7029: The Day We Went To Chester...

"Didn't we have a miserable time the day we went to Chester"...well, not totally miserable, but the weather was awful! You could seriously consider rewriting the 1981 Jasper Carrott tune about a wet day in Blackpool for todays outing as, if nothing else, "the rain came down". Welcome to the first in the 2019 series of main line posts which I've aptly dubbed "Through The Support Coach Window". Today, early but certainly not bright, I arrived at the former 84E and found "Clun Castle" brewing up on five road. Soon enough, the engine moved across to join the waiting ECS on platform 1 road, with the Class 47 already ticking over at the rear of the train. With 7029 gleaming for her outing to Chester via New Street and Wolverhampton, I spent the last 30 minutes prior to departure sweeping out the cab. I love seeing it like this...

The engine was sparkling under threatening skies as we awaited the off...

The new Vintage Trains TOC has been operating our steam specials since Christmas, when a successful program of 'Polar Express' workings operated from Moor Street behind "Rood Ashton Hall". This year, "Clun" has been to Stratford on main line test as well as out to Worcester on two evening dining trains. More recently, the engine went to Oxford on a circular via Sapperton, meaning that todays Chester outing would be only her second 'long distance' run if you like. Apart from the appalling weather, it was fairly uneventful on the outward journey as we made pick-ups at Dorridge, Solihull, Tyseley, New Street and finally Wolverhampton before continuing to Chester. Once there, the passengers alighted for their afternoon in the city before the ECS was hauled back out of the station by the Class 47 at the rear.

Once clear of the station, "Clun" was given the road to haul the train forward into the adjacent sidings where the engine and GUV would be uncoupled ready for servicing. New to us under the new TOC is the use of a coal lorry rather than our previous method of lifting coal sacks up into the tender. The engine did however have to reach a nearby service road to give the lorry access, coming to rest on a small siding. Here she was coaled, watered and oiled in the continuous wind and rain...

It's funny how wet you can become in a rainstorm but still be baking hot! The running around and rolling up various hoses certainly raises the temperature and by the end of it you feel like you're in a giant egg poacher! Even better, once the engine is serviced there are the coaches to be watered. The dining cars in particular get through a lot of water so need topping up at the destination, giving us even more time in the rain! Thankfully, once the job was done, we had the nice warm Support Coach to go back to and a hot meat pie with a cuppa', thanks to Craig and Tony. The run home would take us back along a more scenic route, via Ruabon and Shrewsbury. It was nice to dry out in the compartment on the way home, chatting about all things steam. Most of us alighted at Tyseley, trotting down the road to get the signalbox and engine shed set-up ready to receive the empty train back from Dorridge a little while later. Soon enough, "Clun" was simmering quietly on five road ready to go back into the shed...

Once the smoke had cleared, "Clun" was dropped carefully into the shed, coming to rest just in front of "Rood Ashton Hall". Thanks to the lads for a great day out and thank you all for reading. Our next run is, well, next Saturday! We're off to Llandudno and the seaside: hopefully the weather will be better. With that, I jumped into the car and headed off back along the A45 and M6 towards home. Of course, all the way home, yes you've guessed it, "the rain came down!"...

Easter Sunday At The Great Central Railway...

Having crewed for a lot of years now on various railways, it's fairly rare that I get a chance to enjoy sunshine and steam without the arguable trappings of a locomotive to look after. Today, in glorious sunshine, myself and Eddie attended the Easter Vintage Festival at the Great Central Railway. A wide variety of those strange steamers of the road cram into the car park at Quorn & Woodhouse Station every Easter, joined by a variety of other attractions as well as the adjacent steam railway. We arrived a little before Midday and, having parked in the field on the other side of the line, entered the event via the platform steps. We first bumped into an attendee of the upcoming GMW at Statfold: the imposing 6" Burrell Showman's "General Gough"... 

All around the yard there were various vintage vehicles, trade stalls and of course steam engines. On this very warm day it was quite easy to get a little parched so we ambled into the Beer Tent for some liquid refreshment. I ordered the traditional pint of real ale, Eddie settled for the more hardcore cup of Typhoo...

