Steam Railways in Preservation in the 1980s-90s From May 14, 1993, Two Bulleid Pacifics, two from Festiniog, and 34046 Braunton

Steam Railways in Preservation in the 1980s-90s From May 14, 1993

Two Bulleid Pacifics, two from Festiniog, and 34046 Braunton

100 at Festiniog Gwyn Roberts

Braunton in the rough!  May 14 1993

 

BR(SR) Rebuilt Bulleid Light Pacific locomotive no 34046 Braunton
is owned and operated by Locomotive 34046 Ltd.
It was restored from scrapyard condition to full working order by
West Somerset Restoration at Williton on the West Somerset Railway,
where the locomotive ran for some years.
It is currently in the process of being equipped and certified
for mainline operation on Network Rail.
http://www.34046braunton.co.uk

No.34046 ‘Braunton’ at Woldingham – November 2013
BR Rebuilt Light Pacific 4-6-2 seen with ‘The Blue Bell Explorer’ for Sheffield Park and Uckfield. No.44932 LMS Class 5MT 4-6-0 was bringing up the rear, required for the return journey from Uckfield.
© Copyright Peter Trimming and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.

Some Early Lines, Old Railway Companies, London, Midland & Scottish Railway

Some Early Lines

Old Railway Companies

In Chasewater Railway Museum

London, Midland & Scottish Railway

Formed by the amalgamation, with effect from 1 January 1923, of the Furness Railway, Glasgow & South Western Railway, Highland Railway, London & North Western Railway, Midland Railway and North London Railway. Many smaller companies were absorbed at the same time including several in Ireland, previously owned by the Midland Railway. The Caledonian Railway and the North Staffordshire Railway, because of certain legal requirements not completed by the due date, entered the fold from 1 July 1923. This gave the LMS lines stretching from Thurso to Bournemouth (via the Somerset & Dorset Railway) and from Holyhead to Lowestoft (via the Midland & Great Northern Joint Railway), and access to Southend (LT&SR) and South Wales (via the ex-Neath & Brecon Railway).

Under the Transport Act 1947, along with the other members of the “Big Four” British railway companies (GWR, LNER and SR), the LMS was nationalised on 1 January 1948, becoming part of the state-owned British Railways.

The LMS was the largest of the Big Four railway companies serving routes in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

LMS shield carved into stonework on station building in Leeds
Date  17 September 2007 (original upload date)

Source:  Transfered from en.wikipedia Transfer was stated to be made by User:oxyman. Author  Original uploader was Redvers at en.wikipedia
(Original text : Redvers)  Licensing:  This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license.

Steam Railways in Preservation in the 1980s-90s – August 26th – September 2nd 1988

Steam Railways in Preservation in the 1980s-90s

August 26th – September 2nd 1988

Sentinel, departmental Locomotive No.54, takes the Clayton Branch on the Middleton Railway, Leeds, with the ‘All-line’ tour of Sunday, 17th July 1988.

Stockton & Darlington Railway journeys possible

On Sundays, until 2nd October, it is possible to ride on multiple unit trains along a freight-only section of the former Stockton & Darlington Railway.
Two return trips are being operated on those days from Bishop Aukland to Stanhope, which is only three miles short of the existing railhead at Eastgate. The trains depart at 9.26 and 1626 and return from Stanhope at 10.15 and 17.20, with all services running from/to Darlington.
The Weardale line is picturesque and full of interest for railway enthusiasts, with the present trains traversing sections of the railway opened in 1843, 1847 and 1862.
The fare is a bargain and the service will possibly operate in future years if sufficient numbers travel before the service ceases on 2nd October.

‘Scarborough Spa Express’ season gets under way.

On Sunday 14th August the steam hauled excursion trains between York and Scarborough commenced their short season of operations, with locomotive Sir Nigel Gresley in charge.
Last Sunday, 21st August, the train was hauled by Bulleid West Country Pacific No.34092 ‘City of Wells’ and the locomotive scheduled to power the train on Bank Holiday Monday, 29th August, was GWR 4-4-0 ‘City of Truro’, but No.92220 will probably be used in lieu.

