North British loco D2911 in action – July 5th 2014

Running Saturday 16th April – Baguley 3410/1955

Baguley 3410/1955

Baguley 0-4-0 diesel mechanical 3410/1955.

Built with a Gardner type 6L3 engine of 150 brake horse-power and fitted with Wilson-Drewry transmission.  The original livery was middle green with unusual dark blue buffer beams.  The loco was delivered new to Marston, Thompson and Evershed brewery, Burton-on-Trent, February 1955.

Rail traffic declined and the brewery went over to road traffic only and the loco (No.4) was sold to Bristol Mechanical Coal Co. Ltd., going to their Filton Coal Concentration Depot c12/1966.  New, the loco had cost £8,918 and its subsequent resale price was £2,925.

By March 1990 the loco reappeared at Marston’s, having been brought back for display.

Later, No.4 went to Barrow Hill Roundhouse, Staveley, Derbyshire and saw a little use there before arriving at Chasewater.

Class 08

Class 08 diesel loco at Chasewater Railway

This latest arrival at Chasewater (20-7-2010) is a product of Crewe Works – one of 135 such locomotives built there.

The first allocation was Bristol St. Phillips Marsh, but 3429 had moved to Swansea Danygraig Depot by January 1960, followed by spells at other South Wales depots.

D3429 is credited with working the last train over the Cymmer-Glyncorrwg section of the South Wales Mineral Railway on May 22^nd 1970, to collect empties from the closed Glyncarrwg Colliery.

By now renumbered 08359, the loco was withdrawn by British Rail in March 1984 but subsequently sold into preservation, going to the North Staffs Railway at Cheddleton.  Several such moves have taken place since, and D3429 comes to Chasewater on a short term loan via the Telford Steam Railway.

Since withdrawal the loco has been seen at Cheddleton, Peak Rail (Buxton), Peak Rail (Darley Dale), Shackerstone, Tyseley, Northampton & Lamport then Telford Steam Railway.

Early RPS Diesel Locos

With the present new and late model diesel locomotive activity at Chasewater Railway, it seems a good time to go back to the Railway’s early engines.

This article is from the ‘Mercian’ of April 1969

By S. Allsopp

The locos described were three of the first diesel engines at Chasewater.

Railway Preservation Society                Diesel Locomotives

The 0-4-0 ‘Planet’ Type Numbers 1, 20 & 21

Number One was manufactured by F.C.Hibberd & Co.Ltd. in 1944, works number 2914, and was supplied new to Weston-Super-Mare Gas Works.  Until 1966, when it was acquired by the Society, it was owned by a succession of firms, finally coming into the hands of Messrs. Pitsteel Ltd. of Aldridge, Staffs.

This locomotive, weighing only six tons, is a very diminutive machine.  The four driving wheels are only 1’ 8” in diameter, and the top of the roof comes well below the height of a normal railway coach.  It is powered by a National 3DL diesel engine of 29 BHP.  The transmission system consists of an 18½ inch diameter cone-type clutch, operated by a foot pedal, driving to a two speed gear-box of the ‘crash’ variety and thence by way of a single roller, chains to both axles.  The gear-box is of the reversing type also.

No electrical system is fitted, engine starting being accomplished by hand.  A handbrake acting on four cast iron brake blocks, one to each wheel, is fitted.

This was the first locomotive to arrive at Chasewater and was of great assistance in the removal and relaying of track, though since the arrival of numbers 20 and 21 it has gone into semi-retirement.  Although only 29 BHP it has shown itself capable of moving, on several occasions, six times and more, its own weight.

A new gear-box has recently been fitted as the original box had the distressing tendency of shedding teeth from one of the first gear pinions, the last time with disastrous results.  There has only been one complete failure with this locomotive, this being caused by a blocked fuel pipe.  Another loco had to be used to haul No.1 back, British Railways fashion.

Number 20 was manufactured by the Kent Construction Company at Ashford in 1926 fro Worthington & Company Ltd., Brewers, of Burton-upon-Trent as their No.10.  This locomotive is reputed to be the only surviving standard gauge locomotive built by the Kent Construction Company.