After a natter over our beverages, it wasn't long before the sound of a standard gauge steamer rolling in enticed us back outside. Coming to a stand at the end of the platform was BR Standard Class 5 No73156, built at Doncaster in 1956. I believe that this one is the sole surviving Standard built in Doncaster...

This was the first time I'd seen 73156 in completed form and what a lovely sight she is. Eddie has a real soft spot for the Standard types so was no doubt in his element! Having watched the Standard 5 disappear into the hazy distance, we wandered over towards the Butler Henderson café for a bite to eat. On our way we passed the Howard Brothers' forever immaculate Showman's "Renown"...

We were originally planning to perhaps grab a 'Light Bite' for lunch but Eddie and his persuasive ways soon urged me into a hearty full English...

Stuffed almost beyond movement, we waddled back outside and spotted another upcoming GMW attendee: "Renown"s own sister "Repulse"...

The yard at Quorn was definitely alive with steamers of all kinds...

One thing that you always find at a local event like this is an abundance of people you know! It's always nice to catch up with folks from across the preservation sector and natter with friends old and new. Towards the end of our scorching visit we were pleased to see another Standard: 9F No92214: bound for Leicester North. The unapologetically named "Leicester City" was built at Swindon in 1959...

The 9F's are certainly imposing: a huge, snorting mass of steel. 92214's short rake of BR Mk1's offered no hindrance as she strode effortlessly away towards Rothley. Having crossed the track and made our way up onto the platform, 73156 rolled in tender first bound for Loughborough. We opted for a final going away shot...

With that it was time to return to the sweltering BMW ready for the journey home. What a very pleasant few hours that was at the Vintage Festival. Thanks very much to Eddie for his comical company on this fine Easter Sunday. Cheers all, Sam...

Tyseley: A Castle At Rest...

Hi all. Today, in pleasant Spring sunshine, I was in Birmingham at the former 84E for another volunteer Saturday. I soon found myself on my now fairly regular task: cleaning the cab of "Clun Castle". Now that the engine is being used more regularly on the main line, maintaining her strict cleanliness procedure requires much extra work. Armed with rags and a fresh tube of Autosol, I gradually made my way around the various cab fittings as the hours ticked by. The results of cleaning this fine machine are self evident and always make your efforts worthwhile...

Later in the afternoon, with "Clun"s cab now shining, I headed for home. Tomorrow, on Easter Sunday, I'm out for a few hours with well known alarm clock snoozer 'Eddie the Late' for a visit to the Vintage Festival at Quorn. Cheers all, Sam...

Sutherland Sunset: Requiem Of A Railway...

The saying "all good things must come to an end" is very true in life. No matter how good something is, nothing lasts forever. This reflective post takes a look back at my old garden railway which was, up until recent years, a major player in my transition into this hobby. The history of the railway kind of dates back to when I had my first train set at around 4 years old. A Hornby four-wheeler and an oval of track soon morphed into a 6ft x 4ft layout, which grew gradually in size thanks to the efforts of one of my grandads and his trusty glue gun. A house move in the early 2000's removed the space required for the layout and a period of storage for my then fairly small collection of 00 gauge stock continued until late 2004. I suppose I could blame TV presenter Mark Found for what happened next! His inspiring series Garden Railway was airing around this time on the hobby channels and featured a wide variety of garden railways in all gauges and to suit practically all budgets. Grandad No2: who was often happy to support my various whimsical ramblings in return for valued peace and quiet: finally caved to my nags to create a small 00 gauge railway in his garden. I'm still not sure why as I would have never put up with me! 

