Baldwin

We have been taking advantage of the relative tranquillity between Xmas and New Year by giving a little attention to the Baldwin Tractor - not a loco seen on here very often. This loco was imported from Switzerland in 2016, but other projects have taken priority. Other projects will continue to take priority - this is very much a back-burner job. The current strategic objective is to dismantle the loco and remove the wheelsets. New wheel castings will be required, but it is hoped to be able to re-use the axles and hence the axleboxes. The flycranks are original. The loco needs to be lightened in order for our crane to lift it. As part of this, the superfluous standard gauge fittings are all coming off. A major step forward has been to remove the standard gauge buffers and their mountings (along with assorted birds nests). Consequently, we now have four Continental-pattern buffers available, all sensible offers considered. Removal of the buffers has allowed the loco to look a lot more narrow-gauge, and it's possible to imagine what the finished product will look like. The "after" photo, for comparision, is a similar Baldwin in the museum at Froissy.

Finally, a very happy New Year to all our members and supporters - and anyone else reading this!

Santa Specials

Well, folks, that's it for the Santa Specials for 2017. The calendar allowed us to run for five days rather than the more usual four, and it was wonderful to see so many children bringing their adults along. We know that these trains are becoming a family tradition for many of you, and this is how childhood memories are made.
The five days have seen a remarkable spread of weather. The first weekend saw the Big Snow - the worst weather we've seen since the very first Santas in 2010. In weather which defeated even the mighty Severn Valley Railway, our volunteers battled on and nobody was disappointed. The second weekend was just wet and cold, and today has been almost spring-like. Today has also seen the last steaming, for the immediate future, of the loco Stanhope - we marked this loco's centenary back in May.
2018 promises to be an exciting year. Hopefully, we will be able to announce progress on the railway extension before long, and July will see the third Tracks to the Trenches event.
All that remains is to wish everyone reading this a happy Christmas.

The legendary Xmas quiz

Yes, folks, it's the legendary Xmas quiz. There are three parts to this.

 Part One:- We have been fortunate enough to have hosted many different visiting locos at Apedale. All of these are clues which lead to the name of a visiting loco. In all cases, the locos were unloaded onto the railway and spent at least one night on site. Bonus marks for extra details on the locos. 

You are sitting in a rectangular tent. It has four sides. Each side faces south. What Bagnall runs past?

 One imagines he likes Guinness.

 Mrs Fawlty and someone looking for a maternity unit at this time of year.
 Captain Beaky’s nemesis.

 Mel Gibson’s road warrior, but not insane.

 As Manuel would put it whilst looking at the church tower “No, Mr Fawlty, isno a hooter, ………..”

 Monarch in search of the Holy Grail (well, I never voted for him…..)

 French General in World War One

 Home of Rimmer and The Cat

 According to Michael Jackson, this loco was dirty.

Part Two:- Logic and maths puzzles. Some of these come from the weekly school newsletter from my daughter's school. She is 12, so you should be able to solve these in the blink of an eye.
In all cases, you must show your working. Professional mathematicians are excluded from the 2nd question.

 You have to cross a rickety bridge. Crossing the bridge is your only option. It is pitch dark, and you have one torch. Crossing without a torch is certain death. The bridge is weak, and can only carry two people at a time. Your group has four in it; one person will take ten minutes to cross, another will take five minutes, another two minutes and the last member of the party takes only one minute.
What is the minimum time to get all four members of the party across the bridge?

 At the school concert there were mince pies for everyone.  One huge tray I saw if the pies were divided into 2 equal piles there would have been one left over.  But if the same pies were put into 3 equal piles, there would have been one left over.  To my surprise, 4 equal piles gave a remainder of 1, five piles had one left over, and the pies when shared into six piles also had one mince pie left over. What was the smallest number of mince pies there could have been on the tray? 

I have just moved to Chesterton, and need to get my hair cut. There are just two barbers in the village. Barber A is always smart and neat with neatly trimmed and cut hair. Barber B, by comparison, always looks dishevelled with a very poor hair cut. Which barber should I use?

 At a party, there are eight children. Each child has brought a toy car with them. The cars get mixed up. At hometime, a parent randomely gives a car to each child. What is the likelihood that exactly seven children (no more, no less) get the correct car?

