More at: http://www.oslj.nu
Posted in Narrow Gauge
Tagged Mariefred, Narrow Gauge, Old Railway Lines, Steam Engines, Sweden
No,21 Stanhope
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.
Posted in Chasewater Railway Museum Bits & Pieces
Tagged Aldridge, Bloxwich, Brownhills, Burntwood, Can Collecting, Cannock, Chasetown, Chasewater Railway, Chasewater Railway Museum, Cheslyn Hay, Great Wyrley, Heath Hayes, Hednesford, Lichfield, Midland Railway Crane, Narrow Gauge, Norton Canes, Pelsall, Staffordshire, Walsall, Walsall Wood, Wolverhampton
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
‘New’ Katie
The 1st Duke of Westminster (1825-1899) commissioned Sir Arthur Percival Heywood to construct the narrow gauge, 15 inch railway at Eaton in 1895. Linking with the main line the new railway provided an efficient haulage service for coal and stores on the estate, as well as an enjoyable passenger service for visitors to the Hall including members of the Royal Family, local dignitaries and schoolchildren.
The first of several engines was named Katie, after the 1st Duke’s second wife, Katherine Cavendish, then in 1922 a petrol-mechanical locomotive replaced the steam-powered originals. In 1947, during the period when Eaton Hall was leased to the War Department, the railway was taken up and sold on the instructions of the 2nd Duke. Just short of half a century later, in 1996, the 6th Duke reinstated the railway using a replica of Katie to pull the carriages.
‘Old’ Katie
Shelagh
For further information about the Eaton Hall Railway, including open days, go to:
Posted in Narrow Gauge
Tagged Balderstone, Cheshire, Duke of Westminster, Eaton Estate, Eaton Hall Railway, Narrow Gauge, Prince of Wales
The NPC operated in the northern California counties of Marin and Sonoma that carried redwood lumber, local dairy and agricultural products, express and passengers. The NPC operated almost 93 mi (150 km) of track that extended from a pier at Sausalito (which connected the line via ferry to San Francisco) and operated northwest to Duncans Mills and Cazadero (also known as Ingrams).
The NPC became the North Shore Railroad (California) (NSR) on March 7, 1902. In 1907 the North Shore Railroad became part of the Northwestern Pacific Railroad (NWP). Southern portions of the line were standard gauged and electrified by the North Shore for suburban passenger service, though tracks north of Point Reyes Station remained 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge until abandonment in the late 1930s.(Wikipedia)
The Amerton Charity Weekend is on 12/13 July 2013. Trains will run each day from 11.30am – 4.30pm and all proceeds from ticket sales will be donated to support the ‘Gambian Deaf Children Support Project’ (GDCSP).
On both days the ‘Gambia Express’ will be hauled by the 117 year old locomotive ‘Isabel’ and for this weekend only passengers can have ‘two rides for the price of one’!
Malcolm Garner, driver of ‘Isabel,’ is the founder and Chairman of the charity which has now been working to support the education of deaf children in Gambia for nearly 10 years. Some of their achievements to date and photos and details of the work done by the GDCSP in Gambia will be on display on the platform and they can also be viewed at http://www.gambiandeafchildren.com.
Also running on both days will be a second train pulled by ‘Paddy’, an interesting vertical boilered locomotive built by a member of the railway in 2010. One ticket will buy two trips around the line and you will be able to do this on two different trains!
Deaf pupils in Gambia are mainly taught using Sign Language and on Sunday 13th, as a very special highlight, we will have two performances (at 1.30pm and 3.00pm) by a Signing Choir! This is made up of pupils from De Ferrers Academy in Burton on Trent who have learned British Sign Language (as used by a number of deaf pupils attending the school) and will perform well known songs, not by singing them, but using British Sign Language!
The Choir is the brainchild of Steve Tucker (father of another Amerton Railway volunteer) who is a Sign Language Interpreter for the pupils at De Ferrers.
Sign Language is a key part of the educational provision for deaf children in Gambia so it will be good to demonstrate how effective and attractive this can be as a means of communication. Please come and support these pupils who have so generously given their time to support the work with deaf children in this part of Africa.
The Amerton Railway Charity Weekends have so far raised more than £7000 for the work of the GDCSP and last year was the best with just over £1000 raised over a single weekend! It would be nice to better that this time!
For further details and any other information please contact Malcolm Garner direct on 07811 333373 or at malcolm.garner@yahoo.co.uk.
Arigna railway station opened on 2 May 1888, but finally closed on 1 April 1959. It was part of the narrow gauge Cavan and Leitrim Railway.
Arigna – Branch Terminus from Ballinamore with 2-6-0 locomotive No.3T. The line was opened in May 1888 primarily to meet the needs of the countryside. The settlement was however three miles from the station and the mines were served by an extension to the 1888 branch opened in 1920. The local houses had no running water, and water for baths was made available from the footplate by agreement with the fireman of the locomotive who would fill the necessary tin baths and buckets with hot water.
Turning the locomotive at Arigna was a very exacting task as the locomotive turntable was short for the Tralee and Dingle engines. The locomotive had to be properly balanced on the pivot otherwise the fireman would not be able to move the engine. The driver is pushing from the rear.
South Tynedale Railway
Train departing Kirkhaugh on the South Tynedale Railway.
© Copyright Peter McDermott and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.
The South Tynedale Railway is England’s highest narrow gauge railway winding northwards from its home at Alston in Cumbria for 3½ miles into Northumberland and the current terminus at Lintley Halt, following the route of the former Alston to Haltwhistle branch line which officially closed on 1st May 1976.
The South Tynedale Railway Preservation Society became a registered charity in 1983, but has its roots in a group formed 1973 with the intention of purchasing and preserving the entire standard gauge railway. When funds could not be raised in time a decision was made to build a narrow gauge line along the old track bed using redundant mining equipment, with the aim of once again linking Alston with Haltwhistle by rail.
“Helen Kathryn” seen outside the shed at Alston, is a 70 horse power, 0-4-0 tank, Riesa class locomotive, built in 1948 by Henschel & Sohn, of Kassel, Germany, works No. 28035.
With the announcement of a £4.2 million Heritage Lottery Fund grant as part of a £5.5 million development project 2014 marks the start of the next chapter in the history of the South Tynedale Railway and this historic line. This funding will allow us to complete the extension and take the railway back to Slaggyford, major repairs and renovations to the station buildings at Alston and much more besides.
Come and join us and take a leisurely ride through the glorious scenery of the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty!
Chasewaterstuff's Railway & Canal Blog 