The first trains eventually ran on what became known as Sutherland Steam Railway in spring 2005, with an extension down towards the house being added the following year. Since then, the railway has seen countless trains running in sun, sleet, hail, frost and even snow. In my younger days nothing would stop me, come rain or shine. Those little tracks must have seen more trains than most of the UK's rail network, and have given me thousands of hours worth of pleasure. I had a paper round until I was 16 and this, coupled with a then thriving model shop in the town centre, resulted in a massive growth in the loco fleet. I forget how many there are now, but there's quite a few! One of the things that has resulted in the end of the garden railway is my lack of time. I was at school then: I didn't have a car, a job or a house to worry about, or in fact a ridiculously overactive hobby that I've created into a monster! It's time enough now to let my now late grandad's garden go back to how it was about 15 years ago: train free! But, before the line becomes a distant memory, I thought I'd add this post of how things used to be. The images of the line looking a little dishevelled were taken on April 1st...

We'll start with the site of Sutherland Station: the hub of the line. The old Windmill provided the well known photography location and my Hornby Austerity is seen forging past on a sunny afternoon in 2011, hauling a freight...

The line actually began from the garden shed where we'd converted what was once a storage cupboard with shelving into a small fiddle yard. My grandad was then encouraged to take a jigsaw to his beloved shed and create two portals which would allow trains to leave and re-enter. The holes in the shed were filled by two hinged doors which were lockable from the inside. Once out of the shed the trains had to cross a small alleyway to reach the first wall. Reaching this wall would allow the track to continue across the rockery. Two wooden bridges were created for this purpose and my Bachmann Atlantic is seen crossing the Chilvers end example in 2016...

 

As of April 1st, the two bridges have been removed and the portals lie locked and dormant. The bridges were completely rotten by this stage, with the Sutherland end example having stood for the full life of the railway...

In 2015, my Hornby Grange sets out from the Sutherland portal with a rake of GWR coaches. This is approaching Sutherland station...

The same location on April 1st shows the bridge missing and the track being slowly overtaken by the ivy. This curve has been replaced a couple of times during the railways life as originally it was the first section of track we laid...

Looking upgrade towards Sutherland station...

When we extended the railway in 2006, the new formation required the addition of two extra wooden bridges to cross the gaps between the walls. One of them was replaced fairly early on with an extra brick-built wall but the latter remained for a couple of years. The second extra bridge was later replaced by moving the formation to allow its removal. Once off the main wall through Sutherland, the trains ran towards the house along a long straight. The same wooden base was used as a track bed...

My Bulleid heads along the same straight section of track in 2016. You will notice the later formation towards the rear of the train...

There was a small junction at Ashford which allowed access to the electrically operated turntable. The spur line was separately powered to allow the adding or removing of locomotives from the turntable roads whilst the main circuit was still operating independently. The section has now seen its last trains...

My Grange passes Pannier Tank No5775 at Ashford in 2011...

Now looking overgrown, the rails are slowly starting to turn brown. The section on the right in the image below was one of the very few sections of track to be made by Peco. In the early days we liked the idea of using Flexi-track and the original smaller loop around the rockery was almost all Hornby Flexi when first built. However, it turned out to be a real pain and could be quite fragile if you weren't extra careful with it. Therefore, slowly but surely, as many sections as possible were replaced with fixed pieces. This one however was left due to the unusual curve radius and with Peco's more hard-wearing Flexi in use it has survived very well. That section is probably the oldest remaining piece on the railway, having been fitted in 2006...

Ashford was the location of a steep bank for trains climbing towards Sutherland from Chilvers. It was a good pull away from the 180-degree curve at the foot of the steep climb and it wasn't uncommon for more light-footed models to slip here briefly during the ascent. In 2011, a visiting Hornby A4 forges up the hill through Ashford station with a long freight, made up of private owner wagons...

Here is a rare view: the turntable in use. This was taken in 2010...

The main line rounded the turntable before climbing back towards the shed and Chilvers station. We fitted a passing loop in 2007...

After the loop there was a final short straight before trains curved slightly right to reach the Chilvers bridge towards the returning shed portal. My Lima King and Mainline Railways Mogul are seen in the loop at Chilvers in 2008. You can see in that shot that the wood bases are only slightly weathered, having been in just over a year at this point: they are much greener now!...

Finally, here is a 2011 overall shot of the railway with all of its buildings laid out...