Number 21 was manufactured by F.C.Hibberd & Co. Ltd. in 1929 for the same brewers as their No.11.  Both of these locomotives are very similar in outward appearance but differ greatly in minor details as we have found out to our cost.

They were both built with Dorman 4J0 petrol engines of 40 brake horse-power, being re-engined with Dorman 4DWD diesel engines of 54 brake horse-power during the 1950s.  They are fitted with a simple electrical system including a twelve volt starter motor, a great improvement on No.1, the clutches and gear boxes being inter-changeable between all three locomotives.  A handbrake only is fitted operating four brake blocks, one to each wheel, through a compensating arrangement.  Standard buffering and draw gear are fitted using three link couplings, although ‘instanter’ and screw couplings are used at times.

Nos. 20 and 21 with the Maryport & Carlisle Railway Coach on the causeway – Photo D.Bathurst collection.

Both locomotives gained their present numbers when the firms of Worthington Ltd. and Bass, Ratcliffe & Gretton Ltd. were merged.  They were purchased by the Society in 1967 after the closure of the Bass railway system at Burton-upon-Trent.  The remaining four Planet diesels belonging to the Company were purchased by Messrs. Albert looms Ltd., the railway rolling stock dismantling engineers of Spondon, near Derby.  The four engines and gear boxes and many other spares from these four were donated to the Society by Messrs. Looms, therefore ensuring a long active life for numbers 20 and 21.

General dimensions of these two are:  length 13’ 6”, width 7’ 6”, height 9’ 9”, wheelbase 5’ 6”, wheel diameter 3’ 1”, weight 8 tons 5cwt approximately, fuel capacity 20 gallons, maximum speed 15 mph approx.

Liveries

No.1 – This locomotive has been painted all colours of the rainbow, and others as well, it would appear, since it was new.  When acquired by the Society it bore the remains of a yellow livery with the previous ones showing through.  It was then painted green, but is now in maroon with straw lining and yellow buffer beams, looking very respectable for the first time in years.  This locomotive was sold by the Society and is still believed to be working.

Nos. 20 and 21 – Both locomotives were painted Worthington black with red and gold lining when new, but both have acquired the standard Bass blue livery with red lining.  There is the possibility that one or both may revert to the original livery, but this would mean renumbering them.  No. 20 is at the Coors Museum of Brewing at Burton-upon-Trent on a long term loan, and No.21 is in the Heritage Centre at Chasewater.

No.21 at Chasewater

Planet No.21

Planet No.21

 Built by F.C.Hibberd & Co.  No.1612/1929.

New to Worthington & Co. Ltd. Breweries, Burton-on-Trent as their No.10.  Some of its duties replaced horses which were used previously. 

Originally built with a 40hp Dorman petrol engine, but later fitted with a diesel engine.

Worthington & Co. merged with the Bass brewing company and the loco was renumbered 21 in the pooled fleet.

Sold to the Railway Preservation Society in July 1967.

This loco saw a good deal of use until at least the late 1970s.

North British

North British 0-4-0 Diesel Hydraulic
Built 1959
Engine MAN-NBL 330 hp
Weight 36 tonnes, axle load 18 tonnes
Works Number – 27876

This locomotive was built by NBL in 1959, one of a batch of 17, 14 of which entered service with British railways and were subsequently scrapped in 1967.

This particular machine one of the remaining three sold to the National Coal Board, order number L96, and was delivered to Haydock Colliery.

In November 1963 it was transferred to parsonage Colliery and then moved to Parkside Colliery in late 1964.

in late 1970/early 1971 it returned to Parsonage where it stayed until June 1975 when it moved to Walkden yard.

By 1978, the locomotive had moved again, this time to Whithaven, William Pit where it carried the running number D5.
 
Being a well travelled engine, it returned to Walkden in April 1979 for a full overhaul and then returned to Whitehaven

The machine was then taken for preservation by the Derwent Railway Society (Whitehaven) where it was painted in LNER green livery.

