turner’s Asbestos Cement Company works at Trafford Park, becoming ‘Turnall’ and ‘Asbestos’.  Turnall was scrapped in 1965, leaving ‘Asbestos’ with two diesel locomotives (Planets).  ‘Asbestos’ was placed in store as the reserve engine in 1966 and presented to the RPS on 25^th May of this year(1968);  she was transferred to Chasewater on 15^th June, and started work in revenue service eight days later.

Chasewater Railway Museum Bits & Pieces 44 Aug. 1968

Latest Arrivals at Chasewater

People living in the houses adjacent to the line have by now become used to seeing various types of low-loaders arriving with miscellaneous items of rolling stock, in fact on one memorable day two vehicles arrived at the same time.  One often wonders what the thoughts of these people are as more and more large relics appear at Chasewater.

Several items have arrived over the last two months.  The first and in many ways the most important was the Midland Railway crane from Hednesford.  Without this, our track laying project could not have been fulfilled and over the last eight weeks it has more than made up for its three years of inactivity at Hednesford.  Apart from being a valuable historic item, it is a most useful piece of equipment.

The Whitsuntide holiday saw the arrival of the South Eastern and Chatham Railway 6-wheel full brake from the Derwent Valley Light Railway at York.

Pic: http://www.bluebell-railway.co.uk

SECR Brake No.1601

This six-wheeled van, built in 1905, is unusual in that it has both a “birdcage” lookout on the roof and side duckets for the guard. In addition to accommodation for the guard, the rest of the space was used for luggage. On withdrawal it was transferred for service use as an ARP Cleansing Van, based at Bricklayers Arms Locomotive Depot in London.

With no further use for it after the war, in 1947 it was sold to the independent Derwent Valley Light Railway in Yorkshire. On its second withdrawal from service it was bought by the Southern Locomotive Preservation Co., who moved it, with the rest of their stock, to the Bluebell in late 1971 and early 1972.

The van’s eventual restoration will require, as its first stage, the complete reconstruction of its wooden/flitch-plated underframe.

It was at Chasewater for five years before being transferred to the Bluebell Railway.  It had to be left outside for the haulage company to make an early start, and in those few hours every window was smashed. ( I know there aren’t many but…..)

This was most eventful since it arrived a day early.  The usual entrance was locked and the haulage contractors came through the main entrance.  This involved a considerable amount of shunting on their part and eventually necessitated the complete removal of the main gates.  After becoming entangled with overhead power cables the vehicle was finally unloaded without a hitch!  The carriage is in the nature of a joint venture between the Society and our good friends the Southern Locomotive Preservation Company, the latter having purchased the coach while the RPS provided the bulk of the money needed for transportation.

The next arrival, on June 15^th, was the Hawthorn Leslie 0-4-0ST ‘Asbestos’ from Turners Asbestos Cement, Trafford Park, Manchester.  In contrast to the previous item, this arrived about five hours late and completely disrupted work for the day.  However, the sight of this immaculately maintained locomotive more than made up for any inconvenience.Pic: DM Bathurst

This was followed one week later by our most distant acquisition, the Neilson 0-4-0ST from Glasgow, vandalised the day before collection, as posted elsewhere.

Before the next influx of new items, more track will have to be laid into the compound. As soon as this is done, the peace of the neighbourhood will once again be shattered by the noise of heavy haulage vehicles.

Frank Harvey

 

 

 

Chasewater Railway Museum Bits & Pieces 43.1 – Neilson on its way – most of it!

A not very satisfactory day

By G. Wildish

June 16th 1968, we were on our way to collect the Neilson locomotive – ‘we’ being Mary Grisdale and myself, Gerald Wildish.  The 4.00am train landed us in Glasgow shortly before 8.00am and after breakfast we arrived at Gartsherrie at 8.30.  Since our last visit, the works had been completely taken over by the scrap merchants, T.W.Ward, and this was the beginning of our trouble.

Reporting at the works – the manager said ‘Oh yes, the engine is there – go up and I will join you later.’  I went to the shed and was disgusted.  Some scrap thieves had removed all the brass clack and water valves.  The coupling and connecting rods had also been removed and cut up by oxy-acetylene equipment and were lying in pieces around the engine.  I returned to the manager and told him the story, ‘Oh yes, that happened yesterday, the police have been told’ – but why hadn’t he mentioned it to me earlier!