You'll notice that in most of the photos of the railway the buildings aren't out. This is simply because during shorter running sessions it wasn't worth it: it took longer to set them out than you'd plan to run your trains, especially when we added the internal lighting to them later on! The turntable in particular was a real rarity to come out as that could be a pig to set-up!

It's funny how things change as you go through life. When I was younger these tiny trains in the garden were a massive influence in the steam obsession that has resulted since. We had open days, organised visits, fireworks nights - you name it. Everyone really embraced the little railway and it always created interest. Now though, if you'll pardon the pun, we've come to the end of the line and, once again, my model trains will have to find a new home. Thanks Grandad, it was all worth it...

Sutherland Steam Railway

2005 - 2019

A Wonderful Memory

The "Severn Valley Limited"...

Evening all. Today involved another very pleasant outing on the 16-mile long Severn Valley Railway in Worcestershire. Along with a couple of our friends, we were booked aboard the popular 'Severn Valley Limited' dining service, departing Kidderminster at 1:25pm. I forget how many times we've done the 'Limited' now, but it must be nearing a couple of dozen. We arrived at the SVR terminus in good time for our train. At the head of the next Bridgnorth departure stood Didcot's visiting Large Prairie No4144, built at Swindon in 1946. The Prairie was coupled to a nine-coach rake which would certainly make her copper capped chimney shout a bit!...

Wandering down towards the station we spotted Bulleid West Country pacific No34027 "Taw Valley" (also built in 1946) standing proud at the head of the dining stock. Despite some warmer spells recently, today's clouds brought with them a cold snap and so it was a relief to see that the Bulleid had the steam heat bagged up. After booking in, we were shown to our table aboard LMS First Open No7511, built in 1934. The table for four was set for the three-course meal ahead...

One thing you can always say for the Valley is that they have a varied and interesting collection of rolling stock, much like the Bluebell really. LMS 7511 is a gem of a coach, beautifully restored with ornate panelling and graceful lines. The level of restoration is clear with this one and it is always a pleasure to travel with her. Right on time, 34027 summoned a small portion of her strength to get the four-coach train away towards Bewdley and beyond. Over our tasty starters it was pleasant to see the elephants at the nearby West Midlands Safari Park putting on a show for their visitors. The 'Limited' train is a well oiled machine when it comes to service. The staff are attentive and efficient, moving quickly through the coaches to satisfy the numerous rumbling stomachs. Our hearty main of a roast beef dinner with all the trimmings was served as we passed 7802 at Arley. I was certainly ready for this...

Steaming into Bridgnorth, 4144 was waiting to depart at the head of her lengthy returning train. We alighted to see the Prairie making an audible departure, with the odd bit of wheel slip. Wandering over the footbridge with our waistbands ever tightening, we had a quick look in the gift shop before returning to the diner. In Bridgnorth yard was 75069: something Eddie would refer to as a Riddles masterpiece. A Standard Class 4MT of 1955 vintage, 75069 returned to service in February this year after a 25-year absence. Though out of service for washout during our visit, the double-chimney 4-6-0 made for an impressive sight in the yard...

Once the road was given, "Taw Valley" slipped steadily backwards to reach the yard for coaling and watering. We had 34027 for our previous trip on the 'Limited' and she always makes for a stunning sight. Even the light Bulleid's provide an awe-inspiring spectacle, although Maisie wasn't overly enthused about my talk on their regular 90mph+ performances on the Waterloo to Bournemouth's...

Back at our seats aboard 7511, we enjoyed a stunning dessert before coffee and mints. 34027 strode easily through the Worcestershire countryside with little more than a murmur from her dustbin-style chimney. Once back at Kidderminster we alighted from the diner after yet another lovely experience. I managed to grab a quick shot through the cab door of the Bulleid whilst she waited for the train to empty...

A final view of "Taw Valley" as we walk back towards the car...

Well, that's it folks, another steam visit complete. The 'Severn Valley Limited' always provides a pleasant experience and I doubt it'll be long before we're back again. You just can't beat steaming through the countryside in first class dining whilst enjoying a three-course meal. Thank you all again for reading. Ta, Sam...