Bagnall Brilliance: Impeccable "Isaac"...

"Bagnall Passing A Savage Little Samson" (J.Evans)

Evening all. Today I had a fabulous day driving at the Statfold Barn Railway at the regulator of newly acquired Bagnall "Isaac", of 1953. Built for the Rustenberg Platinum Mines in South Africa, the engine has most recently been a stalwart performer at the Lynton & Barnstaple Railway before being transferred to Statfold a few months back. For years I've admired "Isaac" from afar but had never seen her in the metal until she arrived at the SBR. Today would see us hauling seven trips for the annual Giant Miniature Weekend, which I used to organize until my retirement due to other commitments mid-last year. I wish the railway well with the event and indeed it was nice to be the other side of the fence this time around! This morning I arrived at Statfold a little before 06:30 and found "Isaac" waiting on the shed...

After a quick check around the engine, Fireman Barry duly arrived and we began preparations. Also in steam today were "Fiji" and No19, the latter of which was carrying a 'Luckham Flyer' headboard to celebrate her driver and railway manager Alex's birthday. Here, Barry has just lit "Isaac"s fresh fire...

I was very excited about today, particularly as our charge was "Isaac". I really like the Bagnall side tank designs, with longer term resident "Isibutu" being my personal favourite of course. Like her older cousin, "Isaac" carries the Bagnall Price valve gear, patented by the company in 1903. I found the 0-4-2 a particularly easy engine to oil up: the job seemingly taking no time at all. I was surprised to find oil reservoirs feeding the axlebox keeps remotely and even pots that fed the eccentrics remotely. With the engine oiled in no time, we had a chance to give her a rub over...

Barry had been in in the week cleaning the engine up so she only required a few wipes over to get the morning smuts off. She looked a real picture...

"Morning Bagnall" (B.Bryan)

As pressure rose, time passed and it wasn't long before the signalman was calling us down to the box for our first move. "Isaac" is afforded four braking methods: handbrake, steam brake, vacuum brake and air brake so we hoped that we would have no issues with stopping! Having hissed cautiously onto the train, "Isaac" was coupled up whilst No19 went on the line inspection. When the red saddle tank returned, she was coupled onto us to form the token train. This picture could be dubbed "the trip that could have been" as the fickle finger of fate descended upon us...

Sadly, as the road was given, it became clear that there was a problem with "Isaac". We couldn't get air into the train which meant we couldn't go anywhere. We did everything you would normally do but still no joy and so No19 was quickly shunted on top of "Fiji"s adjacent passenger set and off they went. "Isaac" meanwhile was declared a failure and I drove her back up onto the shed where fitter Will continued with checks and repairs. Thankfully, the problem was soon discovered and repaired, with the large (and very loud) Plymouth diesel being brought up to perform a successful air test...

Back in business, we were called back down to the same waiting coaches in platform 2 and, once No19 returned light engine with the token, off we went. Todays trains were calling at Strawberry Park (home of the event area) in both directions and passing at Oak Tree halt. After a successful bunker first run to Cogan Halt and back, "Isaac" simmers quietly at Oak Tree as we awaited a passing service...

We had been deeply encouraged not to over fire with "Isaac" as her steaming ability would keep the safety valves blowing all day. She was a bit cold hearted on the first trip though, having not yet properly warmed herself through, so we ran a thicker fire during the second trip to get things right before just keeping a light, bright bed...

"Simmering at Statfold" (B.Bryan)

With three engines in steam and two sets running, we did quite a lot of moving about which was great. Once you were shunt released from the top of the station you were brought down to the signalbox and only a couple of minutes later your next train was arriving so you were soon on the move again...

"Passing Trains" (A.Young)

Our second train saw "Isaac"s needle hugging the red line and all was well. As expected, she was master of the job and a pleasure to drive. She pulled well, steamed well and stopped well so you couldn't really ask for more. The two Great Western whistles on the cab front also made for some good old fashioned two-tone fun! Here, "Isaac" awaits departure from Strawberry Park with a train bound for Cogan Halt as a 4" miniature passes by on the concrete road...

A rushed snap of "Isaac" as we await "Fiji" at Oak Tree Halt...

I quite like the name of "Isaac" although I don't think she was named after the son of Abraham, I think it was the son of her previous owner!...

The day remained fairly uneventful after our false start: one trip backwards, one trip forwards. "Isaac" was in great form and I tremendously enjoyed it. For our fourth outing, Barry was relieved by my mate Ben who came along and drove the engine whilst I fired a trip. I'm pretty sure he enjoyed himself!...

