An unexpected (but welcome) guest

As the old saying goes, all guests at Apedale are welcome. Some when they arrive, others when they go. Falling firmly into the first category is Hunslet quarry tank "Sybil Mary", which is a very temporary visitor. The team at Statfold Barn - where "Sybil-Mary" normally lives - have very kindly stepped into the breach left by the cylinder problems on the Joffre. We have a commitment to a photo charter later in the month - which requires two steam locos. The Joffre problem left us with a slight shortfall in the chuffa department. "Sybil Mary" and resident "Stanhope" are both ex-Penrhyn, and look a right picture in their similar liveries. This is certainly the fist time they have been together in preservation, but (at one time) they were both owned by the late  Colin Pealling, who was instrumental in the preservation of a number of the Penrhyn locomotives. The author vividly remembers visiting "Sybil Mary" when it was in store on a farm in rural Leicestershire and being told that it seemed unlikely that if would ever be restored. Ironically, the loco was, whereas the farm is now a housing estate. We understand that that there are still a few vacancies for the charter day - contact us here and we'll put you in touch with the organisers.
Meanwhile, tearing ourselves away from the glamourpuss end of the operation, work has continued on the Parkinson's Law siding, and this is nearly complete. Which is a good job, since the Stoke Steam Special weekend is closing fast - it's September 14 & 15 - and we'll need this bit of track to give a bit of much-needed flexibility in how we operate the railway. Look forward to seeing you then?

Moseley Railway Trust announces line-up for Stoke Steam Special weekend

Plans are well advanced for the Stoke Steam Special weekend at the Apedale Valley Light Railway, operated by the Moseley Railway Trust (MRT). This weekend will be the 14 and 15th of September. This weekend will be a celebration of all things narrow gauge railway. An intensive service of steam trains will run on the Apedale Valley Light Railway. In addition to the resident steam locomotive “Stanhope”, a visiting engine is expected to be “Jack Lane”. This locomotive will be visiting from the Statfold Barn Railway, and the MRT wish to express sincere thanks to Graham Lee and the Statfold team for providing this locomotive.

Demonstration freight trains will be in operation, and the popular Field Railway, debuted in 2012, will once again be running.
The Aurora North shed will be packed with model railways and other displays – more than ever before. An innovation this year is that the entrance ticket will include unlimited train rides. Entrance will be £6 adults, £3 children.
The Stoke Steam Special will also see the launch of the run-up to the Tracks to the Trenches event in 2014 – this will be a major event marking the centenary of the start of the First World War, a conflict which changed the world, and one in which narrow gauges railways played a key role. As part of this, the Trust will be launching a new publishing venture in partnership with Railway Gazette International.
The popular “Access all Areas” passes will be repeated – these allow interested railway enthusiasts unprecedented levels of access to non-public areas of the site and outside normal opening hours – get in touch here for details.
Sadly, the second Apedale resident steam locomotive – the Kerr Stuart “Joffre” – will not be operational at the Stoke Steam Special. During preparation for a visit to the Golden Valley Light Railway in Derbyshire, cracks were noticed in one of the two steam cylinders. Recognising that the locomotive is almost a hundred years old, the decision was taken that the best interests of the locomotive would be served by taking it out of traffic for these cracks to be attended to. The locomotive owners are currently considering the best course of action, but a complete new cylinder is one option currently being explored. The “Joffre” will be available for public viewing at the Stoke Steam Special weekend, and provides an unusual sight as it currently has the affected cylinder removed.
The Stoke Steam Special promises to be another great event at Apedale. It will be open from 11am to 5pm on Saturday 14^th and Sunday 15^th September.

Parkinson's Law

Cyril Northcote Parkinson postulated his famous law in 1955. In exactly the way that work expands to fill the time available, a similar situation appears to exist at most heritage railways. The issue is that rolling stock collections expand to fill  the siding space available. Apedale is no exception, although we have not helped ourselves by having to lift two long sidings to make space for the museum foundations. Consequently, we have found ourselves rather clogged. Some time ago, Silverdale Station West siding was schemed, and that is now becoming reality. You may recall that the access point was inserted some time ago - the siding leading from it is now emerging. The SSW will give us much-needed extra storage space. It is opposite the platform at Silverdale station, so it can also be used to stable restored vehicles on display to our customers whilst they await their train. The difficult bits progressed well yesterday - the fiddly curved bits leading onto the point, so next weekend should be relatively plain sailing. We'll see. As ever, get in touch here.