 My watch has broken, so I take it to be mended. But the mender is a fool. When I get it back, it shows 6.15 instead of 3.30, and when it’s really 4.45 it shows 9.20. What did the mender do wrong?

Part Three:- A few nice, easy, transport related questions.

 In which city is Flinders Street station?

The only station name common to the London Underground and the Paris Metro?

What links John Lennon, Lech Walesa, George Best, Charles de Gaulle and Bob Hope?

I’m at West Street and want to go to St Enoch. I can travel in two directions and never change trains. What track gauge is the railway?

I used to be split, but not now. Some of me is large, some of me is small, but all of me is yellow. What am I?

As ever, there are no prizes other than a smug afterglow. Submit your entries to Simon's e-mail address as shown in Moseley Matters.
Finally, and most importantly, a happy Christmas and a peaceful 2018 to one and all.

UPDATE 23/12:- It has just been pointed out that Simon's e-mail address is NOT shown in the latest MM - so please send your entries to the address here (go to Contacts). 

I should report that a team formed of the finest minds the Trust can offer has had a go, and eventually answered all the questions. However, they needed a LOT of help with the bridge question, the toy car question and the final "all of me is yellow" question - so no prizes awarded just yet. Not that are any prizes, you understand.

115 mph

It's been a busy couple of days at Apedale. The main task has been preparing for the Great Man to visit over the next few weekends - no photos of that, as we don't want to spoil the surprise for our visitors. Elsewhere on site, we were priveliged to host a working visit from a mainline railway organisation on Friday - both us and them got a lot from it, with their people able to get hands-on with track maintenance away from the many (and very necessary) safety requirements of the mainline railway system. They gained experience and aching muscles, and our mainline track is probably now in the best shape it's been since it was first laid ("fit for 115mph" said someone). In the workshops, something of a milestone was passed with the last of the radiator tubes for Motor Rail 1320 being assembled, a mere 44,000 radiator fins later. "Stanhope" was steamed on Saturday; this loco will work all the Santa Special trains. This will be last time Stanhope will work for a while, as it is due a major overhaul which will see it out of traffic for most of 2018. We'll miss this loco very much, as it's undoubtedly the railway flagship and the firm favourite of the crews. We are heavily booked for the Santas, but we may be able to accomodate a few wanting a last ride behind the centenarian - next Sarturday 9th December is currently lightest on bookings. The headboards we use are fairly inoffensive, so if photography is your interest, it shouldn't cause too much upset!

Very Wintry Track Maintenance

A necessary part of owning and operating a railway is the need to carry out maintenance. The track - laughingly referred to as the Permanent Way - is no exception. The Permanent Way is anything but - the passage of trains (always the enemy of the railway cvil enginer) will always cause movement and distortion in the track. In time this manifests itself as a poor ride, and if left uncorrected can lead to derailments. So, we use the winter closed period to correct any problems. The ideal day to do this would be a nice Summer's day - but life ain't like that, which led our determined volunteers to brave the snow showers and sort out the various minor defects which a season's hard usage produces. It's fair to say that a day on the PW gang obviates the need for an evening in the gym!

Motor Rail 1320 and a Bomb Wagon

We've not see Motor Rail 1320 for a little whil on this page - this is the First World War loco which was "improved" post war by having a new diesel engine fitted to it with all the engineering subtletly of a bull in a china shop.With the help of a PRISM grant, the loco is undergoing a full restoration to "as at quarry" condition, to make an interesting comparision to the "Tin Turtle" MR1369 which is in "as built" condition, more or less. Good progress has been made, and today saw the loco make a rare out of doors appearance. The bodywork framing has been fitted, which is always a joyous experience for all concerned. The key tasks remaining are to complete the radiator re-build, make and fit the body panels, and - biggest of all - re-fit the engine. The engine is currently away with a specialist contractor. Opportunity was also taken to photograph another restoration project coming along very nicely - a rebuild of a Hudson-built RAF Bomb wagon from the Fauld depot. This one was formerly part of the passenger train at Cadeby, many years ago.