"Firing the Bagnall" (J.Evans)

Back on the handle for the fifth trip, I was relieved at Oak Tree by driver Paul who took "Isaac" for a round trip whilst I had a drink and a wander around some of the 40 miniatures in the field. Our seventh and final train involved collecting a tail engine at Oak Tree for the final token run back to Statfold. "Isaac" was in great voice as she blasted out of Strawberry Park and up the bank towards the locally known Jurassic Park gates! What a fine engine this is: love it! Around 17:30, "Isaac" sits simmering on the shed after another busy day in service at Statfold Barn...

What a day: seven trips and plenty of enjoyment aboard this beautiful Bagnall. Thank you to Barry for your company and firing efforts and thank you to all who sent in pictures for this post. Most of all, thank you to Will for fixing the engine so we could get going again! A fine machine and an ambition fulfilled: I have finally driven "Isaac"...

Statfold: In An English Country Garden...

"How many kinds of sweet flowers grow in an English country garden". How apt the lyrics to this folk tune are for describing todays outing. This morning, after a great day on the K1 Garratt yesterday, I arrived at Statfold again a little before 06:30 ready for another day on the footplate. When the roster came out last week, it was clear that Saturday would see me on the largest engine at Statfold and then Sunday on one of the smallest! Today my name was penned to Kerr Stuart "Roger", stalwart of the popular and very tranquil garden railway. The garden railway was, I believe, the first railway to be laid at Statfold and circles the beautifully manicured gardens and lake opposite the main house. Due to the tight curves, "Roger" is one of the few Statfold engines that will comfortably make it around these days and has definitely found a useful job for itself. Having donned my prep coat again, I scraped together a box of wood and a few old rags and headed off in search of "Roger". The Wren was still nice and hot following yesterdays efforts, and stood silent alongside the garden railway shed...

As the sun climbed higher in the sky, I took in the peaceful atmosphere of the garden. There were birds in the trees and ducks on the lake, all in all creating an absolute oasis of pure calm. It is a beautiful garden with a lot of wildlife...

Having checked the Wren over in both the smokebox and firebox, I decided to ash the engine out. This is a pig of a job on "Roger" as, although the cab floor lifts up to allow access, you can't get a fire iron in to rake out the pan due to the low buffer beam at the back. Therefore the easiest way is to get your arm in the firebox, lift out a bar or two and push the ash out of the damper door by hand. It creates a mess (and a very dusty arm) but it seems to be the best way to do it. Ashpan cleared, I checked the firebox over a final time before lighting up with my assortment of wood...

With the wood crackling away nicely on the grate, a few lumps of coal were scattered around the firebox by hand. As usual, I filled up the box, closed the door and let the Wren get on with it. This would be my third turn on "Roger" but the first of them at Statfold: the other two were at Welland Steam Rally. This morning, in its natural habitat of the garden, the Wren looked quite at home as smoke climbed steadily skyward from the tall chimney. So far so good as the birds sang above...

The Wren was built by Kerr Stuart in 1918 and I've taken the rest of the history from a former Welland post I wrote in 2018: "Roger", works number 3128, worked at the Imperial Smelting Company in Avonmouth, Bristol. In preservation it has travelled to Canada, returned for overhaul at Statfold, gone back to Canada a second time and then been bought by Statfold. "Roger" now lives a quiet existence on the Garden Railway, working alongside "Howard". The Kerr Stuart Wrens were a popular 0-4-0 contractors locomotive, eventually numbering 163 examples and employing the simple Hackworth valve gear. A punchy and capable little engine, the Wrens were used in various applications. With the fire burning well, it was time to oil up. The simplistic nature of the Hackworth valve gear makes life fairly easy, with most components readily accessible. The engine was singing nicely as I finished the oiling process...

A nice little shot of "Roger" brewing up, framed by the garden gate...

The old saying "a watched pot never boils" is forever apt with steam engines. However, in todays case: with the engine oiled, ashed out and cleaned: there was little else to do! The engine sat quietly, smoking away to herself as the temperatures rose...

Yesterday, with temperatures around 24 degrees, was quite hot enough for piloting the K1. Today, the Met Office had promised 27/28 degrees and so "Roger" and the tree-lined garden railway seemed much more appropriate. Having wandered up to the lawn near the main shed for the 08:30 safety briefing, I enjoyed the morning bacon cob before heading to my car to change. Returning to "Roger", the pressure needle was rising but with a total absence of haste. The coal we use, though it has several merits, does create a lot of smoke and this, particularly on a small engine, can fur up the tube ends creating poorer steaming until you get going. By 10:30 we had steam up and were awaiting passengers. The timetable on the garden railway is GWR: go when ready! However, with no passengers, I decided to do a lap or two myself and check out the road. I hadn't even rode around the garden for many years and so it was worth checking out the little route and to grab a snap or two...

