Threlkeld Quarry Mining Museum - 28 July 2013

The day started off wet but turned into a lovely sunny afternoon. This superb location in the Lake District provided a perfect backdrop for five visiting locomotives and resident Bagnall SIR TOM. The line climbs steeply from one level of the quarry to another and the locos had to work hard.

The visiting locos were Lautoka 19 and Hunslet Sybil Mary from Statfold Barn, PADDY from Amerton with its companion PETER PAN, and the West Lancs Railway's JOFFRE.



SIR TOM labours on the wet rail with the day's first passenger train

PADDY and JOFFRE ease down towards the station

PETER PAN, PADDY and SIR TOM at the top of the line



JOFFRE brewing up at the bottom engine shed



PADDY heads up the hill with a light train



PETER PAN shunts at the top of the line

The immaculate Lautoka 19

JOFFRE storms up the hill with SIR TOM in the rear

PETER PAN and PADDY being prepared to depart

SYBIL MARY double heads with Lautoka 19

Hayling Island, Hollycombe and Bursledon - 20 & 21 July 2013

The weekend saw visits to three contrasting sites in the south of England.

The Hayling Seaside Railway at Hayling Island operates a passenger service along the sea front between Beachlands and Eastoke on the south of Hayling Island, which lies east of Portsmouth. It is operated by volunteers.


No.3 JACK Alan Keef 0-4-0DH of 1988 leaving Beachlands with three carriages



No,5 EDWIN, a 1967 Ruston & Hornsby

A steam locomotive that has been 'under construction' for some years



JACK detaches from its train at Eastoke . . .

. . . and is coupled up for the return journey
















The Hollycombe Collection has a lot of steam fairground and traction engine exhibits, but also features a 2ft gauge railway that gives visitors a view of the Sussex Weald. JERRY M, ex Dinowic Quarry in north Wales, is the current operating steam locomotive.



A beautifully groomed JERRY M waits at the station

This heavily modified Deutz diesel arrived from France last year and is owned by Phil Mason.

 

Rob Gambrill owns this 1969 Ruhrthaler mining diesel

A 3ft 6in gauge Aveling & Porter  used in a Rossendale quarry

JERRY M hauling its train of ex Ramsgate Tunnel Railway carriages

The Hampshire Narrow Gauge Railway Trust is establishing a railway at Bursledon Brickworks, Swanwick, which is preserved by the Hampshire Buildings Preservation Trust. Pending the completion of passing loops at each end of the line, trains opeeate in 'top and tail' formation.

4 ALISTAIR, on loan from Hayling Seaside Railway, I last saw operating on the Festniog Railway about 40 years ago.

AGWI PET 2, a 1939 "Simplex" with flameproofing and a petrol engine. It worked in an oil refinery.

The train departs with SIMPLEX ASHBY in the lead



A skip loaded with clay forms part of the brickworks display
 

A Wigan-built steam engine for working the clay pugging plant.

Toddington - 14 July 2013

This narrow gauge site is an adjunct to the premises of the standard gauge Gloucester and Warwickshire Railway - the narrow gauge line runs along the foot of the main line embankment. There is a nice collection here, and they are able to benefit from visitors to the 'big railway'.



The first train of the day was diesel-hauled, by a modern Hunslet

A shed tour revealed their Heeresfaldbahn loco, used in Poland



. . . and a neat little FC Hibberd "Planet"



This carriage also came from Poland and has an authentic eastern European feel about it inside



This carriage was found in a nearby field a few years ago and originated from the 1924 British Empire Exhibition

 

This privately owned Heeresfeldbahn locomotive was used at Sena Sugar Estates in Mozambique



A Lister that had to be registered as a road vehicle because of where it was used

The steam loco in use was Arn Jung JUSTINE, built in 1906 for use in Belgium 

Hopefully I will be able to return here at a later date.

Amberley Museum - 13 July 2013

This was the day for a trip down to the Amberley Museum in Sussex with my good friend Richard Horne. The weather was even better than when I had last visited with Richard in 2001, with Bob McKillop and Bill Hanks.

The occasion was the museum railway gala weekend, and the two active steam locomotives were hauling passengers with a visiting steam loco and some of the diesel and battery locomotives from the collection on demonstration runs.

This is a well-presented volunteer operation.



Resident Bagnall 1918 0-4-0ST PETER



A rare Ransomes & Rapier diesel and a Wingrove & Robers 0-4-0BE, with a 972mm gauge Orenstein & Koppel diesel behind 

A beautifully presented 1936 John Fowler 4wDM




Dublin's entry in the indirect drive stakes - a 1920 Spence 1ft 10in gauge locomotive for the Guinness Brewery, although the design is much older.

The resident Groudle Glen Bagnall 2-4-0T POLAR BEAR of 1905 was on its first day back into service following overhaul.



A nicely presented 2ft 6in gauge Hudson GoGo tractor of 1932 in the museum.

A more modern Leeds product - a 1980 Hunslet on a demonstration train.



An older 1937 Hunslet 4wDM

A beautifully restored standard gauge "Simplex" diesel was also in operation.




The bright sunshine showed off to perfection the deep blue of visiting Andrew Barclay JACK, last seen at Amerton a few weeks ago.

Great North Wales Narrow Gauge Railways - 7 & 8 July 2013

Arriving at our accommodation at Salem Chapel, Betws Garmon (recommended), the chance was taken to scoot over to Tan-y-Bwylch to see LYD come through with a Festiniog Railway train. This was a new build at Boston Londge to the Lynton & Barnstaple design of 1896 and is a rare operating locomotive with Joy's valve gear.

The next morning, there was a charter train running north from Porthmadog on the Welsh Highland, so the first service trains of the day had been cancelled. Nevertheless, the chance was taken to make a brief visit to the WHR depot at Dinas Llanwnda.

The large South African Funkey bogie diesel CASTELL CAERNARFON

Queensland Baguley/Drewry 0-6-0DM cane locomotive, South Johnstone number 9.



A chunky little Hunset awaiting regauging.

A De Winton 3ft gauge vertical boilered locomotive, LLANFAIR, built in Caernarvon.

Poor K1, the pioneer Beyer-Garratt from Tasmania, under modification again and rather unloved as not really suitable for regular passenger trains on the WHR.