Winter maintenance

The closed season is, perhaps unexpectedly, the time of year when our volunteers are at their busiest. That's because railways need a lot of maintenance, and things like steam locomotives even more so. As a sample, this weekend has seen the start of preparing the Hudswell steam loco for its boiler exam - a process of stripping ouit the firebars, cleaning the firebox and washing out the boiler. Elsewhere on site, repairs were taking place to a buffer stop which seems to have become the victim of a half-hearted attempt to extend the railway. Meanwhile, down in the workshops, experiments are taking place with a semi-automated rig to weld loco wheels. Before railway engineers read this and write strongly worded letters of complaint - this isn't something we'd counternance on the passenger railway, but as a means of recovering loco wheels on demonstration locos, it has a good pedigree in industry. Experiments so far have exceeded expectations, but - a word to the wise - BOC is expecting a significent rise in sales at the Stoke trade counter. MIG wire and gas may be a little scarce in Staffordshire for a while.

Press Release Time!

The Moseley Railway Trust has reached the end of another successful running season. Highlights of the year are many, but the Stanhope Gala in May was particularly well-received. A new event for 2017 was the Diesel Delights event in October. Of particular note is that this event was conceived and planned by a small group of the railway’s younger members. During this weekend, no fewer than 18 of the railway’s fleet of diesel and petrol locomotives had an outing on the passenger train – a figure which puts many Diesel Gala events on standard gauge railways to shame! 2017 was the first time an event focussed on the non-steam locomotives at Apedale had been run – but it seems set to be a firm fixture in the calendar in future years.

Phil Robinson, the Trust Chairman said “We are delighted with how the Diesel Delights event went. The weekend was a real testament to the abilities of our younger members, who showed that the have the organisation abilities to run a significant event – well done to all!”

The Diesel Delights weekend also saw three locomotives visit Apedale from the West Lancashire Light Railway at Hesketh Bank – a Lister petrol engine (which used to work at a tileworks near to Apedale), a Hunslet and a Motor Rail. This was part of an “exchange deal” which saw the Apedale-based Kerr, Stuart steam loco “Stanhope” return to Hesketh Bank for a few weeks. “Stanhope” ran regularly at Hesketh Bank in the years prior to the Moseley Railway Trust establishing a permanent railway at Apedale.

“Stanhope” is now approaching the end of its current 10-year boiler certificate; it is currently planned that the locomotive will operate the popular Santa Specials at Apedale prior to work commencing on the locomotive’s overhaul. The loco has been well cared for, and it is hoped that it will be back steaming at Apedale before too long.

The 2018 season at Apedale will see the usual array of special events, but the centrepiece of the year will be the third Tracks to the Trenches event, on July 13, 14 and 15 2018. These large and justly popular events mark the First World War Centenary and the role that light railways played in that conflict.

The Trust would be pleased to hear from organisations interested in sponsorship opportunities at this high-profile event, and also from potential exhibitors of items relevant to the 1914-1918 period.

More details of the Trust and the Apedale Valley Light Railway can be found on Facebook or on the website www.mrt.org.uk.

Lyme Lottery

A big thank you to everyone who has supported us this year. A new way of supporting the Trust is by buying tickets for the Lyme Lottery - this is run by our local authority, and is a new scheme to support charities in Newcastle-under-Lyme. Better odds than the National Lottery, and much more of the money goes to good causes. If you win big, please send us a postcard.....https://www.lymelottery.co.uk/cause-data/07f8e060-cd81-4aeb-b9a1-7cb6396d1f8b/leaflets/59661d54-fca5-48a4-9183-b0186878fe09/special-prizes-don't-miss-the-first-draw%20-%20digital.pdf

Local Lad made good

Despite the dire weather predictions, it's been a busy weekend at Apedale. We were honoured to host a visit by the owner of Lister 10805. The loco worked very locally to Apedale at Springfields Tileworks - predictably, now the site of a supermarket. The owner, on the other hand, had come from rather further afield - Norway to be specific. The loco is normally based at the West Lancashire Light Railway, and we are grateful to both the owner and the WLLR team for allowing a "local lad" to visit its old stamping ground for a few weeks.

Elsewhere, significant progress was made by the team of younger members on Motor Rail 21520 - a recent arrival. The wheels are a tiny bit on the tired side, so the loco has been turned over with a view to removal of the wheelsets.