After a couple of laps, I returned to the stop area alongside the shed and took water from the hosepipe. At around 11:00 we took our first couple of passengers and from then on it didn't really stop! Even though the trains were not always full, we did many laps. I did begin counting them but stopped at a dozen or so when I just lost count! On this job you're the driver, fireman and the guard so, despite the so called easy life in the garden, you are quite busy! "Roger" was in for a busy afternoon...

It's a different life in the garden compared to being out on the field railways. People do come and chat to you here, even from the first coach as you go around. The garden is mainly open on the enthusiasts days and therefore some people (even some volunteers) had yet to see it in action. The railway is so beautifully set into the maturing landscape that it just looks like the perfect garden railway and I can definitely see why people love it. I myself had a very pleasant day piloting "Roger" around the tight curves and along the lakeside, giving the occasional wave to passers by. As usual I saw plenty of people I knew: it's amazing what a small world steam preservation is when everybody from everywhere seems to appear at once! Towards the end of the day, "Roger" was steaming more poorly due to the furred up tubes. I did call for a tube brush but there wasn't time to get one so we did soldier on. Apart from the steaming the little engine was going very well and was really master of the job. At around 15:30, with no passengers in sight, I quickly shunted the coaches away...

After a quick light engine spin of the garden, I returned to take some final water...

Alex had asked for the engine to be left near the trailing points so that a diesel could pop in the following day to retrieve her. Therefore, I took the Wren for a final 9/10 of a lap, coming to rest just before the points. The engine was then raked through a final time and the boiler filled. With everything isolated, a sweep of the footplate and a good wipe down would complete the disposal process...

Having disposed of "Roger" the Wren, I was kindly invited onto the footplate of recent arrival "Isaac" (Bagnall 3023 of 1953) by Will. "Isaac" was completing some shunt release duties but would then go off light engine to Cogan Halt to join the rear of the last train home for token purposes. Will kindly offered me the regulator for the trip, which I gratefully accepted. The Bagnall is lovely: everything feels like new on her. We took her swiftly down the line, joining the rear of the Lynton set at the balloon loop before trailing back to Oak Tree to collect "Fiji". The ensemble of "Alpha", No19, the Lynton set, "Isaac" and "Fiji" then returned to Statfold where more shunt releasing took place. I grabbed a quick snap of "Isaac" after "Fiji" had set back. Thank you Will for the drive. What a lovely thing. I hope I get a day on this at some point...

Well, that's it folks: another weekend at the Statfold Barn Railway is complete. Thank you to Alex for rostering me and to Eddie again for yesterdays firing efforts. All in all, a fantastic time was had. Cheers all, Sam...

The Tasmanian Garratt: Piloting a Pioneer...

"Driver Sam and Fireman Eddie alongside K1" (M.Waldron)

Today, at long last, I managed to take hold of a regulator for the first time in 2021. Interestingly, that regulator happened to belong to none other than the worlds first Garratt locomotive: the K1. When the roster appeared for the Statfold Barn Railways June enthusiasts weekend a week or so ago, I was quite surprised to see my name penned to the Beyer Peacock behemoth but I was sure we'd give it our best shot. Sharing the footplate with me was well known alarm clock snoozer 'Eddie the Late', of Bure Valley fame. It was quite a momentous occasion for us ex-Shackerstone crew mates, having not officially been booked on together since a very wet Statfold job back in 2016. This morning I arrived at the sunlit gates of Statfold at 06:00 and, having changed into my prep gear, wandered down to find K1 sitting on the middle road of the shed apron. It was already a very warm morning...

Having signed in and read the notices, I clambered up into the cab (which is quite tall for a 2ft gauge engine) to have a check around. Everything seemed well, with 1/3 of a glass of water in the boiler and both the smokebox and firebox dry. I then went off in search of wood, knowing that Fireman Eddie may well not turn up before lunch! Statfold uses chopped up wooden blocks which are great for the 'regular' sized engines here but K1 would require a few helpings to cover the much larger grate. With mounds of wood ready to go, I lit the embryo fire: my first for 2021...

