Saint Kitts Scenic Railway...

Now and again we come across something on our travels which just needs featuring on the blog. This time it's the Saint Kitts Scenic Railway: a 2ft 6" gauge 18-mile long ex-sugar railway running out of Basseterre on the island of Saint Kitts in the Caribbean. During this week and next, myself, Maisie and some friends are cruising twelve islands in the area, having flown into Barbados to join our ship on Sunday. One of the excursions offered was this one: the "Saint Kitts Scenic Railway". I must admit, I'd never heard of it but the blurb about it sounded interesting so we decided to book on. Our cruise ship docked at the port of the island's capital (Basseterre) early this morning, with our excursion booked to depart by bus from the pier at 08:30. At the port our tickets were checked before we boarded one of the waiting buses...

Our friendly bus driver gave us a run down of some history of Saint Kitts and the neighbouring island of Nevis as we made our way to the base of the SKSR a few minutes away. The convoy of sign written buses soon pulled up at the railway and we were loaded onto the waiting train, made up of four double decker coaches and a generator van. I believe the station is known as Needsmust and is 1/2 mile from the old sugar factory the line once served. The line dates back to 1912 and was part of an extensive system that once traversed most (if not all) of the island. Obviously at one time it was operated by steam traction but later converted to diesel as times moved on. Eventually, as sugar traffic began to decline, the first tourist trains ran in January 2003, attempting to open up a new income stream from the scenic route along the coast. Finally, in July 2005, the last sugar train ran and with that the sugar industry ended on Saint Kitts. Here, our train prepares to depart Needsmust...

Up at the front, a PKP Class Lyd2 diesel hydraulic soon roared into life ready to haul the train the 18 miles to the balloon loop at La Vallee where trains currently terminate. This class of 0-6-0 diesel hydraulics was built in Romania by a company called FAUR between 1976 and 1982 and three of them were bought from Poland by the SKSR to work the tourist trains here. I'm not sure which of the three we had as I didn't get up close to it, but they're almost identical. It's a shame the line isn't still steam but these diesel engines seem to provide durable and reliable service to suit the needs of this seasonal daily operation. With a toot on the horn, the Lyd2 pulled away and was soon rattling through the yard next to the SKSRs workshops. Across the yard were relics of the old sugar railway system, including a few Hunslet diesels...

The friendly staff on board the train then began their service and the passengers on each car received complimentary rum punch and sugar cake: both very tasty. Throughout the trip there was a commentary given on the history of the railway and any sights we were passing along the way. Meanwhile the diesel hydraulic kept up a constant growl as we plodded on at a steady pace of 8mph...

The train ride did live up to its name: it was certainly a scenic railway. The scenery was also very changeable, leaving residential areas for a mix of open fields and wooded cuttings followed eventually by open views of the ocean. During our trip we passed over five (if I remember rightly) impressive bridges across some deep ravines...

The weather was almost perfect for this trip (not too hot). We'd experienced temperatures of 30 degrees plus throughout the week but this morning it was breezy and overcast so much more pleasant for sitting on the open coaches for a couple of hours without roasting alive! It was all quite relaxing...

An impressive part of the tour was our overview of the area where the Atlantic ocean meets the Caribbean sea. The Atlantic is on the horizon...

All too soon the sight of the buses on the lineside up ahead heralded our arrival at the loop at La Vallee where the growling diesel finally came to a stand...

Here the passengers detrained and swapped with those who had just arrived aboard the buses. They would be doing the island tour in reverse...

Whilst here, our friends insisted I had this shot with the train manager...

"Me and the SKSR Train Manager" (Pic - E.Parker)

We then rejoined our bus driver and continued the remaining circuit of the island by road, accompanied again by an interesting commentary. Along our route back to the port I noticed a few remnants of the more extensive original railway hidden in the undergrowth. You could see areas where crossings had been covered up by tarmac but the rails still arrived on either side through the grass. Maybe one day trains will return this far...who knows? Back at Basseterre we had a look around a few of the port shops before rejoining our ship as it waited at the end of the pier...

"Marella Explorer 2 moored at beautiful Basseterre"

By sunset we were leaving Saint Kitts and Nevis behind, heading onward for Saint Martin tomorrow. There were some beautiful views this evening...