Diesel Delights preparation

A busy day at Apedale getting ready for the Diesel Delights event next weekend. We have already taken delivery of three visiting locos from our friends at the West Lancashire Light Railway - a large Motor Rail, a Hunslet and a very charecterful petrol-engined Lister. The Lister is almost returning home, as it worked at Springfield Tileries, which was not too far from us. A key attribute of the Diesel event will be the chance to allow some of our small internal-combustion locos to work passenger trains, and this is being accomplished by means of a portable air-brake system. This is carried around the driver's neck. We took the opportunity today to test the system and it worked pretty much as expected, which is always encouraging.

Santa Claus is coming to town

We are pleased to announce that we are now taking bookings for the Santa Specials for this year. We are running on five days - 9th, 10th, 16th, 17th and the 23rd of December. Book ahead prices are £7 for children and £5 for adults. There are seven trains per day. Full details and on-line booking can be seen here. You can also make bookings in-person at our shop at the railway, which is open every Saturday plus Sundays 8th, 15th and 29th October. These trains have become extremely popular, and were completely sold-out last year - this is why we've added a fifth date to try to avoid disappointing anyone. The dates nearest to Christmas always sell-out the quickest, as to trains in the middle of the day. The Trust volunteers very much look forward to celebrating this special time of year with you and your family.

Lord Austin

Saturday saw intermittent torrential downpours, which rather limited passenger numbers, despote being able to ride in enclosed splendour in the FR coach. We steamed "Stanhope" this weekend, in what will be one of its final appearances before being withdrawn for overhaul. Hopefully, "Stanhope" will not be absent for too long. The loco has been well-cared for, and is in generally good order. Some boiler work is needed in additional to the expected re-tube.

Most sensible people stayed under cover, and this resulted in a fair bit of work being done on the cab of the Motor Rail petrol loco "Lord Austin". It's been invited for a jolly outing to the Amerton Railway at the end of the month, and there's nothing like a deadline for getting things done. The cab is now built, painted, glazed and fitted with a tin roof sheet. This will keep drivers dry, warm and especially snug. Especially the latter - a jar of vaseline will be made available at all times to aid our stouter drivers in gaining egress from the locomotive.

High Speed Link

A busy weekend has seen a couple of current projects making progress. The new high-speed rail link to the Diesel Container has been completed. This means that locos can be moved in and out without the need for a 76 tonne crane and/or a battalion of the Royal Engineers. This will be of great use during the Diesel event on 7 & 8 October, as it seems the Royal Engineers are washing their hair that day (they said). Meanwhile, Motor Rail 1320 has been regaining its wheelsets - this was proving to be a lot more challenging than expected, but hopefully we will have a mobile loco before much longer. It's an awful long way off being an actual locomotive again, since the engine remains under overhaul, but it's the important point in a project where bits are being put back together rather than always being taken and tutted over.

Motor Rail 7522

The last few days have seen something of an influx of new locomotives to the Apedale site. Over the next few days we'll tell you a little about each one. First up is a Motor Rail. Not a manufacturer under-represented in the collection, but no. 7522 is Different. It's a 8/12hp loco, powered by an Ailsa Craig diesel. These seem to have been built as lightweight locos, perhaps with a view to breaking into the segment of the market which was dominated by Lister locos in the years immediately after WW2. It left MR's Bedford works on 6/4/1948 and was delivered to the River Great Ouse Cathchment Board, Cuckoo Bridge, Ely. It would have been used on works relating to flood defences and the like. It didn't last long, because on 24/6/1954, it went to Geo.W.Bungey Ltd, who were a plant dealer. They sold it to the Lancashire Moss Litter Company at Astley, where it stayed until March 1976 when it entered preservation at the Moseley School Railway, Cheadle Hulme. It underwent a complex restoration, and became one of the iconic locos at the School. It has a special place in the history of the Moseley organisation as it was used on the last passenger train at the School, as shown in the photo.

The cab also became a Special Place, as it was used to cover the toilet facilities at the School - this is why it isn't on the loco in the photo.

