Tanks for the Memory

You've read before in these pages how both sides used narrow gauge railways for logistical support during the First World War. Many of the vehicles used were specifically designed to serve a need. One less obvious one is the need for fresh water - given the infamous mud of Flanders Fields, one would have though that water was not in short supply. Mind, I'm not sure I'd be too keen on drinking the contents of a shellhole, given what might be lurking under the surface.

The Moseley Railway Trust has completed the restoration of a water tank wagon used in the First World War. In the War Department Light Railways classification, this type was known as the Class H Water tank. It's believed that about 200 of the water tanks were built, by a number of builders, of which perhaps the best known is Gloucester Railway Carriage & Wagon (see the works photo below). The bogies now fitted to the wagon seem to have parts from a number of builders; one of them seems to have been supplied by the still-in-existence Brush Traction (see here) of Loughborough for the Salonica campaign.

After the war, six of these tank wagons, along with much other war-surplus material, were sold to the Nocton Estate Railways in Lincolnshire which were developed specifically because of the availability of cheap war-surplus material, and used to transport the potatoes grown there from the fields to the dispatch yard. At Nocton, our tank wagon continued to work in the purpose for which it had been designed, the conveyance of drinking water which would otherwise have been unavailable; it was used for many years to convey drinking water to estate workers’ dwellings that were not connected to water mains. Once this use had ceased, the tank was removed from the chassis and for many more years served as a static emergency water supply. The five other Class H tank-wagons purchased by the Nocton Estates at the same time, had all been scrapped by the 1960s, leaving this tank as a unique survivor. The Moseley Railway Trust, recognising its historic value, negotiated its acquisition from the Nocton Estates. The Trust also acquired suitable bogies to enable it to fully restore a complete WDLR Class H bogie tank-wagon.

The Moseley Railway Trust is very grateful to the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council for the PRISM grant-funding to enable this restoration to have taken place. We also acknowledge the help and support of Paul Jarman from Beamish who oversaw the project for PRISM.

As a World War One vehicle, the Class H will take a starring role at our Remembrance Sunday event on Sunday 9/11/08 - read all about it here.

As ever, get in touch here.

Lord Austin - an aristocrat amongst Locomotives

The Moseley Railway Trust's extensive collection of narrow gauge locomotives includes many built by the company of Motor Rail, who were based in Bedford. Like many (all??) successful engineering businesses, Motor Rail understood the value of a robust and standardised product. Hence, their locos tend to have a strong family resemblance to each other. That said, they were not averse to building something a tad different from time to time. Once of these was the 12/20HP petrol engined locos, of which 28 were built as a design of lightweight petrol locos. Unlike the vast majority of Motor Rails, they did not use a Dorman engine. Instead, they were fitted with Austin side valve four cylinder petrol engines.

A star of the MRT collection is Motor Rail no. 6035, which is one of the four survivors of this type, and the only one to still be in working condition. Known as Lord Austin, from its engine, it was delivered new to the brickworks of Midhurst Whites in Sussex. It was specified to operate under a very low clearance, and it was also important (for reasons lost in history) that the driver faced in the opposite direction to usual. This latter, apparently simple, requirement, actually required some fairly serious engineering to achieve. The control layout on this loco is different to a standard Motor Rail, and this has been known to catch out the unwary experienced driver.

Lord Austin has spent a few days in the Aurora Works recently for a few minor repairs and adjustments. This week's photos show it stretching its legs outside.

If you want to know more about Motor Rails, visit here.

You have one last chance this year to come to Apedale and see Lord Austin and all the other delights which lurk therein - our Remembrance Sunday event on 9/11/08. Look here for more details. As ever, contact us here.

Remembrance Sunday Event

November 2008 marks the 90th anniversary of the end of the 1914-1918 First World War. This will probably be the last major anniversary where that conflict remains within living memory. To mark this, the Moseley Railway Trust will be holding a special event at its base at Apedale on Remembrance Sunday, 9th November 2008.

The Moseley Railway Trust has a significant collection of artefacts relating to the military light railways built for the British Army in France and Belgium to supply the frontline forces during the First World War. With the cessation of hostilities, equipment that had not been delivered to the war fronts, and equipment that had been repatriated from the battlefields was collected together in storage depots in the south of England. By 1920, this war-surplus equipment was made available to the civilian market, and industry was quick to take up this cheap, readily available pool of railway equipment. This equipment became the catalyst for many industrial narrow gauge railways.

The November 9 event will commemorate not only the end of the Great War, but also the part narrow gauge railways have played with the British Military for more than 90 years. The event will see the return to the collection of the "Tin Turtle", a protected (armoured) Motor Rail locomotive built in 1917. This locomotive featured in the Channel 4 "Salvage Squad" series in 2003.

The event will be open from 1030 to 1700, with the two-minute silence observed at 1100. There will be a suggested admission donation of £4 adults, £2 concessions - for which escorted access to the main MRT collection building "Aurora North" & tours of the Moseley Railway Trust’s site will be on offer. 50% of the profits from the event will be donated to the Royal British Legion’s Poppy Appeal, which supports ex-Service personnel in times of need.

