What's New, Pussycat?

Fleet No.56, Hunslet 9082 of 1984 is not a locomotive which has troubled these pages much before. It worked at a Royal Ordnance Factory in Bishopton, Scotland, on the 2'6" gauge railway there. The team at Apedale have recently completed the regauging process - which is not exactly a five minute job. So, it was taken for an exploratory trundle down the main line. I have to say its Perkins engine does sound quite good, and not many bits seemed to fall off. The people at Bishopton determined the loco to be Cat C. This actually means Category C, and refers to the flameproofing installation on the loco. Spark-emitting diesel locos and ordnance factories do not make happy friends - so buildings and locos were categorised. If your building is Cat C and your loco is Cat C - a long and happy life (or something close, this being Scotland). If your building was a higher category than your loco - goodbye Bishopton, hello a nice new boating lake in Renfrewshire. Clearly someone at Bishopton had a sense of humour, and decided that Cat means Tiddles. So, we welcome Tiddles the Hunslet to the operational fleet. If your company makes catfood and wants to sponsor Tiddles, get in touch here.

What it's all about....

What's it all about? Is it about tamping track in the rain, or trying to assemble bits of engine which really don't want to be assembled? No. It's about seeing two immaculate Penryhn locos basking in the early morning sun in the yard at Apedale. It's about seeing all our visitors seemingly having a good day. It's about seeing interesting diesel locos exploring parts of the Apedale site which they previously could only dream of. It's been a good gala weekend, and a big thank you to all our volunteers and above all to all our visitors. What it's all about - is about days like these.

Gala Day One

It's been a terrific Day One of the Contractor's Delight Gala. Glorious weather, lots of trains, lots of visitors. Everyone seemed to enjoy the Field Railway with the Triang No.2 curve linking it to the rest of the system. The field railway looks & feels like a real Industrial Narrow Gauge railways, which is actually what it's all about. So, the forecast is good tomorrow as well, so slap on the sunblock and head on down to Apedale Valley Light Railway Contractor's Delight Gala.

They're here!!

"GP39" "Marchlyn" and the Mystery Diesel Loco all arrived safely today. Weather forecast is good - all we need now is to be rushed off our feet by the visitors. That's where you fit in......

Nearly Time

An epic weekend spent shunting has seen virtually every vehicle at Apedale turn wheels several times. There is a plan, but it is too complex for mortal man to comprehend. We believe it was produced by someone who used to work on the Enigma code at Bletchley Park and fancied something more difficult. Why? All preparations for the Contractor's Delight gala this coming weekend. The objective of the shunt was to place on display some of the more obscure locos, and get the runners all in accessible places. Unfortunately (or not, depending on how you look at it!) the runners hugely out-number the non-runners, so space can be at a premium.

Meanwhile, the new Field Railway is looking like a real industrial line - rough track, grass everywhere. Everything anyone who ever visited an industrial narrow gauge railway will remember. The visiting locos are all loaded and en-route - the Mystery Ruston (never seen before at a public site), and the steam locos "GP39" and "Marchlyn". All in all, it's shaping up to be a great show. All we need now is YOU. We're open from 1100 to 1700 both days, £6 adults and £3 kids. What's not to like? The photos are a couple of scenes from last year. This year will be similar but better!! Get in touch here.