Wheely Good

Despite the sub-tropical weather, the Moseley Railway Trust has not been idling down at Apedale. Two current projects have one thing in common - the wheels are a key ingredient. Some time ago a large Hudson bogie wagon arrived on site from the Bala Lake Railway. It had previously been used to carry munitions at the large RAF depot at Fauld, Staffordshire. The wheels had annular rings welded on, to make them suitable for the slightly narrower track gauge at Bala. However, the

railway at Apedale is 2'0" gauge, and the wheels would foul checkrails and the like. Fortunately, the wheels would just fit into the lathe at Apedale, and hence we were able to machine off the offending rings. Once complete, the wheels were reassembled into the bogies. The bogies have been overhauled (largely using a paintbrush) and this allowed the wagon to be reassembled.

Meanwhile, the two 2'6" gauge Hunslets which recently arrived ex Scotland have started to make progress towards becoming a pair of 2'0" Hunslets. With the wheelsets out, the brake gear needs adjusting and the wheels themselves need to be pressed inwards on the axles. Never a job for the fainthearted, all we need to do now is get them to a friendly local wheelpress. As ever, get in touch here.

Ransomes & Rapier

The Moseley Railway Trust is proud to announce that it has added a 1938 diesel locomotive built by Ransomes & Rapier to its collection.

The locomotive was built in Ipswich as Ransomes’s number 84. The locomotive is a Ransomes & Rapier 20HP type; when new, it was fitted with a two cylinder Ailsa Craig diesel engine. It was delivered in October 1938 to Murphy Bros Ltd, a firm of contractors in Dublin. Latterly, the locomotive worked for Midland Irish Peat at their works in Rathowen. The locomotive has received a number of major modifications over the years. It now runs with a Deutz diesel engine and a redesigned transmission, although much of the original Ransomes transmission remains in-situ, including the reversing box. Most unusually for a diesel locomotive, it is now fitted with rubber tyres.

Phil Robinson, Moseley Railway Trust Chairman, said “We are delighted to accept the Ransomes & Rapier locomotive into our collection at Apedale. This is a very unusual locomotive, and it is a type not currently represented in the collection. Moreover, it shows how such locomotives were modernised and adapted by the owners to suit the harsh demands placed on the equipment used on industrial railways. We expect that it will be a key exhibit in our planned National Museum of Industrial Narrow Gauge Railways”.

The Ransomes locomotive was accompanied from Ireland by a number of peat carrying wagons. The locomotive is in a fully operational condition and was test-run within a few minutes of the arrival onto the Apedale site on Sunday 10^th April 2011.

A conservation policy has yet to be confirmed for the Ransomes locomotive, but in the medium term it will remain in the condition in which it worked in Ireland. It will therefore form an interesting contrast to the only other surviving Ransomes & Rapier locomotive (number 80) which has been immaculately restored to as-built condition at the Amberley Museum in West Sussex.

Subject to the necessary acceptance procedures, it is hoped to operate the Ransomes & Rapier locomotive at a number of the forthcoming Steam & Industry Train weekends at Apedale. These are on the second complete weekend of each month, and see steam traction used on Apedale Valley Light Railway passenger trains, interspersed with demonstration industrial trains operated by the Moseley Railway Trust’s large fleet of internal combustion locomotives.

Passenger trains also operate on the Apedale Valley Light Railway every Saturday from April to the end of October, plus Bank Holiday Mondays. Check here for details, or contact us here.

The Little Dutch Boy

It's been all go down the sunny Apedale Valley. Yesterday (Friday) saw the Kerr Stuart steam loco "Stanhope" having its first public outing this year, when we hosted a couple of group visits. Today has been the first "Steam & Industry Traibs" weekend of the new season. We run the steam loco on passenger trains, and let some of the diesel locos from the collection loose on demonstration freights, recreating the industrial trains of the past. But just to add to the busyness, the site has seen the arrival of two new locomotives - these are a breeding pair of 2'6" gauge Hunslets. Formerly stored at the ARPG site at Dalmellington, near Ayr, they both worked the ROF Bishopton munitions factory. Each is fitted with a Perkins engine. Hopefully the owner will be regauging them in the immediate future, and we can put them to work on the railway. Meanwhile, down at the workshops, Project Genesix has reached a milestone - the first engine start and moving under its own power. This loco, Motor Rail 7066, has come together very quickly - the photo shows the state in which it arrived on site in 2009. One outstanding issue is that the radiator is somewhat less than water tight, so the loco cannot venture too far from a water supply. The Dutch version of the CME, Johan Van Der Rowlands, is seen trying to plug the deluge. If you fancy plugging a deluge, get in touch here.

What's coming??

A little teaser....

Opening Day of the Season

Opening day of the season - magical words to any football fan. In the case of some teams (eg the one followed by the wife) it is also synonymous with the words "relegation battle". Perhaps fortunately, there isn't a league structure for Heritage Railways, although some of them to like to think of themselves as the Premier League. Although we at Apedale perhaps aren't at that level yet, we're trying to catch up as fast as we can. And the catch up is evidenced by the rate of change on site. Yesterday, for example, was the Opening Day of the passenger train season. It was also the first day of full passenger traffic for locomotive No.90 - the Baguley Drewry. It is really quite a superior locomotive, and just needs a few cupholders and an eight-track cassette player to make it complete in all regards. The photo shows it running round the train, pausing alongside the now almost complete Silverdale Station building. Hoefully, we'll be able to occupy the building in the not too distant future, which will make a major difference to the amenities we can offer to our customers. Meanwhile, not too far away, the initial bores for the Stoke-on-Trent extension of the London Underground Railway project were being started. I believe that this will be the Apedale Interchange on the Northern Line. It might be a bit of a wait for the Northern Line (no change there), but you can enjoy a ride on the Apedale Valley Light Railway every Saturday from now to the end of October, plus steam on the second complete weekend in the month - when we'll also run on the Sunday. Check the main website for full details. Get in touch here.