With the paraffin-soaked rags now blazing away on the grate, I added a good supply of wood to get things going. Once the wood was crackling away nicely it was time to add a few rounds of coal. It was quite a novelty firing from a shoveling plate with an almost full size shovel! With the fire made up, I closed the doors and let the big Garratt get on with it. A darkened plume of smoke rising steadily skyward from the chimney assured me that all was well and that I could begin the oiling up process. Fireman Eddie soon arrived to a chorus of good hearted ribbing from the other crews as to the size of todays steed. "That's a big engine for you these days, Ed" so on and so forth. I did look for a set of stepladders to help him up into the cab but none could be found! All in good humour as I say. Before I began oiling up I wanted to check and ash out the ashpan. The side damper doors have a mesh screen beneath, held in place by wing nuts (no doubt to stop lineside fires). However, the damper control didn't seem to want to latch in place properly at fully open so I chocked them up on wood for safety: I wasn't losing a limb this early in the day! The ashpan was soon raked out...

Now for some K1 history. As I said it was the pioneer Garratt locomotive, built by Beyer Peacock in 1909 (along with its sister K2) for the North East Dundas Tramway in Tasmania. Herbert William Garratt had patented his design in 1907, leading to the building of these engines. K1 and K2 hauled silver-lead ore trains in Tasmania until their withdrawal in 1929. The engines differed from later Garratts in that their cylinders faced inward towards the boiler rather than outward, as on later designs. K1 and K2 were also compound locomotives, with steam used first in the high pressure rear engine before being transferred via a long pipe beneath the boiler to be used in the low pressure front engine prior to exhaust. The success of this aspect of the design has been the subject of long running debate, though only one further compound Garratt was ever built after this first pair, perhaps suggesting the answer. Following retirement in Tasmania, Beyer Peacock purchased K1 back in 1947 and it became a museum exhibit before eventually being sold to the Ffestiniog Railway in 1966. Having spent time on display at the NRM in York, K1 was returned to steam in 2004. 

Although the engine is almost too big for Statfold operations, she was deemed underpowered for the Welsh Highland Railway for which she was restored. Therefore, when her boiler ticket expired in 2014, she was placed into storage at Dinas. Following a move to Statfold for display in November 2019, the engine was assessed for overhaul and returned to steam in around 70 days following a re-tube and light repairs. She operated during last years enthusiasts days and proved a popular performer, particularly with Garratt fans. Myself and Eddie were understandably dubious of the huge engine but were quietly looking forward to the day. Eddie can be seen here, chewing the fat with good mate John Britt who was driving "Alpha" today...

Whilst Eddie gave K1 a wipe over with some clean rag, I carried on oiling round. There are a fair amount of oiling points on this engine, particularly with eight axleboxes, four sets of separate Walschaerts valve gear and two mechanical lubricators. It's on par with a Great Western express engine on that score I'd say! Meanwhile, the engine was brewing up nicely. I was quite taken with the BR (W) pressure gauge: bit of quality there! At 08:30 we attended the usual Safety Briefing on the lawn before the long awaited bacon rolls were given out to the hungry hoards of engine crews and train staff. Cob devoured, I headed off to my car to get changed before we enjoyed a cuppa' next to a quietly simmering K1. At around 10:15 we were called to pull K1 down a touch, providing our first move of the day. Having tested the vacuum brake and warmed the steam brake, we cautiously set back. A cold K1 was reluctant at first but eventually eased away from the shed onto the gradient. We were soon pulled up behind "Alpha" which was awaiting the signal to go off shed... 

With "Alpha" now gone, we were next in line: last but not least! The yard master duly set the road and the signal was pulled off to allow us to leave shed. I had opted to spend the majority of the day using the vacuum brake as the steam brake is located towards the firemans side of the cab which makes it a tad awkward when trying to use the regulator. With a pip on the shrill whistle, I released the brake and we sauntered steadily down through the point work to come to a stand at the signalbox...

The ex-Bredgar coaches would form our first train and, once "Alpha" had departed platform 1, we were given the signal to approach our set in platform 2. The compound nature of K1 means that the back engine receives the steam first and, with a cold front engine and no load, you struggle to get steam to the front as there is so little in the back. I'm describing this terribly but hopefully you know what I mean! Therefore, when the rear engine continually slipped on the greasy morning rails, I reached for the simpling valve to give us a boost. This valve supplies live steam directly to the front engine and provided us with around 40psi which, in those large front cylinders, dragged us up into the platform easily. The first hour driving K1 was quite a learning curve but we did get there in the end! Buffering up (or chopper-ing up) with it was surprisingly easy, with K1 proving incredibly docile despite her bulk.

