National Grid
has continued its support for the Moseley Railway Trust by donating the final locomotive
to operate in the Woodhead Tunnels. The 1993-built diesel locomotive was built
by Alan Keef Ltd – works number 46 - and
was used at the National Grid’s cable tunnels. These tunnels were built in the
1850s and were originally used by trans-Pennine mainline trains before the
route was closed by British Rail in 1981. After the Second World War, British
Rail trains used a more recent tunnel, allowing high-voltage cables to be laid
into the Victorian bores and hence avoided spoiling the Pennine scenery with
pylons.
The
locomotive, fitted with a Deutz air-cooled engine, has already impressed Trust
members with its ease of use. Initial assessments suggest that the installation
of air brakes should be feasible, allowing the use of the locomotive on regular
Apedale Valley Light Railway passenger trains. There are now a total of four
ex-Woodhead tunnel locomotives at Apedale – a Hudson diesel, a pair of Clayton
battery locomotives and now the Alan Keef locomotive.
Along with
the locomotive, the rolling stock used
in the tunnel has also been donated comprising a manrider and seven wagons. This
give the Moseley Railway Trust the opportunity to display the complete train to
visitors and run it as it was in industrial use on industrial train days at
Apedale.
Phil
Robinson, MRT Chairman said “We are again indebted to National Grid and their
continued support of our work to develop the site and railway at Apedale. We
are planning to unveil the locomotive and rolling stock to the public at our Locos from Leeds Gala. I
accept that Woodhead is not in Leeds – but it’s in Yorkshire, so close
enough!”.
The first of the Locos from Leeds for the May 16/17 Gala has arrived at Apedale. This one is Hudson LX1001. This loco was originally built as a twin to the Trust's existing Hudson loco - Chaumont. Both are said to have been delivered to the CEGB at Woodhead cable tunnels, but were soon rejected due to their slow speed. LX1001 then seems to have been with a contractor in King's Lynn, then a pleasure railway at Pendine in South Wales. One assumes that it gained the steam outline body at that point. It then spent a while at the Devon Railway Centre before moving to a private railway in Leicestershire. The owner told us he hadn't run it for some years! Loading it proved to be slightly fraught due to very low ground clearance meaning the loco kept grounding on the rather steep ramp. We learnt from that at the other end of the operation, and used a very shallow angle at Apedale. Within twenty minutes of arrival, a new battery was found, and the oil and fuel checked. Crank the engine - a slight reluctance, but then it ran just fine. Checking the oil and fuel seems to involve dismantling a fair bit of the body, and the dome falling off onto the CME did little to endear the loco to him, but he seemed to relax after a drive. Quite how long the softwood body will survive remains to be seen, but it's certainly a head turner at the moment. All being well, it will be in operation in May. Advance tickets are now on sale here. As ever, get in touch here.