The history and whereabouts in the 1980’s are lost, but the engine was subsequently re-purchased by the now-named British Coal when it was fully overhauled and used at the Chatterley Whitfield Mining Museum.

On the closure of the CWMM in 1993, it was purchased by the Nottingham Sleeper Co in Worksop, where it remained until 1999 where it entered private ownership and was stored on a private site in Uttoxeter.

In January 2007, the locomotive was purchased by a member of the Chasewater Light Railway where it now resides. The locomotive has just finished a brief restoration period and is now in running condition, painted in the original British Railways Brunswick green and renumbered D2911.

Hunslet No.6678

 

Hunslet 6678

This is a Hunslet 0-4-0 diesel hydraulic locomotive, 35tons, Rolls-Royce C6SFL supercharged engine producing 233 HP.

It was supplied new 26-2-69 to NCB Maryport Solway, Industrial Locmotive Society notes indicate that the loco went from Maryport to Widdington stores Northumberland 03-1981.  Then to Bennerley, Notts 03-1982, a further move to Wentworth stores, South Yorks 01-1984. 

After this, the loco became part of the Shropshire Collection in 02-1992 and later was sold and journeyed to Somerset.  A Chasewater member purchased the loco and brought it to Brownhills.  The current owners purchased the loco in October 2005 and completed the restoration in 2006.

Bass No.5

This 0-4-0DM locomotive was fitted with a Gardener 4L3 diesel engine and developed 85 HP @1000 RPM

The loco was designed jointly by Messrs Baguley and Bass & Co., Burton on Trent in 1939.  It was delivered to Bass & Co. in the December and was numbered 5 in the Bass loco fleet.  It was the first diesel shunter the brewery owned and gave good service throughout its working life with Bass & Co., although it was considered too small for the normal shunting and trip work.  It worked for the grain department for most of the time, hauling pumping machinery around the maltings.

It was fitted with a two speed Baguley gearbox and weighed around 15 tons.  The loco originally carried the Company’s famous ‘Turkey Red’ livery lined out with black and straw lining.  However, from 1964 onwards it was painted into a lighter shade of ’Worthington’ blue with red lining.

It had a complete overhaul in Baguley’s works in 1957, all other minor repair work was carried out in Bass’ own workshops.

The loco was sold to the Honourable John Gretton in 1967 when Bass closed its entire railway system and went over to road haulage.  It was moved to the GW society at Didcot on 31^st August 1968.  It spent a few years at Didcot before moving to Flying Scotsman Enterprises at Market Overton in Leicestershire where it kept 4472 ‘Flying Scotsman’ and 4079 ‘Pendennis Castle’ company.

Sir William McAlpine had connections with the loco and in March 1975, following another rebuild at Baguley’s works, it was moved to Bill McAlpine’s private railway at Fawley Green in Bucks.  It spent a few years here before moving to Carnforth some time between 1984 and 1987.  It was sold to the Shropshire Collection and moved there in early 1992.  The loco was stored outside at the SLS for 10 years, the bodywork and engine paying a heavy price for being out in the open.  Bass No.5 was sold again in 2001 and moved to the Yeovil Junction site of the Somerset & Dorset Locomotive Co.Ltd. where a start on restoration was made.  The by now heavily stripped loco was purchased by a Chasewater member and moved to the railway on the 21^st of that month. 

Restoration started in mid-January 2004 with the complete stripping of the original Gardner 4L3 and replacement of heavily damaged cylinders, etc.  Fortunately, most of the parts for the engine are still available and all the damaged or missing parts have now been replaced and rebuilt and the loco’s engine recommissioned.

Work has also been underway on the body; the loco’s saving grace has been its original over-engineered design, most of the platework is quarter inch plate, so, even when the rust is removed, there is still a lot of steel left!

The loco will be returned to traffic in her 1939 livery of Bass, Ratcliffe and Gretton ‘Turkey Red’ with full lining and polished brasswork as per the original 1958 colour photo.

The pictures show No. 5 working at the Bass Brewery and in restored condition at Chasewater.