What a pleasure to see Saint Kitts from the comfort of its historic narrow gauge railway. This is a very nice little setup and well worth a visit if you're on the island. I know that it is very popular with a variety of cruise operators and one of the islands most well patronised attractions. That's all for now guys, until next time...

Statfold: An Avonside Amble...

"Avonside Twins" (Pic - R.Berry of Flickr)

I've always said that there are three factors which come together to make a perfect day on the footplate: a good crew, a good engine and good weather. Today we had two of those and, as they say, "two out of three ain't bad". This wet and dreary Saturday saw the Statfold Barn Railway host its first enthusiasts day of the 2023 season and a total of sixteen locomotives were steamed for the occasion. When the roster came out last week I wasn't disappointed to see my name penned to 0-4-0 Avonside "Marchlyn", which myself and Eddie took out last September. Joining me on the footplate today would be fireman Josh and I had no doubts we'd have a good laugh after a great Santa turn last Christmas with "Harrogate". 2067 would, for the outing, be coupled to identical twin sister 2066 "Ogwen" and this would prove to be great fun as the Penrhyn pair both look and sound fantastic together. I arrived at a very damp SBR base a little before the 06:30 book on time and immediately signed in and read the notices. The atmosphere on shed was calm for now as a plethora of engines stood eerily silent...

I wandered around the shed for a moment looking for the Avonsides but soon realised that they may be down at Statfold's 2B shed, otherwise known as 'the little engine shed in the woods'. It is in fact a carriage shed accessed from the headshunt but is ideal for preparing the smaller engines on busy events. Down in the trees, there they were. A telltale crackling from "Marchlyn" told of an already burning wood fire...

I duly met up with fireman Josh and we set to work cleaning the engine under threatening skies. It wasn't raining yet but it was very damp in the air. I opted to clamber atop the tanks to clean the brasses before the heavens opened. In front of us, sister "Ogwen" stood warm but silent as she awaited her crew...

With the displacement lubricator, window frames and whistle buffed up to a mirror shine, I soon had to abandon my post as the rain came pouring down. We thought it would blow over, but it didn't. I therefore decided to start oiling round whilst Josh continued cleaning in the cab as steam pressure slowly rose. With everything oiled, I wandered back to my car to get changed before the 08:30 safety briefing (and all important bacon roll) on the lawn. Bacon roll devoured, it was time to man the engines and draw them steadily forward into public view for the punters...

We screwed the 1933-built pair down at this point as we thought we'd be anchored off here for quite a while awaiting a path but to our surprise we were soon called out by the signalman. Once in the headshunt we were under the control of the signals and it wasn't long before we were summoned to couple onto the next departing train in platform two. As you can see, by now the rain had truly set in for the morning...

Our first train departed a little after 10:00 and we were soon steaming towards Oak Tree and, ultimately, Cogan Halt. "Ogwen" led her consecutively numbered sister around the railway, with "Marchlyn" providing assistance where necessary. In truth, either of these two could handle the train on their own but they do look nice together. Loco owner Martyn was firing "Ogwen" today whilst at the regulator was Ben who was completing his passed fireman's assessment. Here, the engines wait at the balloon loop...

Once back at Statfold we were turned on the table to keep "Ogwen" in the lead. With the pair running cab to chimney it isn't that pleasant for the leading crew when in reverse so we opted to stay chimney first at all times. In this weather, I didn't relish going backwards much either! Our second train at around 11:20 was a freight and my god was it wet by this point. You can see the rain bouncing off the cab roof!...

I don't mind a little bit of rain but the trouble is that if you get wet on a steam engine it soon feels like you're in a giant egg poacher as your overalls just steam all day long! I'm no fair weather engineman but I do prefer it I must admit. After our trip on the freight we turned again before drifting down to the headshunt for another layover. Josh left us for a while to fire "Roger" the Wren on its debut SBR working on the low level. Usually "Roger" is confined to garden duties only but was out on day release...

For the next two trips Josh took over "Marchlyn"s regulator whilst I did a spot of firing. Here, a very wet "Ogwen" is still leading us as we wait at Oak Tree for our next path. The liquid sunshine was, if nothing else, very persistent today...

A rushed snap here of (in my opinion) the two stars of the fleet: Bagnalls "Isaac" and "Isibutu": departing Statfold Junction on a passenger working...

