What do these things have in common?

Probably more than you would expect. For the uninitiated, one is Class 55 "Deltic", a 100mph diesel electric loco used on BR's Eastern Region. The other is the Matisa tamping machine which the Moseley Railway Trust has on loan from the Tallylyn Railway. They both have a tendency to deafen their drivers, they both require ridiculous levels of maintenance, and they are both twin engined. I will be honest, the similarity end about there. So, where is this going? The tamper has been on site for a few weeks now, and we have had a few experimental tamps - but this Saturday was the first time we really went for it. And what a beast of a machine it is. The driver needs nerves of steel and the concentration levels of a jet fighter pilot, since the machine has a phenomenal number of levers and wheels and clamps and general gizmos. But once the driver enters a karma-like trance and becomes one with the machine, the rate of progress is truly amazing - especially for the gang aching from having manually tamped a set of points that morning. I should, by the way, explain that the objective of the exercise is to compact the track ballast under the sleepers, and therefore achieve the correct vertical alignment for the railway.

Simply Splendid Simplexes

We've been focusing on infrastructure stuff in recent posts, so for a change, this week we will have a look at two locomotive projects which are on-going at the Moseley Railway Trust's Apedale base.

No.13 "The Pilk" is a 60S Motor Rail, their number 11142 of 1960. Fitted with a Dorman 3LA engine, it was delivered to Pilkingtons for use on the sand gathering railways which used to exist around the St Helens area. This powerful loco has been equipped with air brakes by MRT engineers and is planned to be the mainstay on non-steam passenger trains on the Apedale Valley Light Railway. It has finally had its cosmetic work completed, and now looks a treat, as I am sure you will agree.

On a slighter smaller Simplex scale, the now infamous Project Genesix (Motor Rail 7066/38) has made great strides since it first appeared here. The project team have abandoned their initial scheme for global terraforming (the tamping gang are managing that quite well) and instead have focused on painting the loco in a colour which is claimed to be authentic. So authentic that the man in the paint shop had to have a little sit down with the smelling salts after mixing it. The loco has advanced beyond being a rolling chassis, and has now had a Dorman 2JO engine fitted. This is a petrol unit, and was sourced from the Nene Valley Railway. The NVR had scrapped a standard gauge Hibberd loco, and the MRT were grateful recipients of the remains.

If you want to come along and see these locos, along with all their friends, the best opportunity will be our Open Days in September. As ever, contact us here.

Bermuda Triangle

It's been a busy day at Apedale. The task of ballast tamping has (hopefully) been made somewhat easier by the arrival of a Matisa tamper on loan from our friends at the Tallylyn Railway (to whom we must express our sincere thanks). As with all tampers, it is clearly a complex and fascinating machine, judging by the number of admirers it swiftly attracted. Meanwhile, a small but noteworthy milestone was reached when a little ground clearance was carried out in an area at the north of the site known (for various reasons) as the Bermuda Triangle. This will be the limit of the Apedale Valley Light Railway phase one, and run-round loop will be provided. A sea of brambles and hawthorn was preventing vital surveying work from being carried out, so all the prickly stuff had to go. It is fair to say the 2009 blackberry harvest may be rather reduced. The railway will run approximately in the cleared area in the centre of the photograph. I should mention the work being done by our colleagues at the Heritage Centre, who are making good progress with building a reproduction of Silverdale station building on what will be the AVLR's platform at the south end of the line. Finally, some rather odd things have happened on site recently. We considered ourselves lucky to survive one particular explosion. If you want to more about this, you'll have to ask me nicely at the Open Days, 12 & 13 September. As ever get in touch here. I will consider no more Barry Manilow references in exchange for a donation to the Trust.

