Tracks to the Trenches - the Driver Experience

The Moseley Railway Trust is delighted to announce the release of a new departure for the Apedale site. Building on the infrastructure and vehicle restorations completed for the award-winning 2014 “Tracks to the Trenches” event, the Trust can now offer a Driver Experience day – with a difference.

Phil Robinson, Trust Chairman, explains “Many heritage railways offer Driver Experience days; we offer an immersive Military Railway Day. Participants are transported back in time nearly 100 years to northern France during 1917, where they sign-up with the 6^th Light Railway Operating Company. After instruction, participants are given a series of challenges which the must meet by driving both steam and diesel locomotives around the railway network at Apedale. This network, of course, includes a replica First World War trench amongst the many possible destinations.”

During the First World War, these Light Railway Operating Companies provided vital logistic support to the front line troops. Using 2’0” gauge light railways and a wide variety of locomotives, these Companies moved everything an army needed to fight a war – from shells to food and water, not forgetting evacuating the wounded.

Perhaps fortunately, the outcome of a major European war does not hang in the balance this time – but participants in the Driver Experience should gain a real insight into military railways in the First World War – and have a lot of fun at the same time! The degree of authenticity can be tailored to suit participant’s wishes. For example, some may wish to have their midday meal as hard tack biscuits and a mess can full of tea in the Trench. Others may opt for the rather more comfortable option of a hot meal in the adjacent Café.

The Driver Experience can also tailored dependant on the previous experience and preferences of participants – within reason, most things can be arranged.

Further details, and a downloadable leaflet with full details, are available here or e-mail here or call 0845 094 1953.

Declanking Stanhope

The flagship of the Apedale Valley Light Railway is the 1917-built  Kerr, Stuart locomotive called Stanhope. Why the flagship? It's easy to drive, will steam with a candle in the firebox and runs like a well-oiled sewing machine. Except that the sewing machine has recently developed an annoying minor rattle in the valve gear. Steam locos do this due to the multiplicity of bearing surfaces running in a hostile environment. Stanhope has the Hackworth valve gear with marine-type bearings. The Hackworth valve gear has the advantage of being cheap and simple to make, and the disadvantage of just about everything else. A key issue is that the valve events depend on how the loco sits on its springs, which is a function of how much water is in the tank and how many pies the crew have eaten that day. That said, Stanhope always goes well, and has shown up many other locos on outing to places like the Ffestiniog.
After a game of Hunt the Clank, the usual suspect was found to the cause. This is the small end bearing, which is rather under-designed, and for which the lubrication arrangements are indifferent (at best). The bearing is now being rectified, and hopefully Stanhope will be back in full-on Singer condition in the near future.

Father's Day

Have you got the Best Dad in the world? Treat him to a Railway Experience with us on Father's Day!

For one special day - June 21st - we are offering a special Railway Experience. The whole family will travel on the steam train - but Dad will get to ride on the footplate. After that, everyone will get a guided tour of our workshops and display shed - and then Dad will be allowed to drive one of our vintage diesel locos (under, of course, supervision for safety). As a lasting memory of the Day, Dad will be enrolled as a Moseley Railway Trust member for the rest of 2015. All for £30 for the whole group - what's not to like? We expect the Experience will last between 45 minutes and an hour. A few time-slots are still available. How to book? First, form an orderly queue. We don't like scrums. Second, come to the Railway at Apedale this Saturday or Sunday between 1130 and 4pm or get in touch here.

Welcome to the Jungle

With the Wagon Traverser Project now almost completed, a couple of the younger members of the Moseley Railway Trust have been undertaking a further project in the same area of the site. Some call this a useful add-on, others (those who have been trained as Project Managers) prefer the phrase Scope Creep. But whatever you call it, the objective has been to establish a rail connection into the hand-worked system which our neighbours at the Heritage Centre use to support their mining activities. One day, this connection might even be used for rail-borne deliveries of Apedale Coal for our steam locos. To establish the connection, a fearsomely sharp curve has been pushed through an area which can only be described as resembling a rain forest. Wild rumours have been circulating - was their a Japanese Soldier in there who didn't know WW2 had ended (badly for him) - that is NOT true. Is the lost L&B loco "Lew" somewhere in this jungle - NO COMMENT. One thing we do know - the curve wasn't really intended for loco haulage. But we just had to give it a go anyway! As ever, get in touch here.

May Gala Retrospective

We are very pleased with the outcome of the Locos from Leeds May Gala. Blessed by fine weather, the Apedale site saw more than 1000 visitors, and the feedback seems to have been overwhelmingly positive. All of our volunteers worked tirelessly, and it is to them that the Trust's thanks must be offered. Never to be accused of not thinking ahead, we have already set the dates for the next three Railway Galas.
2016 will see Tracks to the Trenches 2. Marking the centenary of such events as the Battle of the Somme, this will be a military-themed event following the success of the acclaimed 2014 Tracks to the Trenches event. TTTT2 is to be on May 13, 14 and 15 2016. This event will be covered on this page, but also on the popular Tracks to the Trenches Facebook page.
2017 sees the centenary of the Apedale flagship - the Kerr Stuart loco Stanhope. This will be marked by a two-day event which will  celebrate all things Kerr Stuart (our local loco builder). It is planned that this will also include a major model railway presence.
Finally, 2018 will see the 3rd event marking World War One. This will be held around the weekend of May 12 & 13 2018 - we will probably also use the days either side.
Mark them in your diaries now!

Locos from Leeds Day One

Just a few photos from Day One of the Locos from Leeds Gala at Apedale. It's been a great day, and we hope to see lots of you tomorrow.

Mega Shunt Sunday

It's been the traditional pre-Gala mega shunt at Apedale. Pretty much the entire contents of all the sheds get extracted, shuffled and put back into the shed in a slightly different order. Apparently there is a carefully worked out master plan underlying the whole thing. The Master Plan for this occasion involves putting anything Leeds-built or Leeds related into Pole Position ready for next weekends jollifications. We have also taken opportunity of the decent weather to wash down a fair few of the fleet, and many of those expected to star next weekend have been test run. Unfortunately, a few teething problems emerged, but that's how it is with vintage machines some times. They really are such divas. Hopefully, we'll see you next weekend. We've reached cut-off for advance tickets, but don't worry - we'll try to keep the queue short, and it will all be worthwhile.