Wolverton 150 Festival

One hundred and fifty years after the arrival of the railway to Wolverton, the anniversary is to be celebrated with the largest festival that the town has ever seen. Local residents and businessmen who are arranging the Wolverton 150 Festival, which will take place next month, are hoping the event will give a new lease of life to the town, which is now part of the new City of Milton Keynes.
Planned to coincide with the anniversary of the operation of the first passenger train to pass through the town on its journey from London to Birmingham, Wolverton 150 will celebrate the heyday years when the population was booming, alongside the busy LNWR and LMS carriage works.
Though the recent history of Wolverton Works has seen contraction, British Rail is taking a leading role in the festival which will commence with the operation of a special train carrying celebrities from Euston to Wolverton on September 17th.
Highlights during the two-week event will include a locomotion exhibition, vintage road vehicles, music, drama, a bazaar and a firework display. Behind the bunting, festival organisers are trusting that the event will give back the community spirit to Wolverton which was enjoyed during the years when every family knew someone who was employed at the works.
The first Lantern Parade was held in 1988 as part of the Wolverton 150 Festival that celebrated the 150th anniversary of the founding of Wolverton as a railway town. It has been held as an annual festival in December ever since. The Festival takes the form of a street parade with a samba band. Many smaller lanterns are candle lit but the larger lanterns, now tend to use LED lighting.

A few video clips from the Severn Valley Railway Gala, September 2014

Steam Locomotives of a Leisurely Era 1945 – Bulleid ‘West Country’ Pacifics – Southern Railway

No.21C105, later Barnstaple, when new in 1945

A slightly smaller edition of the ‘Merchant Navy’ class, embodying all the same features. 110 of these came out between 1945 and 1949, Nos.21C101-70, and 34071-34110 and 34091-34108 bore names associated with the West Country; most of the others had war-time commemorative names, chiefly air squadrons which took part in the Battle of Britain, which title is sometimes applies as a class name to these particular locomotives. Rebuilding of this class on the same lines as the ‘Merchant Navy’ commenced in 1957 and by 1959 thirty of them had been so treated.
Driving wheels – 6’ 2”, Cylinders (3) 16⅜”x 24”, Pressure – 250 lb., Tractive effort – 27715 lb., Weight 86 tons (as built), 90 tons (as rebuilt), BR classification – 7P5F.

Some Early Lines – Old Railway Companies – Furness Railway and Furness & Midland Joint Railway

Some Early Lines

Old Railway Companies

Furness Railway and Furness & Midland Joint Railway

The Furness Railway had a more attractive furniture motif than many lines. Its squirrel lives on in this seat from Millom, now at the Ravenglass terminus of the Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway. (P.van Zeller)

Furness Railway

Seen as a link between Barrow and mines at Lindal, the company was incorporated on 23 May 1844. There was also a 3ft 2¼in gauge line to a slate quarry at Kirkby. Despite poetic fury from Wordsworth, the line progressed well, to be in use by 3 June 1846 and officially opened on 12 August. An extension from Kirkby to Broughton was opened in late February 1848. The discovery of enormous deposits of haematite at Park, north of Barrow, in 1850 made the company one of the most prosperous of its time. A national slump after 1870 prompted thoughts of sale to the Midland Railway in 1875, but a change of emphasis from goods to tourists kept the company successful until the outbreak of the First World War. Absorption of smaller companies extended its system, until by 1918 it owned 428¾ track miles, including sidings. The company remained independent until the Grouping.

Borwick, on the Furness & Midland Joint Railway. The station (right distance) was built before the railway: when the line arrives, it passed 50 yards to the south-east, and a second station (foreground) had to be built. (Andrew C.Ingram)

Furness & Midland Joint Railway

A link between Wennington (Midland Railway) and Carnforth (Furness Railway) was suggested by the Midland Railway which wanted a share in the rich iron ore traffic from Furness, and offered boat-train traffic to Barrow in exchange. The London & North Western Railway, which had hitherto controlled the FR at both ends, opposed, but a company was incorporated on 22 June 1863, running powers over the FR making life easier for the LNWR. The 9¾ mile line, financed jointly by the two companies and managed by a Joint Committee, opened for goods on 10 April 1867, and to passengers on 6 June. It crossed the LNWR north of Carnforth to a station on the west, a curve leading into the northern side of the LNWR station. The company remained independent until the Grouping.

Furness Railway No.20

The Furness Railway Trust

The Furness Railway Trust – with assets like 1863-built Furness Railway Number 20 and the ex Furness and North London Railway coach – is also working to keep the memory of the Furness Railway alive.

