Apedale Valley Light Railway - 16 June 2013

On the other side of Stoke-on Trent is the Apedale Heritage Centre, home of the Moseley Railway Trust. The Heritage Centre was holding a mining gala so it was very busy with lots of families in attendance.

There is a very large collection of industrial internal combustion and battery electric locomotives, and two steam locomotives are currently in operation. It is still an early stage in the development of the facilities on site, but a new line has been built and a station building and museum storage shed have been built.

STANHOPE is a Kerr Stuart ‘Tattoo’ class resurrected from a set of frames cut in two. The second locomotive was built by Kerr Stuart to a Decauville design for the French Army in World War I, known as the ‘Joffre’ class.

STANHOPE at the impressive brick-built Silverdale Station

  

The storage shed is bright and airy, allowing visitors to view the 30 or so locos  inside. This is the prototype Baguley amusement locomotive of 1928, still fitted with its original petrol engine.





This Deutz diesel of 1931 has a single cylinder horizontal engine.



A more modern Hunslet diesel of 1984

The Joffre has a very small space for the crew inside the cab.

The 'Tattoo' class has a much roomier cab and is of a very simple and robust design