It is planned to operate a number of demonstration goods and military trains during the day. There will be sales & information stands and Military Vehicle displays. Refreshments will be available in the cafe run by the Apedale Heritage Centre, the Moseley Railway Trust’s partner in the Apedale development. Contact us here for more information.

Open Weekend Retrospective

To paraphrase the late, great Humphrey Lyttelton "The Fireman of Time is raking out the ashes from the Firebox of Destiny". Yes, it's time to stop thinking about the Open weekend, and we need to knuckle down and get a passenger railway built. But let's just have a quick retrospective on the event. Six months planning, and some very late nights by the organisers, allowed somewhere in the region of 700 visitors to get their first taste of what the Moseley Railway Trust can do on the Apedale site. For many of the visitors, it was their first contact with the MRT since the days of the Cheadle school railway, which closed way back in 1998. Certainly, the vast majority of the locomotive stock has not been seen in public since those times.

If you were one of our visitors, we'd like to say a big thank you for your support. All feedback on the event would be welcome - contact us here. With a following wind, 2009 will see a passenger railway open at Apedale, and hopefully we'll see many of our visitors back again. In the meantime, there will be one last chance to visit the site later this year - watch this site for details, which will be announced in a couple of days.

Open Weekend - Halfway There

The MRT has successfully got through the Saturday of the Open Weekend; we've run lots of trains (no passenger trains yet, just freights), talked to lots of visitors and hopefully sent home lots of people with a better idea of whet the MRT is all about. We have also officially declared the MRT's Aurora Works open - the top left photo shows Phil Robinson, our Chairman, and Councillor Bowden of Staffordshire County Council unveiling the plaque.

If you still wavering on whether to come and see us, perhaps the photos may help you to decide to come along and support us. Look forward to seeing you?? Details here.

Getting Ready

It's been a day of frenetic activity at Apedale. Even the weather has been kind (ish) to a good turnout of Moseley Railway Trust members as they have swarmed over the site, cleaning this, tidying that and rearranging the other. Why, I hear you ask rhetorically? Because it's now less than a week to the first Apedale Open Day. The visiting engine-ometer now seems to firmly point at three. These are the steam loco Stanhope, which is already on site, and can be seen on test runs here:-

The other two visitors are a Lister Blackstone from Gloucestershire and a rarely-seen battery loco from Shropshire, making an unusual foray across the county line. Oh, and as if that wasn't enough, there is the 50-odd MRT fleet assembled all around the site and chugging here, there and everywhere with demonstration goods trains. There will be a good selection of trade stands and lots of other outdoor displays. How can you resist? And such good value at £4 adults/£2 concessions.

If you want to know more, look here, or why not contact us here.

Turn up and you may even find out why someone is screwing a cardboard lozenge to a wall. And just in case you don't like cardboard lozenges, I've even included a couple of loco pictures this week.

Positive Partnerships for Progress

In these notes, I have tended to focus on the nuts and bolts of what the MRT is doing at Apedale - laying track, restoring vehicles, all that type of stuff. But sometimes it's useful just to take a step back and look at the bigger picture. The MRT is aiming to build a 2'0" gauge railway into the Apedale Community Country Park, starting at the existing Apedale Heritage Centre, passing close by the former mine buildings which are now the base of the MRT's operations and the now famous Aurora North storage shed and on for about 500 metres to Apedale Road, which marks the end of Phase One. Later phases will cross Apedale Road and head up hill to Burley Shales (just over 1000 metres) and Miry Arena (1900 metres). It is our belief that the railway will open up the park to many visitors, allowing people the many combinations of riding trains/walking and so on. Thus, the railway will form a genuine transport need and help people appreciate the wonders of the Country Park. I say "we" advisedly, because we have enjoyed the full support and encouragement of both Staffordshire County Council (who manage the park) and also Newcastle Under Lyme, our local authority. It is by developing these partnerships that all parties can achieve their goals. If you want to know about Apedale Community Country Park, have a look here.

This very positive relationship contrasts with problems which two other narrow gauge railways are having with their local authorities. The 2'6" Sittingbourne & Kelmsley railway is now facing a very real, and very urgent, threat to its existence. Sittingbourne (and indeed much of the area) lacks any real tourist or other visitor attractions, and it is truly astounding that their local authority seems content to allow this piece of genuine industrial narrow gauge heritage to simply vanish after 102 years. They need your help. Visit here to find out more. Similarly, our friends at Leighton Buzzard are also having some planning difficulties - visit here to find out more. The MRT offers its support and sympathy to both of our colleague railways in these difficult times, and hopes that all readers of this will do all they can to assist. But we also breathe a sigh of relief that the very positive partnerships we have with our governing authorities, both local and at county level, mean that we can work together to assist in the regeneration of our corner of North Staffordshire and make the area better for everybody. And what could be better than a steam train running though a country park? This week's photos are a couple of SKLR views, including their locomotive "Melior". As a Kerr Stuart "Brazil" class, she is a close cousin of the MRT's "Stanhope". In case you didn't (by some miracle) know, we will be running "Stanhope" at the MRT's Apedale Open Days on 13 & 14 September - see here for more details. And, as usual, you can get in touch here.