The FRT owns Britain’s oldest working standard gauge steam locomotive, Furness Railway Number 20, GWR duo 0-6-2T 5643 and 4979 “Wootton Hall”, Austerity “Cumbria” and our vintage train.
We are based in the North West of England but our locomotives and carriages are found at heritage railway sites nationwide.
Our fund-raising and your support keeps us going. Why not Gift Aid a donation?!

http://www.furnessrailwaytrust.org.uk/

Furness Railway Axle Box – in the Chasewater Railway Museum Collection

Carriages from the Great Eastern Railway, the Maryport & Carlisle Railway and Furness Railway making up the Cannock & Rugeley Colliery ‘Paddy’ train, taken at Pool Pits Junction, Hednesford 24-2-1951

 

Some Early Lines – Old Railway Companies – Mitcheldean Road & Forest of Dean Junction Railway

Some Early Lines

Old Railway Companies

Mitcheldean Road & Forest of Dean Junction Railway

A substantial stone overbridge near Drybrook (Mitcheldean Road & Forest of Dean Junction Railway). This section opened on 4 November 1907, but closed 0n 7 July 1930. Note the bridge-rail fencing, still extant in August 1988.

This was incorporated on 13 July 1871 to extend the Bullo Pill Railway ( an early British railway, completed in 1810 to carry coal mined in the Forest of Dean Coalfield to a port on the River Severn near Newnham, Gloucestershire. It was later converted to a broad gauge steam line by the Great Western Railway, and was closed in the 1960s) to the Hereford, Ross & Gloucester (both qv) at Mitcheldean Road, 4.75 miles away. Heavy engineering was involved and the line was never finished, despite the company’s absorption by the GWR under an Act dated 6 August 1880. The first 1.75 miles to Speedwell opened in July 1885, and to Drybrook on 4 November 1907, but the rest, though built and maintained, was not. Unused track went for scrap in 1917.
The Mitcheldean Road & Forest of Dean Junction Railway (MR&FoDJR) was a railway which ran for 3 1⁄4 miles (5.2 km) from the former Mitcheldean Road railway station on the Hereford, Ross and Gloucester Railway to a junction at Whimsey near Cinderford.
On 6 August 1880 the company was acquired by the Great Western Railway which completed the line but never opened it to traffic.
The line was later lifted beyond Drybook, although a small section between Drybrook Halt and Drybrook Quarry was relaid in 1928. Drybrook Halt was the northern terminus of a GWR railmotor service from Newnham which ran from 1907 to 1930. The line was closed again in 1952.
A short section of the trackbed at the northern end is used by the narrow gauge Lea Bailey Light Railway.

Loop and Shed at Lea Bailey Light Railway

The Lea Bailey Light Railway is a 2 ft (610 mm) narrow gauge heritage railway in the United Kingdom. It is built on the site of a former gold mine which was started by the Chastan Syndicate in 1906. Having sold 75,000 shares at £1 GBP each, test workings at Lea Bailey and nearby Staple Edge concluded that the small amount of gold present could not be extracted economically. The syndicate was wound up in 1908.
The mine was later extended and some 3000 tons of iron ore were extracted — a small amount compared to the 150,000 tons extracted from the nearby Wigpool Ironstone Mine.
An attempt was made in 2003 by the owners of Clearwell Caves to open the mine as a tourist attraction, but this was ultimately unsuccessful. In 2012, a small group from the Royal Forest of Dean Caving Club discovered the mine and a quantity of disused railway equipment and proposed to the owners that a volunteer-led project could start work on restoring the site. As of 2014, two locomotives and a number of wagons have been moved to Lea Bailey from storage at Clearwell Caves or the nearby Hawthorn Tunnel.
In 2013 the Lea Bailey Light Railway Society was formed; its members act as volunteers, undertaking all aspects of work on the site. A regular free newsletter is produced and sent out by e-mail.
http://www.leabaileylightrailway.co.uk

Lea Bailey Railway

Steam Locomotives of a Leisurely Era – 1934 – Class 5 – London Midland & Scottish Railway

No.4777 when new in 1947

One of the most successful designs ever built, these engines have been firm favourites with the operating staff ever since William Stanier first introduced them in 1934. A general purpose mixed traffic locomotive which can be used on almost any duty, reliable and easy on maintenance, is bound to establish itself quickly, and the class multiplied rapidly in consequence, replacing many older and some not-so-old types over all the wide ramifications of the LMS from Wick to Bournemouth.