There was one locomotive with its motions still intact – No.3, and the manager agreed that we should tale these rods.  The next job was to remove them, they were stuck fast!  Mary traced some welders nearby with some cutting equipment and I gave them a back-hander to remove these for me – it took two and a half hours to get these pieces off satisfactorily. (It is highly probable that these men were the culprits from the day before).

Meanwhile the other problem was to remove the locomotive.  The line which we were to use for the removal – which it had been promised would be left for us – had been taken up!  At 9.00am the Wrekin Haulage people arrived and I took the driver on a tour of the lines and eventually we found one road-level stretch of line, but this was a mile and a quarter away.  The problem was to get the loco there.  The diesel loco of T.W.Ward was also in trouble and was unlikely to work.  However, I prevailed on two men to start and operate the diesel, but the brakes failed.  We agreed that I should operate the Neilson as a brake.  At 11 o’clock we succeeded in getting the Neilson to the low loader.  Two hours later we had got the coupling rods off the other Neilson and taken over to the low loader by a dumper truck.On her way!

Just before 4 o’clock the Neilson was loaded, but on arrival at the works entrance, the driver estimated that he could not get out!  Half-an-hour later, with the police controlling the traffic, the lorry nosed its way out and we set off for home.

Despite all our efforts, we are still two water and clack valves and injectors short.  New piping will be required to connect them with the loco and screws holding them to the boiler will have to be renewed as these have been mutilated by the acetylene equipment.  However, we have the loco – I pray that No.3’s rods fit.  Now that Millom Haematite Iron Ore Co. is to close down, we may be able to obtain spares from their Neilson, I sincerely hope so – I have written to them in anticipation.

Steaming at Chasewater

That is the end of Gerald Wildish’s article, but just to conclude – the Neilson locomotive took a while before it was used at Chasewater but was steamed successfully from 1975 till 1982.  After some years in storage and in the Heritage Centre it has now been moved into the workshop ready for renovation work, probably after the Hudswell Clarke S100 has been completed.In the Heritage Centre workshop

PS from Barry Bull – steamed September or October 1982 for her 100^th birthday together with McLaren traction engine ‘Little Wonder’, also 100 years old, owned by the late John Mayes.Picture from http://www.steamscenes.org

Chasewater Railway Museum – Bits & Pieces – More about Neilson

More about the Neilson Loco

A Trip to Gartsherrie

From 1968 Mercian Vol.1 No.3

By Trevor Cousens

On Friday, 16^th February at 6.00pm a small party consisting of Lawrence Hodgkinson, Mike Lewis and myself, departed from Chasewater in Mike’s 30 cwt. Van en route for Gartsherrie, near Glasgow.  The purpose of this trip was to purchase spare parts from the three Neilson locomotives remaining at Bairds and Scottish Steel Ltd.

A stop was made in Derby to pick up Steve Allsop, then we cut across to the M6 motorway.  The speed of Mike’s van was limited by a governor to 45 mph so the going was slow.

It was quite a relief when a stop was made at a service area for refreshment.  We made full use of the transport drivers eating facilities – in our overalls we did not really have much choice.  Back on the motorway we continued our journey northward.  I retired to the back of the van to try to sleep.  After rolling my sleeping bag out amongst several hundredweights of tools, bars, rucksacks and other bric-a-brac I tried persistently to sleep.  The noise of the engine and the tyres on the road, coupled with a sharp drop in the temperature precluded this.  I heard someone groan ‘snow’ from up front.  This is what we had dreaded.  A climb up Shap with eight inches of snow on the ground!!  After this, sleep was impossible.  I lay on my back and watched icicles form on the van roof.  About 3.30am on the Saturday morning the van halted.  After many gear changes, reverses and sliding of doors up front there was silence for a moment.  When I looked out we were parked on a small snow-covered country lane; fir trees on one side, a railway above us and the moon shining across snow-covered fields.  They had had enough for the evening, and Steve, Lawrence and Mike came aft for sleeping bags, blankets, camp beds and other items necessary for comfort!!  While the three sorted themselves out I got out with a camera and had a prowl around.  I found that we had parked practically under the West Coast main line at Beattock.

