We have been honoured to host a visit from Dr Ailsa, and his glamorous assistant, who should have been called Craig but wasn't. They cam to lay hands on the Hunslet "Twusk", and more specifically its rather troublesome Ailsa-Craig two cylinder engine. The problem with this one is that the big end bearings were shot. The engine would run but wouldn't generate oil pressure, and would then try to seize. The Good Doctor got to work; after an epic day's efforts, the loco has been restored to health. Well done, chaps! Elsewhere on site, it's been a steam train weekend with the Joffre doing its level best to broil the crew. A new "temporary" building has also been erected - the objective being to give covered accomodation for the increasing population of restored wagons on site.
The Trust's aim is to build a museum and a railway to display its collection of industrial narrow gauge equipment that has been gathered from various industries around the UK in the last 30 years, and in doing so we aim to educate and entertain both the general public and the railway enthusiast.
The Industrial Narrow Gauge Railway is an unusual aspect of British Industrial Heritage that is now almost extinct. These small, self-contained railway systems were often hidden away from the general public and served such diverse industries as brickmaking, sewage works, munitions factories, mines, civil engineering and many more.