Lautoka & Labasa Wednesday 3 September

Today was the day when I flew from Nadi on Viti Levu to Labasa on Vanua Levu.

I had time to see a few locos on my drive to the airport and then on arrival at Labasa managed to catch up with a little bit of action there.

Lautoka’s Ontrak Baldwin rebuild 13 CHILLI heads south with empties at Field 40 Loop in Lautoka.

Ontrak Clyde rebuild 23 Howie at Navo depot.

Labasa Mill’s IBS Clyde rebuild 16 DAMO waits at the weighbridge

This harvester came to Labasa from Mackay this year.

EM Baldwin 4wDH 4 is back in service in the Labasa empty yard

A Labasa ex-Isis loco numbered 21 that I suspect to be ex-Lautoka Mill 20.

Lautoka Mill 2 September 2014

I managed to work out the current roster for Lautoka Mill today. Two Clydes have been sent to Labasa in exchange for two Ontrak locos (Oscar and CHILLI).

21 hauls cane past Nadi International Airport

8am change of shift for Clyde 11 at Qeleloa near Nadi

16 with Ontrak 24 BRANDY at the Lautoka fuelling point

Oscar awaiting a new automatic gearbox in the shed at Lautoka

Baldwin lovers look away

Displayed at Head Office in Lautoka

Ex Millaquin Mill RUBYANNA at Navo

Lautoka Mill Monday 1 September 2014

The first day found a number of changes at Lautoka, not all of which I have managed to work out yet.

Apart from the new arrivals from Queensland, it seems that some locomotives have been exchanged with Labasa.

Ex Moreton Mill EM Baldwin BLI-BLI is in service as number 16

Ontrak rebuild CHILLI (another EM Baldwin) has been transferred from Labasa and is running as number 13.

 The navvy gang working on a low joint at Nadi Back Road. 

Ex Millaquin Mill Clyde MARGAM is in service as number 21 here running south light engine at Momi.

Clyde HG-3R 14 crosses the highway at Navo.

Self-propelled chain tightening machine at Navo.

Off to Fiji - and a catch-up

Bula! After a gap of almost a year, I'm off at the weekend to Fiji again and hope to keep you posted from there.

I haven't been completely inactive in this period, although much of my time has been taken up collaborating on a new book Salute to the Hudswells about Colonial Sugar Refining's Hudswell Clarke locomotives in Queensland and Fiji. Publication day should be 11 October 2014 in Ingham, Queensland, so watch this space for more details.

In the meantime, I thought you'd like to see a few photos to illustrate a few of my visits since September 2013.

In October, I took Patrick Keef around a few of the local sights.

Malcolm Moore 3ft 6in gauge loco at Pioneer Steam Railway in Ipswich 

Patrick and Russell Savage with Russell's home-built bogie locomotive on the private 2ft gauge Tinbeerwah Mountain Railway

Patrick and Russsell in the line's impressive rail motor

On 16 October I visited the Beenleigh Historical Village to see 2ft gauge John Fowler 16249 of 1924

On 19 October I was a guest of management at Dreamworld on the Gold Coast to see their new Italian-built locomotive that had replaced steam haulage on their 2ft gauge railway.

On the weekend of 30 November I was with Brad Peadon and David Xuereb at the Nambour Historical Museum (in the rain).

The ex-Moreton Mill Fowler 0-6-0T EUDLO (16207 of 1924)

The following day I visited two tourist railways on the Sunshine Coast.

At the Big Pineapple SUGAR CANE TRAIN No.4 (Ruston & Hornsby 379072 rebuilt EM Baldwin 7807.1 11.77 in 1977) was in use on the revived 2ft gauge railway.

At the Buderim Ginger factory, diesel powered Krauss 4687 of 1901 still chugs around the circuit

On 30 March 2014, I went to check that this Fowler was still present at its storage site in the Brisbane suburb of Virginia.