When we received the signal and the "Right Away" from the Guard, we took K1 steadily out into the fields. Fireman Eddie was happy with the steaming of the engine and the injectors were, so far, proving fairly reliable. I found K1 incredibly well riding and, no doubt due to its weight, it seemed quite planted despite its height. We took her steady, down through Oak Tree (where tokens were exchanged) before eventually arriving at the balloon loop. The vacuum brake on the engine eased the train up well, with the train air brake then used to hold the stock when stationary, as well as the loco handbrake. I wasn't convinced on the idea to use the air to slow K1 as the engine probably weighed far more than the train so I didn't wish to add any wheel flats to the stock! So far so good, K1 waits at Cogan Halt for the high level train to pass...

Fireman Eddie leans out from the warm cab of a shining K1...

Despite the several pictures of black smoke, we didn't have a mountain of fire. The coal at Statfold is of a very smoky variety that burns well, doesn't clinker much, ashes little but smokes like mad. We found that we had to keep the grate well covered (due to the pull of the vacuum ejector) but we balanced it out to prevent constant blowing off. Eddie had the engine in fine form all day to be fair, maybe he hasn't forgot his roots after all. Here, Fireman Ed adds another couple of rounds to K1s fire at Cogan Halt...

Returning to Statfold, I got K1 a little more into her stride. Linked up a touch she would go very well, with around 100psi in the high pressure engine and 40psi in the low pressure engine. Having watered at Oak Tree, we returned to base before being shunt released into the headshunt for a layover between turns...

The temperature outside was around 24 degrees today and so plenty of water was our survival tactic. One great luxury afforded to K1 is the addition of a slacking hose from the firemans injector, allowing us to wash the coal to keep the dust down. However, in todays persistent sun, it wasn't long before the dust was blowing about again! Our next outing was with the freight train as the sun continued to blast us...

When the time came, off we went with the freight train...

"K1 leaves Statfold on the freight" (M.Waldron)

Under blue skies, K1 awaits departure from the balloon loop...

The freight was a particularly good run, with K1 now warmed up and sounding better at the chimney as the front engine warmed through. It would be interesting to see her performance at the WHR first hand and see how it needed to be fired. Our third run was with the Bredgars again, bunker first. This is what I had to put up with...

Though we were having a lovely day, it was safe to say that by our fourth trip with the ex-Lynton set after 15:00 we were starting to weaken a little. The sun was relentless, although a pleasant breeze did pass through the cab whilst on the move. K1 was still going well and steam or water wasn't an issue...

"Passing Strawberry Park Loop with K1" (M.Waldron)

By now conditions were hazy with everything so dry. The big Fowler passes alongside K1 here at the balloon loop as we take a break at Cogan Halt...

With the high level train clear, we were given permission to run around the loop to await the next low level service. Once the low level train was safe in the Cogan Halt platform, K1 was given the road and permission to depart for Statfold...

"Driver Sam with K1 at the balloon loop" (B.Bryan)

Our last run back was very pleasant, with K1 going well and seemingly compounding no problem. We had countless conversations with enthusiasts about the engine today: she has quite a following. Her importance to articulated steam locomotive development is unquestionable, although I can see why certain aspects of the design were changed in what later became the Beyer Garratts. After our last trip we were sidelined in the headshunt again whilst the final stock moves were completed. Just after 17:00 there was an impromptu cavalcade at Strawberry Park, where K1 is seen as the last arrival in front of "Alpha". What a lovely day we'd had... 

After the obligatory whistle up, we rejoined K1 and steamed back to the shed at Statfold. As we were at the front of the cavalcade we could get going a bit, providing a lovely bit of breeze. Once safely back on shed, the engine was screwed down and the fire thinned and spread before the boiler was filled. K1 was left with 80psi on the clock and a nice even fire to burn away. There is no sense in cooling boilers too quickly, you just do too much harm. So that was that, nothing left to do but fill in a loco report and wash up before signing out. I've included this final shot, from this morning, of visiting Fes engine "Prince" of 1863. The old George England engine was the star guest of the event and, for us Thomas fans of old, you can't help but think of "Duke" (or Granpuff!) from your younger years. A nice bit of nostalgia for us...

So, what did we think of K1? Well, it was quirky to say the least. It was great to say we've crewed a Garratt (it will probably be my only ever chance), it was great to say we crewed the very first Garratt and it was great to complete the day without issue. The brakes are OK on it but not great so that would be an improvement for me. But yes, I must say, I liked it far more than I thought I would. It's different, which makes it interesting. It's quite a lump to handle, particularly at Statfold, which again makes it interesting. So yes, very nice. It was also a pleasure to spend the day with a good friend, providing a bit of nostalgia of times gone by! Thanks Ed for your comical company and your coal flinging efforts. Thanks also to the photographers who sent in shots for this post and to Statfold for having us. Another great day on that sweet, sweet handle. Until the next time...