Llanberis - 7 July 2013

A gala day at the Llanberis Lake Railway brought us to north Wales, and it was a great day of British sunshine!

As well as two of the Lake Railway's own Hunslet steam locomotives ex Dinorwic Quarry (WILD ASTER aka THOMAS BACH is under repair), there were two ex Penrhyn Quarry Hunslet locomotives in attandance, LILLA from the Festiniog Railway and HUGH NAPIER from the National Trust Penrhyn Castle collection. The Welsh Slate Museum is based in the old Dinorwic Quarry workshops and its Hunslet UNA, from Pen yr Orsedd Quarry, was also in steam.

There were plenty of visitors and a varied program of trains including slate wagon trains.

LILLA heading to Llanberis on the slate wagon train

Exchanging the staff on return to Gilfach Ddu

DOLBADARN - I prefer maroon to powder green!

The National Trust's locomotive - HUGH NAPIER - was a lovely sight

ELIDIR on the slate shunt

From the Vivian Arch

DOLBADARN and LILLA hauling their train through the arch

 

UNA at the Slate Museum

A Brush 1917 battery locomotive in the museum loco shed

Transporting slate wagons on the incline cars



4ft gauge velocipede used on the original Padarn Railway

Devon Railway Centre - 27 June 2013

The Devon Railway Centre is based at the old Cadeleigh Station near Tiverton. It is designed as a family attraction and includes a short narrow gauge railway. There is an interesting selection of locomotives on display.

2ft 9in gauge Ruston & Hornsby diesel hydraulic

1939 Planet

Modern H Series Simplex

Standard gauge Baguley of 1952

The 'steam outline' Simplex IVOR was operating trains

The Orenstein & Koppel 0-4-0T has just passed its steam test and is expected to be in service in a few weeks

Lynton & Barnstaple Railway - 27 June 2013

Perhaps the last great 2ft gauge restoration project, the Lynton & Barnstaple Railway, closed in 1935 is gradually being rebuilt with the initial base at the original Woody Bay station. Other sections of trackbed have been acquired and a rake of restored carriages is being amassed.

Unfortunately, this is the sight that greeted us on arrival at Woody Bay station.

AXE, the Kerr Stuart Joffre class had suffered a broken regulator linkage early in the week and was awaiting replacement parts, so the train service was diesel hauled.

 

An old friend from Queensland was this Baguley/Drewry, the former Victoria Mill LEICHHARDT



The main diesel locos currently in use are modern Hunslets regauged from 2ft 6in

 SID, a Maffei locomotive currently for sale

 The rolling Devon countryside

 The wonderful atmosphere of Woody Bay station

Chelfham Viaduct, awaiting the return of trains

Delabole and Morwellham - 26 June 2013

Cornwall was famous for mining.

Slate was mined (and is still mined) at Delabole and in the mine offces, a 1925 Simplex locomotive is beautifully presented.

On the River Tamar, just over the border in Devon,  Morwellham was an important coper port in the first half of the nineteenth century. The area is now a historic precinct. A mine tour operates, accessed by a 2ft gauge railway running alongide the river, and using a fleet of similar Wingrove & Rogers battery locomotives.

Launceston Steam Railway - 24 June 2013

We were treated with great hospitality at the Launceston Steam Railway by Nigel and Kay Bowman and James Evans. The railway is laid on the trackbed of the Southern Railway line that once linked Waterloo with Padstow.


COVERTCOAT

COVERTCOAT, a Hunslet quarry tank fitted with a tender, was the train engine in the morning.


Nigel Bowman greets an overseas visitor

After lunch, James Evans' Hunslet VELINHELI ventured from the shed and was to haul a train later in the afternoon.


VELINHELI with James Evans

We also saw the other two working quarry Hunslets that are in working condition, the 130 year-old LILIAN, and DOROTHEA,



LILIAN

 

DOROTHEA

Abbey Museum, Leicester - 23 June 2013

Today was a special event day at the Abbey Pumping Station Museum in Leicester so its narrow gauge railway was in operation. The conditions were on the cool and damp side.

There is a small collection of well-presented internal-combustion locomotives, but the locomotive hauling passenger trains was 1919 Bagnall 0-4-0ST LEONARD, which I last saw as a static museum exhibit.

A Ruston 20DL of 1943

A 1931 petrol Simplex

A modern (1979) Simplex



A 1931 petrol Lister

LEONARD on the first train of the day

Departing from the outer station

Running around

Beeches Light Railway - 22 June 2013

I was fortunate enough to receive an invitation to visit The Beeches Light Railway, in northern Oxfordshire. This private garden railway has steep gradients (1 in 22) and tight curves (80 ft radius), so what better steam locomotive to run on it than one from the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway?
Built in Glasgow in 1889, number 19 is the only Darjeeling locomotive to have left India. It retains its 1889 wrought iron boiler and it hauls Darjeeling-style carriages built by the Festiniog Railway at Boston Lodge Works.


Doing some preliminary shunting, Max from Wamuran in Queensland, driving a 1957 Simplex.

Raising steam at the depot

Carriage shunting with a 1994 Hunslet. Directions given by the owner, Adrian Shooter.



Coaling up

Replica Sandy River Model T railmotor

Getting ready for the first run

On the Paddock Loop

The DHR-style station, Rinkingpong Road

Storming up the 1 in 22 on the Garden Loop