Steam Railways in Preservation in the 1980-90s August 26 – September 2 1988 – ‘Bahamas’

 

45596 Bahamas

  13 December 2012  Thomas’s Pics
Licensing:  Creative Commons  attribution This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.

Saturday, August 6th, saw LMS Jubilee ‘Bahamas’ in steam and carrying out some light engine movements at Dinting Railway Centre, for the first time in fifteen years. Visitors to the Centre on that day received a bonus, although the engine was unfinished as far as the painting goes, no problems were evident and the locomotive ran perfectly.
The race is now on to complete the painting in time for the big event of 1988 at the Centre, which will be the 21st anniversary of the Centre itself and the re-commissioning of the Jubilee.

Boiler repairs became necessary during 1973 and Bahamas was taken out of service to become a static exhibit at the Society’s home at the Dinting Railway Centre.
Work on the restoration of other locomotives by Society volunteers prevented a start on the overhaul of Bahamas until 1980. It was to be a further eight years before the overhaul was completed, at a cost of £16,000. All the work was undertaken by Society members, who effected a saving in the region of £50,000 when compared with the cost of similar work undertaken by contract firms at that time.
Restored to its authentic British Railways condition, Bahamas successfully operated 37 railtours on the main line between 1989 and 1994, covering more than 12,000 miles before its main-line certificate became due for renewal. It was praised by both enthusiasts and professional railwaymen, and earned itself an enviable reputation for excellent reliability and good performance.
Then followed visits to various heritage railways until the expiry of its boiler certificate in 1997 resulted in its withdrawal from operation.
The engine then went on public display in the museum of the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway at Oxenhope, where it stayed until 2012 when it was invited to attend the ‘Railfest’ event at the National Railway Museum in York. Its stay at York was extended until the following year, when it returned to Ingrow.
It was during 2012 that an application was made to the Heritage Lottery Fund to enable the overhaul of Bahamas to be undertaken by contractors and thus speed the process of its return to working order. The bid was successful, and by December 2013 work had commenced on the boiler, wheels and frames at the Tyseley Locomotive Works. See the Work in Progress page for updates with the project.  http://ingrowlocomuseum.com/?page_id=352

Hednesford News – Museum of Cannock Chase – Transformed gallery opens doors to visitors

Published on Thursday 3rd April 2014
A GALLERY celebrating the mining heritage of Cannock Chase has opened its doors following a £150,000 transformation.
Mining Memories, at The Museum of Cannock Chase, provides a new, permanent coal mining gallery for the local community, allowing people to experience a ‘day in the life’ of a miner and explore features of the mines. Visitors can try out interactive displays including a crawl-through tunnel.
The project, which received a £97,600 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund, has also created an education package to make sure people of all ages get the maximum benefit from their experience at the museum.
Stuart Murray, Chief Executive of leisure and culture provider WLCT which manages the museum, said: “Mining Memories is a spectacular exhibition which brings the history of the Cannock Chase coalfield to life, providing a place for local people to go to reminisce and for young people in particular to learn about this important part of the district’s heritage. I’m delighted that we have been able to bring this project to fruition.”
Councillors were invited to visit the gallery earlier this week for a sneak preview of the gallery.
Councillor Christine Mitchell, Leader of Culture and Sport said: “The newly transformed gallery is a wonderful exhibition which captures the mining history of our District and brings it to life. I would encourage everyone to visit the Museum and find out about the District’s heritage.”
Reyahn King, Head of Heritage Lottery Fund West Midlands, said: “Coal mining was the backbone of the local economy and now the stories of the miners and the communities it supported can be told, in an imaginative and engaging way, especially to the younger generation.”
A special event celebrating the opening of the new gallery is being planned for June 28.
The museum is open from Monday-Friday, 11am-4pm (last admission 3.30pm) until Good Friday. From Easter Saturday until the end of September it is open daily, 11am-5pm (last admission 4.30pm).

For full details of opening hours, visit http://www.wlct.org/museumofcannockchase

 

Hednesford News – Hednesford tennis courts are a smash hit

Hednesford News

Hednesford tennis courts are a smash hit

Published on Thursday 26th September 2013

Cannock Chase District Council unveiled the new tennis courts at HednesfordPark as part of a £3.1M Heritage Lottery Fund project yesterday.

Representatives from Cannock Chase District Council, Staffordshire Environmental Fund and Friends of Hednesford Park officially opened the brand new tennis courts at HednesfordPark, with a ribbon cutting ceremony on Wednesday 25th September.

This is the first phase of the project part funded by Staffordshire Environmental Fund and the Heritage Lottery Fund which has seen the five adult tennis courts being replaced with four adult tennis court and four junior courts all on one level with a new drainage system and new fencing with gates to allow access for all.

Cannock Chase District Council recently obtained £3.1M of Heritage Lottery Fund grant as part of the improvements to HednesfordPark and War Memorial.  The full project will take several years to complete.

Councillor Christine Mitchell, Culture and Sport Portfolio Leader said “I am really pleased with the work that has taken place on the new tennis courts, they look fantastic.  This is a great start to a really exciting project for HednesfordPark.

I hope this investment will help inspire the next generation of tennis stars and give this District the next Andy Murray.”

Councillor Alan Dudson said “I am delighted to officially open the new tennis courts at HednesfordPark; this is a great facility for residents and just the start of a bigger project.”

John Dutton, Chief Executive of Staffordshire Environment Fund said “We are happy to be involved in the project and hope this new facility will encourage young people and the community to take up tennis.”

Hednesford Town FC continued their table-topping form today (5th October) with a 4-1 victory over Gloucester City at Keys Park.

www.hednesfordtownfc.com