Unfortunately, the intervening years have been very unkind to the loco, and it has suffered major damage to the engine block. Nothing is beyond repair, but we would be very interested to hear from anyone who has - or knows of - a compatible Ailsa-Craig block. Fairly obviously, the loco won't be operating at the Diesel Delights events of October 7 & 8, but it will be on display.

Containers by Rail

Another busy - and occasionally very damp - weekend has seen progress on various projects. The restoration work on Motor Rail 1320 has slowed just for the moment whilst we await supply of a critical part in the re-assembly of the loco. So, the main project has been improving rail access to a container which contains a number of the operational locos. Road tailings have been railed to site - which is inaccessible to everything except foot and rail - and tipped to improve the ground conditions. A set of points was then brought in and unloaded using a combination of experience and gravity. The points have a very shallow crossing angle, so the tracks diverge slowly; this is essential, because the tracks are not far apart in the container. The approach to the points was also re-laid to remove a particularly hideous rail joint. The final step will be to assemble the tracks leading to the container doors, and the "bridge" sections needed to allow the doors to open and close.

In between all this, we also welcomed a party from the RCTS, and even ran a railtour for the more resilient member of the party!

Cars

A big thank you to everyone who came along last weekend with their bears/unicorns/meerkats (delete as seen fit). Our next Event Day at the railway will be Classic Cars and Steam Trains day on August 27th. It would seem that one of the Classic Car magazines contains an error, and the error says that the event is on the 17th which is this Thursday! Whilst I am sure that our friends at the Apedale Heritage Centre would be delighted to see you on Thursday, I'm afraid their will be neither trains nor old cars!

An apology

A small apology....unfortunately, we will be running the trains on Sunday using a heritage diesel locomotive rather than the expected steam loco. We are still running trains and we are still looking forward to seeing lots of children with their bears!
This change is because of a shortage of qualified volunteers on this day. We apologise for any disappointment this may cause - we are a 100% volunteer railway, and this shows why we are always looking for new members. If you are interested in becoming a member, check out the information www.mrt.org.uk or come along and have a chat.

Diesel Delights

It is perhaps worth reminding ourselves that the king of the railway Internal Combustion engine is the Diesel (or, if you are from Lincoln, the "Oil Engine"). To be fair, the Diesel Delights event - October 7 & 8 - will feature both compression-ignition and spark-ignition IC locos. However, that really doesn't make for a snappy event title, does it? One loco which will hopefully feature is the newly-repaired Hunslet "Twusk", seen having a run out at the weekend before slumbering in a container for a while. The event organisers have decided that, with over 60 IC locos on site, we need a few more - just not enough choice. So, we are expecting a few arrivals in the next few weeks, both permanent residents and visitors. In the latter category is Motor Rail 11258, a 60HP loco which is the twin of resident No.13. MR11258 was also at Pilkington's Glass sand pits, as their No.12. So, we'll have No.12 and No.13 together. Keep watching for more announcements!

Internal Combustion progress

As we head towards the Diesel Delight event on October 7 & 8, various projects on the IC loco front continue to progress. The big Motor Rail, 1320, is continuing in ites PRISM-funded restoration project. The frame is now sitting upside down on a wagon, rather dominating the workshop. The frame has been shotblasted and primed. A few repairs were needed, and various castings were somewhat past their best. Since they were fitted in 1918 and probably not touched in 99 years, there isn't really room to complain. Also, the Motor Rail Warranty Department doesn't work on a Sunday.

At the opposite end of the Motor Rail spectrum is the tiny Autin-engined 12/20hp loco number 6031, known as Lord Austin. The loco was ordered for use by the Midhurst Whites brickworks, and they specified that it was for use in a low-height application; hence the cut down brake stand, and an unusual configuration of the gearbox controls. The loco has been finally fitted with its cab to complete the restoration - predictably, a low height cab. Getting in and out is interesting, to say the least, but the photo proves that the owner can manage it. How much vaseline was need to accomplish this feat is not known. The remains of the original cab are, as can be seen, at the "pattern use only" stage.

Finally, it's been an interesting few days in railway preservation in the UK, and not in a good way. We particularly think of friends and colleagues affected at Felin Fawr, and we sincerely hope that the future works out. It is only a few months since "Stanhope" was operating on that railway, and the future seemed so bright.