Nos.5000-5471 were built between 1934 and 1938, and after a hiatus owing to early war conditions the class was resumed in 1943 with 5472-99, 4800-99, then working backwards in batches until the complete series of 842 engines ran under BR numbers from 44658-45499, the final lot coming out in 1950. There are several varieties found in the class, consisting to a great extent of variations in the boiler mountings, and a few have double blast pipes and chimneys. No.44767 is unique in being fitted with Stephenson’s outside link motion instead of the usual Walschaert gear. The main variation occurs with engines 44738-57 which have Caprotti valve gear and with somewhat lower running plates and small splashers (absent in the standard design) present a noticeably different appearance, as do Nos.44686 and 44687, which have no running plates at all, to the great detriment of their looks.

Apart from these 842 engines the type was perpetuated by BR in its 73000 class, totalling another 172 locomotives, which are the obvious descendants of the LMS engines.

All of the class were still in service in 1959, and as far as could be seen there was no immediate likelihood of any withdrawals taking place in spite of the general widespread scrapping proceeding at an ever increasing rate in consequence of dieselisation and electrification. It seems reasonably certain that these useful engines may well be amongst the last to remain for as many more years as steam propulsion continues to find a place in the British Railways system, and they will undoubtedly have earned themselves the right to take their place amongst the ranks of the historic locomotive designs.

Driving wheels – 6’ 0”, Cylinders – 18½”x 28”, Pressure 225lb., Tractive effort – 25455lb., Weight varies between 72 and 75 tons, LMS and BR classification 5.

 

Steam Locomotives of a More Leisurely Era – 1926 – ‘Lord Nelsons’ – Southern Railway

No.860 as first built, before being fitted with smoke deflectors

Soon after the grouping the need arose for an express passenger locomotive capable of working a 500-ton train on the Southern Railway at an average speed of 55 mph. It was not until 1926, however, that Maunsell was able to produce an engine that answered these requirements. When it did appear it was in the form of a 4-cylinder 4-6-0, No. 850 ‘Lord Nelson’. It was thoroughly tried out before any more were put in hand, but eventually fifteen more came out in 1928-9, No. 851-65, all named after famous sea lords. They worked mainly on the Continental expresses between Victoria and Dover and were very capable machines.
A peculiarity lay in the setting of the angles of the cranks by which the engine gave eight exhausts per revolution of the driving wheels instead of four, resulting in a very soft blast and even torque. The arrangement had already been tried out experimentally on one of Drummond’s early 4-6-0s. and was anticipated in the first place in Hookham’s 0-6-0T for the North Stafford Railway. One or two of the engines varied slightly, No. 859 had 4” smaller driving wheels, No. 960 a longer boiler barrel, and No. 857 carried for a time an experimental boiler with a combustion chamber, while No. 865 had the conventional 4-beat crank setting. They were handsome engines as built, but were later fitted with an ugly wide design of chimney to accommodate a double blast pipe, which completely ruined their appearance. All were still in service in 1959 as Nos. 30850-65.

Driving wheels – 6’ 7”, Cylinders (4) – 16½”x 26”, Pressure – 220 lb., Tractive effort – 33510 lb., Weight 83½ tons, SR classification – LN, BR classification – 7P
No. 859 had 6’ 3” wheels with 35300 lb. tractive effort, and No. 860 weighed 84 tons 16 cwt.

Steam Locomotives of a More Leisurely Era 1922 – 4-Cylinder 0-6-0T North Stafford Railway

Steam Locomotives of a More Leisurely Era

1922 – 4-Cylinder 0-6-0T

North Stafford Railway

The engine as first built

This was an experimental locomotive built by J.A.Hookham in 1922, and was the only 4-cylinder tank engine to run in this country.  The cranks of the inside and outside cylinders were set in such a way that the engine gave eight exhausts to every revolution of the driving wheels in place of the customary four (this arrangement was later adopted on the SR by Maunsell in his ‘Lord Nelson’ class).

The purpose of the new No.23 was quick acceleration with suburban trains, but it does not appear to have been greatly successful in this capacity, and it was in 1924 converted to an 0-6-0 tender engine and used on freight work.

On being absorbed into LMS stock in 1923 it was allocated No.1599 in the tank series, but never carried this, as on conversion to a tender engine it became No.2367.  Again renumbered 8689 in 1928, it was cut up later in the same year.

Driving wheels – 4’ 6”,  Cylinders (4) – 14”x 24”,  Pressure – 160 lb.,  Weight – 56¾ tons

Hookham’s 4-cylinder 0-6-0T No. 23 of 1922, designed to speed up services by accelerating suburban passenger trains rapidly between stations. To ensure an even torque on starting the cranks were set to give 8 exhausts for each revolution of the driving wheels. A revolutionary design whose worth the LMS failed to appreciate.

http://spellerweb.net