262 – Chasewater Railway Museum Bits & Pieces From Chasewater News – Spring 2003 Part 1 – Editorial and a Tribute to David Ives

262 – Chasewater Railway Museum Bits & Pieces

From Chasewater News – Spring 2003

 Part 1 – Editorial and a Tribute to David Ives

This room is dedicated to the memory of Dave Ives, co-founder of the
Railway Preservation Society (West Midlands District) holding membership
number two. The first Hon Secretary he became Chairman in 1969 and
President in 1974 of the RPS. The RPS was a founder of the Association of
Railway Preservation Societies (now the Heritage Railway Association) of
which Dave was a Vice-President and served a term as Chairman.

Steam Locomotives of a More Leisurely Era – More from David Ives archive

Steam Locomotives of a More Leisurely Era

More from David Ives archive

Literature sent to Chasewater Railway in the 1980s

A report from the Flour Mill Locomotive Repair Shop

4247

On behalf of the Bodmin & Wenford Railway Trust we overhauled the boiler of 1916-built GWR 2-8-0 tank 4247 (owned by 4247 Ltd), which needed a complete new steel backhead along with other significant work: the work also involved a lot more than just the boiler. It took just over a year and 4700 hours, 60% on the boiler. 4247 returned to Bodmin in November 2011.

Phil Scott’s Pic at Toddington 8-8-2004

 This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.

The Great Western Railway (GWR) 4200 Class is a class of 2-8-0T steam locomotives. They were designed for short-haul coal trips from coal mines to ports in South Wales, working 1000+ ton coal trains through the Welsh valleys. The locomotives were built with large boilers and narrow side tanks; these engines would pass numerous water stops along their routes so the limited tank capacity was not a constraint. Because of the class’s heavy water consumption and limited tank capacity they were nicknamed “Water Carts”.

Many of the lines in South Wales had sharp curves. To traverse these curves, the locomotives were constructed with side play in the trailing driving wheels and coupling rods with spherical joints to allow for movement in any direction.

The later 5205 Class were very similar.

105 4200s were build between 1910 and 1923. Fourteen of these were rebuilt between 1937 and 1939 as 2-8-2T of the 7200 Class. In later years many of the remainder were upgraded to 5205 specification with outside steam pipes, larger cylinders and in some cases curved frames at the front end.

Museum Dedication

Chasewater Railway Museum Dedication Ceremony

This ceremony was arranged to fall on the 50th Anniversary of the date of the inaugural meeting held in Stafford, 21st November 1959.

It was arranged principally, I believe, by Adrian Hall, with assistance from Barry Bull and Steve Organ.  These gentlemen each addressed the ceremony before the plaque was unveiled by Dorothy Ives.

This room is dedicated to the memory of Dave Ives, co-founder of the
Railway Preservation Society (West Midlands District) holding membership
number two. The first Hon Secretary he became Chairman in 1969 and
President in 1974 of the RPS. The RPS was a founder of the Association of
Railway Preservation Societies (now the Heritage Railway Association) of
which Dave was a Vice-President and served a term as Chairman.

Dave convened the first meeting in the Railway Hotel, Stafford, on the
21st November 1959 and steered the Society as it started its collection
and created the first depot at Hednesford in 1960. Moving to Chasewater in
1965 the Society changed name to the Chasewater Light Railway Society in
1977, and Dave was a director and trustee of the current charity, the
Chasewater Light Railway and Museum Company from its formation in 1986 to his death in 2002.

Born at Fillongly in Warwickshire on 21st August 1920 he grew up in
Newport Shrops attending the Adams Grammar School. Moving to Stafford to
take up an apprenticeship with English Electric, he later worked for
Hammersley radios.  An early volunteer he joined the Stafford Battery then
the REME during the Second World War, with active service at home and in
the Italian campaign until 1946.
Post-war he settled into a career in technical commercial sales.

David had married Dorothy Townsend in 1943 and settling in Little Haywood
they had two sons. Dorothy typed RPS newsletters and correspondence for
many years, while David pursued interests as a campaigner for the Liberal
Party, with the Historical Model Railway Society, the Stafford Industrial
Archaeology Society, and his local Parochial Church Council. He built
garden model railway, and during retirement he also helped develop the
Amerton Railway, whilst continuing to work for the Chasewater Railway.

This plaque was unveiled by Dorothy Ives on the 21st November 2009,
marking the 50th Anniversary of the Railways Foundation.

David with his first railway at the age of about 10.

Dave (right)  and colleagues at the Hednesford  Depot 1963.

The early days at Chasewater 1971,   With Dorothy on the platform at
the original Brownhills West, demolished by the motorway, in the mid
1990s

David marches through Stafford with the British Legion.

David at Chasewater with a Planet loco and what looks like the Cannock Chase Colliery Company brake van.

I will try to add a copy of the official Brownhills West Opening Ceremony photo later.

A Memorial Plaque, engraved with the names of members who have passed away, has been commissioned and a suitable site will be found.

Finally, a number of train tickets commemorating the day are available.They are made from card and are the same size as the old-style train tickets.