Ex-Racecourse Mill 2ft gauge Fowler 0-4-2 17683 of 1927

I went up to Cairns to do a job in June and planned a couple of days chasing cane trains. Unfortunately, it was very wet and all the mills had ceased crushing as harvesting conditions were not suitable.

Com-Eng 0-6-0DH locomotives at Mossman Mill on 10 June

Ex Hambledon and Victoria Mills Hudswell Clarke 0-6-0 1838 of 1950 stored on a property near Mossman

Ex Hambledon Mill Hudswell Clarke 0-6-0 1549 of 1925 at Hambledon Gardens

Tully Mill's Walkers B-B DH TULLY-5 outside the loco shed on 12 June

At South Johnstone Mill on 13 June EM Baldwin 25 (L) and  Clyde 15 moving around in the rain.

Com-Eng, Clyde and Walkers locos sit outside the Mulgrave Mill shed

Lastly, a trip to give the grandchildren a ride on the Rosewood Railway near Ipswich on 29 June.

Ex Queensland Railways C17 class 4-8-0 No.720

Keef Open Day, Lea Bailey and Clearwell - 21 September 2013

The last day of the epic tour found me at Alan Keef Ltd's premises near Ross-on-Wye for the annual Open Day. There were many people I had met during the tour as well as two visiting locomotives that I had come across a number of times. The crowd on such a small site was a little overpowering but a lot of trouble had been done to make this an enjoyable occasion.

Patrick Keef doing a spot of shunting with a much-modified
1939 Wingrove and Rogers battery loco

Kerr Stuart 'Wren' PETER PAN

Barclay gasworks 0-4-0T JACK

Other very interesting visitors were two metre gauge Krauss locomotives that Keefs have restored and a metre gauge tram engine that is going to be converted back from fireless to its original form.

Metre gauge Krauss of 1894

and this 1908 Krauss that was only finished last week

Metre gauge Henschel tram loco of 1899.

A number of locomotives were under restoration or construction in the workshop, including RUSSELL from the Welsh Highland Railway, a Baldwin 4-6-0T, and the 1908 Thomas Green 0-6-2ST BARBER for the South Tynedale Railway.

In the workshop building, BARBER, ex Harrogate Gasworks.
Its rebuilt boiler will be delivered shortly.

A crowded scene with Patrick and Alice Keef centre.

Just over the border in Gloucestershire, a group is establishing the Lea Bailey Light Railway, commencing at the old Lea Bailey gold mine.

A 1975 flameproofed Hunalet

A 1957 Simplex

A very pleasant spot in the forest

The last visit was to Clearwell Caves where one 2ft gauge locomotive is on display and others are in storage.

Another flameproofed Hunslet

The most accessible of several Hudswell Clarke 0-6-0DM locos

Vale of Teifi and Brecon Mountain - 19 September 2013

This started off as a wet day. At the Vale of Teifi Railway, I was the only passsenger on the 11.15am train. Another narrow gauge line on a picturesque section of a main line railway, this friendly line, two miles in length, seems to have struggled with its location probably meaning some difficulty in attracting passengers and volunteers. Only one steam locomotive was available - 1894 Hunslet quarry tank ALAN GEORGE. It was the first time I had seen it since the Bruntcliffe Light Railway near Leeds which I worked on before 1975.

ALAN GEORGE waits by the engine shed

1959 Ruston & Hornsby TOMOS

Coming onto the train

Ready for departure

At the Pontgoch terminus

The weather was slightly better by the time I arrived at Pant, headquarters of the Brecon Mountain Railway. This line is professionally run and is situated along an old main line railway alongside Pontsticill Reservoir and into the Brecon Beacons National Park.

The beautiful Baldwin Pacific of 1930

Heading away from Pant

Having given advance notice of my visit, I was kindly shown around the workshop by Tony Hills

An impressive kit of completed parts for a Baldwin 2-6-0 of 1897,
awaiting a boiler.

Jung 1908 0-6-2T

The Baldwin pausing at Pontsticill on the return journey