Statfold Barn Open Day - 14 September 2013

The scale of this Open Day event was enormous and the logistics must be terrifying. 1200 entrance tickets had been issued. Three separate (but connected) lines were in operation - the garden railway with two internal combustion locomotives in use, the main line to the balloon loop, with 13 steam locomotives on two gauges being rotated on passenger and freight trains (as well as a converted Landrover), and the parallel new line, as yet incomplete, with three big steam locos being used to top and tail a train of new passenger cars. 

This post merely attempts to show what was being used on the day. There are other steam locomotives in the restoration queue as well as a great variety of internal combustion and battery locos, and even a compressed air loco. Everything shown is 2ft gauge unless indicated otherwise.

2ft 6ins gauge 1900 Orenstein and Koppel 0-4-0WTT PAKIS BARU 1
and 2ft gauge 1933 Avonside 0-4-0T MARCHLYN

Graham Lee addresses the troops

99 years of Hunslet quarry tanks:
STATFOLD of 2005 and SYBIL MARY of 1906

1944 Peckett 0-6-0ST HARROGATE

JOSEPHINE, a 1936 Hunslet 0-4-2T that will be reverting to 0-4-2ST

Graham Lee drives Mallet Djatibarang 9 with Bagnall ISIBUTU in the rear

The Garden Railway: a 1936 Orenstein and Koppel 0-4-0DM

. . . and a 1924 Hudson 4wPM

Pakis Baru 5, a 2ft 6in gauge Orenstein and Koppel Mallet of 1905

SRAGI No.1, a 1889 Krauss 0-4-2T, and GP39 a Hudswell 0-6-0WT of 1930

The Landrover conversion

Trangkil No.4, a 1971 Hunslet 0-4-2ST

Lautoka 19, a Hudswell 0-4-0ST of 1914 and SRAGI 14,
 a 1923 Orenstein and Koppel 0-6-0WTT

MINAS DE ALLER 2, a 1884 Corpet 0-6-0PT with indirect drive

SACCHARINE, a 1912 John Fowler 0-4-2T

ISIBUTU, a Bagnall 4-4-0T of 1945

Lincolnshire Coast Light Railway - 13 September 2013

John Raby and friends organised a photo charter on behalf of the Lincolnshire Coast Light Railway Historic Vehicles Trust at Skegness Water Park. This featured historic British Great War rolling stock and Simplex locomotives. This was a good day and the visitors and hosts enjoyed themselves.

Bogie ambulance van

P class 4-wheel wagon

Class D bogie flat wagon

Class D bogie wagon fitted up for stretchers

1920 bow frame (left) and 1941 World War 2 style

Top and tailing

 

Double heading

Tacot des Lacs - 10 September 2013

Some time ago, Thomas Kautzor suggested we charter the legendary FELIN-HEN at Patrick Mourot's Tacot des Lacs near Nemours in France. The 2-6-2T Baldwin locomotive started off in France with the USA Army in the Great War and it came to Fairymead Mill in Queensland, Australia, via Penrhyn slate quarries in north Wales, before returning to France. Patrick restored a dismantled wreck to operating condition.

Tacot des Lacs features a tourist railway based on old sand extraction workings as well as Patrick Mourot's most interesting collection.

A 1917 Decauville 0-6-0T

Trevor Barber's 1973-built 0-4-0ST 

1917 Alco (Cooke Works) 2-6-2T for the USA Army

1917 British Army 4wPE from Dick Kerr

Off for a ride behind FELIN-HEN
James Waite (L) and Thomas Kautzor

Patrick Mourot attends to FELIN-HEN at the Loing River bridge

A Billard Type T50D from Cap Ferret dating from 1930

Deutz diesel on the tourist train

Proud owner of FELIN-HEN

Along the canal bank

Back at the depot, demonstrating a US Army Baldwin 0-4-0PM tractor

Leighton Buzzard Gala - 7-8 September 2013

The Leighton Buzzard Narrow Gauge Railway had its Gala this weekend and I arrived from north Wales on the Saturday afternoon, returning the next day. The Leighton Buzzard line was a post-Great War sand railway which runs from Pages Park to Stonehenge. Six steam locomotives were hauling passenger trains in a well-oiled operation and there were also operating displays at Stonehenge.

Avonside 0-4-0T SEZELA No.4 about to leave Pages Park

Baguley RISHRA in steam at Pages Park

Double headed Simplexes arriving at Pages Park

1877 De Winton CHALONER and Kerr Stuart PETER PAN of 1922

CHALONER now sports an authentic cab that I rather like

BEAUDESERT, a 1979 Simplex  rebuilt by Alan Keef Ltd

On Sunday, Patrick Keef had organised a cab ride on the War Department 4-6-0T, which ran very smoothly and quietly.

Awaiting for a cross at Leedon Loop

Simplex RED RUM demonstrating sand operations at Stonehenge

 A 1937 Ruston and Simplexes ARKLE and DAMDERUG

PETER WOOD, a 1994 Huslet 4wDH and ELF,
a 1936 Orenstein and Koppel 0-6-0WT

Passenger train hauled by a 1973 Baguley battery electric

Patrick Keef in command on the Baldwin

Graham Morris in typical pose as PETER PAN and CHALONER
head from Vandyke Road towards Stonehenge

Welsh Highland Gala - 6-7 September 2013

The 'Welsh Highland Great & Small' Gala began on Friday 6 September and the weather that day was quite good, which was fortunate as I planned to set off elsewhere the following morning.

The Gala involved a variety of interesting trains and visiting locomotives with a selection of model railways on display at Dinas.

The greatest thrill was the realisation that K1,
the Tasmanian Garratt, was in operation.

K1 double headed South African Garratt 143 on the first passenger train from Caernarfon

Hunslet LILLA, running light engine from Porthmadog, waits at Rhyd Ddu  

The freight train hauled by South African Garratt 87 leaving Waunfawr

Climbing up to Rhyd Ddu 

The freight train entering Beddgelert

Double headed England locos departing Beddgelert
for Caernarfon on the vintage train

Paul Lewin eases South African Garratt 138 out of Waunfawr

The vintage train at Dinas

Saturday morning - Prince makes ready at Caernafon

Statfold's ex Harrogate Gasworks Peckett and LILLA at Dinas shed