In front of us Brush type 4s pounded up to Beattock Summit, assisted by English Electric type 4s, 2s, and 1s on the night mail trains and sleepers.  One could not help thinking that there was something missing not seeing the flicker from the firebox silhouetting the fireman as he shovelled rapidly on a ‘Duchess’ at full pelt up the bank.

The others had comfortably settled down by now in the back of the van.  I chose the driver’s seat as I was sure that it could be no more uncomfortable than trying to lie down again.  With last reminders to wake up at 6.45 am to be in Glasgow for 8.30 am, we dozed off to sleep, a sleep punctuated by the clatter of trains over the bridge above and the wail of diesel horns as bankers attached and detached from the trains – we couldn’t have picked a quieter spot!!

At 7.00 am Lawrence and Steve spent 20 minutes trying to wake Mike, who seemed to be the only one who had really slept, despite the noise (still, he is a railwayman).  We slowly began to thaw out when we were back on the main road to  Glasgow, and the sun came out, picking out the snow-covered hills in a fiery pink light,

Arriving in Glasgow at 9.30 am we met the fifth member of our party – Gerald Wildish – who had travelled up on the overnight train from Darlington to Glasgow without any heating.

Neilson at Gartsherrie

After a meal we arrived at Bairds and Scottish Steel’s works about 11.00 am, where we weighed in and were directed to the loco shed.  We mat a Scottish RPS representative who was also buying spares for their Neilson.  After having a look at our Neilson tucked away in the workshops inside this gigantic, desolate steelworks, we proceeded to the engine sheds where we worked in pitch darkness with the odd brilliant ray of sunshine punching a dazzling beam across the shed, and with snow dripping from the smoke vents onto our heads.  We dismantled the spares from the three scrap Neilsons and filled Mike’s van with spare parts.  An amusing interlude was enacted when Gerald held tea-cups under the water crane to be washed out while I pulled the cord, drowning both the cups and Gerald in several hundred gallons of water.

The load was examined by Bairds and we were weighed out – 10 cwt. Of spares aboard.  We then proceeded to the coal mines at Gartshore where we saw the Scottish RPS Neilson and an Andrew Barclay still simmering next to a red hot brazier which we stood around for 15 minutes to warm ourselves before returning to Glasgow, to a hotel and a well-earned drink.  The hotel we had chosen to stay at was unfortunately a rather expensive one.  I think they were rather shocked to see four really scruffy individuals – black all over with soot and dirt and in need of shaves.  We were ushered up the back lift to two attic type rooms – but they had hot water and beds!!

The Saturday evening was spent feeding and drinking and we bade farewell to Gerald who was lodging in another part of Glasgow, prior to his departure back to Darlington.  We all turned in, forgetting to put forward the alarm clocks and so missing breakfast by one hour!!  Room service rang us at 10.00 am Sunday, and we cajoled the waitress to find us four late breakfasts.  At 11.00am we made a start back towards Chasewater, after buying all the Sunday newspapers.  We stopped for diesel at Lockerbie and continued south, the sun was beginning to thaw the snow and a thick mist was rising.  Suddenly out of the mist our way was blocked by two policemen!!  They directed us to the side, and asked why we carried no ‘C’ licence.  They asked to see the load.  When we opened the door what a sight must have met their eyes, with piping strewn diagonally across the floor of the van, a 20 ton lifting jack, and many other items, including a kettle boiling on a primus for tea!!  After lengthy explanations, the showing of membership cards, driving licenses, etc., we finally convinced them that we were law-abiding, but we could not help thinking of Gerald on his way home with the receipt in his pocket!

Arriving at Hixon at 8.00 pm Sunday evening, we unloaded the spares and drove over to Hednesford for a sandwich and a drink in the ‘Queens Arms’.  The rest of the RPS crew from Chasewater and Hednesford were there, and the tales of the week-end working parties were exchanged.  Mike’s van had changed colour from dark green to white as a result of the salt spray.