By mid-afternoon the rain had subsided slightly and we did encounter one or two brief moments of blue sky. Here, from the fireman's side of "Marchlyn", we see the road ahead having just descended the main bank...

For our fifth and final round trip I was back on the regulator again and we had a lovely little run. Once back at Statfold we were split from "Ogwen" and sent light engine to Oak Tree where "Marchlyn" is seen awaiting a green flag from the Oak Tree signaller in order to access the platform. (Without the flag you can't proceed past the stop board on the station approach). We were here to collect "Liassic"...

Once in the platform at Oak Tree we waited whilst "Liassic" was dropped on top of us and coupled on. The two engines then returned to Statfold on the final token run. Here they are on the shed as we start disposal proceedings...

As she was booked to steam the following day for Mothering Sunday services, "Marchlyn" had to be on the top of the pile, hence our final little outing. By now the time was knocking on for 17:30 and I think we were all just about cream crackered. It had been a lovely day (as always) but doing it in the rain always seems to tire you out that little bit more...it does for me anyway. With the engine safely disposed (in a sun shower) it was time to fill in her report card, get washed up and sign out. I must thank Ben, Josh and Martyn for their enjoyable company today and of course Alex for rostering me again. It's always nice to be out with "Marchlyn". As for the weather, well, as dear old Meat Loaf sang, "two out of three ain't bad". Cheers all, Sam...

A Double Dose of "Galatea"...

Afternoon all. Today we were treated to the second recent sighting of LMS Jubilee No45699 "Galatea" as she passed Northampton working homeward towards Carnforth. The Jub had been working out of WCRCs Southall depot for a couple of weeks on some London jobs and was now returning home. Hauling a singular POB (support coach), the engine sounded a treat as her driver opened up towards Mill Lane. The move was running roughly 10 minutes late at this point. Eagle eyed readers will notice that her cab side numbers are currently 45562 which is the identity of long scrapped sister "Alberta". I believe the engine carries salvaged components from "Alberta". Even more interestingly, the engine is currently carrying the nameplates and front smokebox plate of another scrapped Jubilee: No45627 "Sierra Leone". Her regular changes of identity have led to her being comically dubbed 'the Jubilee with an identity crisis'.

It was interesting to catch the 4-6-0 again this lunchtime as, whilst working in Crewe the other week, a Stanier hooter was heard before "Galatea" roared into sight on the up line. This was the working southward and was a lucky sighting for me...

Having checked the blog records to confirm, I don't think I'd seen "Galatea" in the metal until these two chance sightings in recent weeks. As all the 5XPs are, "Galatea" is lovely and, as we all know, "nothing roars like a 5X!". 45699 (as she is sometimes known) was built under Stanier at the LMS' Crewe works in April 1936. After withdrawal, she became famous among Barry wrecks for having her centre driving wheel cut through following a shunting accident at the scrapyard and her painstaking restoration required the casting of a new one. It was one of those so called impossible restorations. Having initially returned to steam in 2013, today the engine is part of the hard working Carnforth fleet and can be seen regularly working trips in the north. It was lovely to see her (both times). Roll on the next time! Cheers then, Sam...

Please note that both images were taken from positions of safety and not on NR land.

A Great Central Briefing...

Afternoon all. A very short one from today. This morning I arrived at the GCRs head office at Lovatt House for a safety briefing. All working members of the operating departments are being called in over the month of March to have this briefing whilst the railway is closed for bridge replacements either side of Quorn station. It was a very informative morning with plenty of discussion and I found the session very useful. Hopefully they will become an annual event. Thanks all, Sam...

Please note any views or opinions expressed in this blog are merely personal and do not in any way represent the views or opinions of any other person, group or organisation.

Play It Again "Braunton"...

The main line steam grapevine was alive this morning with the sound of "it's Braunton again!". Don't get me wrong, I'll go out and see anything as it passes by my window, but I was kind of hoping it would be the Brit this time! Nevertheless, support coach in tow, 34046 came into sight right on time and was soon steaming carefreely southward. She was due to stop at the peg just north of Spencer Bridge (Northampton) but ended up getting a green for the fast as she approached. I must admit, she looked lovely all done up in the Golden Arrow regalia, ready to work a job of the same name tomorrow. Always a nice way to break up the afternoon! Cheers all, Sam...

Please note that the above image was taken from land outside of the NR boundary fence.