Open Days Update

The Moseley Railway Trust is pleased to announce that the 2009 Open Days at its Apedale site in North Staffordshire will be held on September 12 and 13 2009.
This year’s visiting steam loco will be the Orenstein & Koppel steam loco "Max". This loco will be making its first visit away from its home at the Statfold Barn Railway, and the Trust wishes to express its thanks to Mr Graham Lee and all the team at Statfold for making the locomotive available. Built in Berlin in 1923, "Max" worked at the Sragi sugar mill in Indonesia until brought to the UK in 2004. Since then the team at Statfold have restored the loco to its current immaculate condition.
The Moseley Railway Trust is currently negotiating for a number of guest diesel locos to join the open day fun – who knows, there may be a few surprises on site.
The Open Days will be the main opportunity this year for the public to come to Apedale and see the progress being made on the construction of the 2’0" gauge Apedale Valley Light Railway. Although passenger rides will not be available, demonstration trains will be in use, and there will be a unique chance to see and photograph trains in areas which will be off-limits when the railway is open to passengers. The Trust’s huge collection of narrow gauge locomotives, rolling stock and other artefacts will be on display.
There will be a number of trade stands, model railways, a ride-on miniature railway and a 16mm live steam running track. There will also be visiting classic and vintage road vehicles and other machinery.
The Open Days are open from 11.00 to 17.00 both days. Admission is £4 adults, £1 child. A discount will be offered to anyone presenting a ticket from the Eastern European Car Rally at the Foxfield Railway on the same weekend - Foxfield will also a offer reciprocal discount. The Trust’s site is adjacent to the Apedale Heritage Centre, Chesterton, near Newcastle Under Lyme, Staffs – a few minutes from M6 Jcn 16. Check here for further details.
The Moseley Railway Trust would be pleased to hear from potential exhibitors, especially vintage and veteran commercial vehicles. The Trust can be contacted here.

The Wrath of Tamp

Tamping and Lining a railway is one of the most important, but labour intensive, elements of the construction process. The Big Railway uses large and expensive yellow machines to do this, such as the one in the picture. These machines cost seven-figure sums, and are normally built in Austria. The Moseley Railway Trust, not having a seven-figure sum to spend, uses two kango hammers and, in this case, David and Alan to do the job. They aren't Austrian, but it is alleged that they did once see "The Sound of Music". The purpose of the operation is to establish the correct vertical alignment of the railway (having previously sorted out horizontals) and then pack ballast under the sleepers to preserve the vertical alignment. Jacks, spirit levels and experienced eyes are used extensively to align the railway. The kangos are easy to use, but quite physically demanding. Health and safety requirements limit the time any one person can use them, so a cycle of people taking turns is the only way to get the job done. It is fair to say that a trip to the gym is not needed after a few turns on the kangos. The improvement to the quality of the track after the tamping/lining is done is remarkable. Just to check, and for the benefit of a visiting party, we spent Sunday running heavy locos up and down just to check the track (or something). If you fancy a bit of track checking, or can't afford the gym in these straightened times, get in touch here. This year's chance to come along and see what we're up to is on September 12 & 13 - see here. The Edelweiss will be in full bloom by then, assuming that the fictional snake hasn't eaten them all.

To Seek Out New Life ...

The Apedale Community Country Park has more than railways to interest the visitor. In addition to the popular Apedale Heritage Centre and underground mine tour, there is the country park itself, with its rich variety of wildlife to be found. Most of it stays in the country park, but some occasionally strays onto the railway and its associated infrastructure. Recently we have been home to a family of swallows, and we have got used to the parents flying past our ears as we entered the amenity block where they are nesting.



In recent years, some of our members have reported the presence of snakes on site. The shy nature of these animals is such that they rarely stay around to be seen or photographed. This lead to the denial of their presence by some of the more nervous members of the Trust. This year was quiet until recently when sightings increased on the occasional hot days. However, the photograph below now constitutes unequivocal evidence that the site is home to grass snakes. So, if you come on site and happen to see volunteers walking round with duck tape wrapped round the bottom of their trouser legs, you'll know why.



If you don't mind sharing the site with our feathered and scaly friends, contact us here.

Project Genesix

This week, we have a rare opportunity to glance into the secret files of the MRT board of Trustees, as can be seen by clicking on the image below. If there is a short pause, this is simply because your computer is performing a security retinal scan prior to granting access.



Evidence of stage 2 of this hitherto classified project can be seen below on site at Apedale. Also shown is a rare historic shot of Number 6 in action at Moseley School in Cheadle in the late 70s. If you would like to join the Genesix team, contact us here.