So ended a 700 mile excursion to salvage parts which we hope will be used to help keep our 85 year-old Neilson running.  If so, then it will have been worth while.At Chasewater – August 1969

A Bits & Pieces article from Mercian Vol.1 No.3 1968

Taken from the Mercian Vol.1 No.3 an article by Gerald Wildish about our Neilson Locomotive.Shown here carrying the ‘Alfred Paget’ Nameplate

Neilson & Son Ltd., No.2937 of 1882

Bairds & Scottish Steel  Ltd.’s No.11

Delving back through the records of Bairds & Scottish Steel Ltd., one comes across several interesting details about the locomotive which we hope will be at Chasewater before the summer is out.  Some of this information which has come into my hands is included in this article.

No.11 was the fifth locomotive built by Neilson’s for Bairds, two of which were six-coupled.  She was the second 14-inch four-coupled built for Bairds. (The first, No.13 – built in 1876 passed to the NCB in 1948 and will eventually find a home at Falkirk).  Supplied new to Bairds in 1882, she cost £1,275.  Engines built to this design cost Bairds between £925 and £1,300, the cheapest being the last, the second, No.3 delivered in 1889.

My own personal records of No.11 go back no further than 1889, but in May 1900 a new firebox and tubes were fitted.  The next major repairs were in 1911 when a further new firebox and tubes were fitted.  A minor overhaul took place when a new right-hand coal bunker was supplied and the tank replaced.

After 1916 the records became scant until 1934 when greater detail is once again recorded.  In January 1936 another semi-major overhaul took place: new plates were provided for the boiler and a new brake assembly was fitted.  A year later the firebox was patched and all mountings ‘done-up’.  In July 1938 she was stopped again for general repairs and in November was fitted with a new firebox, repairs continuing until March, 1939.

In 1941, 4 new tyres were fitted, new brasses being added at the same time during a heavy general repair.  She returned to the works in June 1943 when the boiler and firebox were condemned, but was back at work with new boiler and firebox, a patched tank and new brake cylinder block and shaft in less than six weeks.  It shows what work can be carried out quickly during war time. (Due to the pressure of keeping engines at work, No.1 – the ex GERJ 15 class was sent to Cowlairs for overhaul.)  A further new firebox was fitted in August, 1945 during another heavy overhaul.

New tyres were fitted in the general overhaul of 1947, but the next interesting occurrence came in the heavy overhaul of 1949, after fitting new tubes, a further new firebox was fitted and the boiler removed for hydraulic testing.  However, when being removed for testing, the rope broke damaging the boiler, which had then to be lifted into the shed and rebuilt on the frames for testing again.  Eventually the boiler was hydraulically tested to 200 lbs. and steam to 135lbs.

Fireboxes seemed to wear out very quickly on the Neilsons for the 1950 firebox fractured in 1954 and was presumably replaced although the records do not state this.  General repairs followed in 1958 and 1963, when the boiler was announced to be satisfactory and in June 1967, just before the works closed.

When the works closed in July, apart from being the second oldest working locomotive in the British Isles, No.11 was the last to be repaired at the Gartsherrie Works.  She is in excellent mechanical order and when inspected by the engineers in February of this year (1968), it was pronounced that she would be the best of the RPS stock in this direction.  She lacks paint – I have no record of her being painted after 1950 – and remains in the post-war black.  She was never repainted dark blue as were many of her contemporaries at Gartsherrie.  We hope, funds permitting, to move her to Chasewater at the end of May or early June.  We have enough money to complete the purchase but we are still short of removal funds by several pounds.

Summary of dimensions:

Weight: 28 tons, Boiler Pressure: 120lbs. per sq.in.

Overall Length: 23ft 7ins.  Tractive Effort: 8885lbs.  Height: 10ft 10ins.Line drawing of the Neilson also by Gerald Wildish

Hednesford Hills

This is how Hednesford Hills should look – colourful, green and fresh.  Too often we are greeted by rubbish, in this case an end of term ‘party’ from a nearby school:Not content with just leaving the rubbish, they also feel the need to break their bottles:A dog walker’s nightmare!   As well as leaving  rubbish, they decide that it’s fun to set fires – in spite of warnings:Without a thought for nesting birds, bushes have been burnt all over the Hills:Now it seems to be getting even worse – the bushes close to where the cattle graze are being torched – how long before these most gentle of cattle run away from the flames and maybe trample someone?For God’s sake, think what you are doing!Let’s keep Hednesford Hills looking as they should be!