Norman leaves for Bolton Abbey

J96 Austerity's good all round views

The Hunslet Engine Company Austerity 0-6-0ST is a steam locomotive designed for shunting. The class became the standard British shunting locomotive during the Second World War, and production continued until 1964.

The 48150 class were built for the Guest Keen Baldwins Iron & Steel Company in 1937, being an enlarged version of a design dating from 1923. These developed into the 50550 class of 1941–42, with various modifications.
At the outbreak of the Second World War, the War Department had initially chosen the LMS 'Jinty' 3F 0-6-0T as its standard shunting locomotive, but was persuaded by Hunslet that a simplified version of their more modern 50550 design would be more suitable. The first was completed at their Leeds works at the start of 1943.

After D-Day they were used on Continental Europe and in North Africa as well as at docks and military sites in Britain.
A total of 377 had been built for the War Department by 1947 (on orders placed during the war), with two further engines having been built for collieries (without the permission of the Ministry of Supply). When the end of the war reduced the need for locomotives, the military started to review its fleet:

• 90 locomotives were kept by the military
• 75 locomotives were sold to the LNER and classified as J94
• 27 that had been loaned to Nederlandse Spoorwegen were sold to that company in 1947 (NS Class 8800, numbers 8801–27)
• 11 were loaned to the Nederlandsche Staatsmijnen, who bought 9 of those

Others were sold for industrial use. A number of those used on the continent are believed^[1] to have worked on light and industrial railways in France, six going to the Chemins de Fer Tunisiens in 1946.^[2]

For a complete list of preserved Austerities, see List of preserved Hunslet Austerity 0-6-0ST locomotives.

Around 70 Austerities have been preserved on heritage railways. Several have been painted as LNER Class J94s to represent mainline rather than industrial use.

Not all have survived intact; the boiler of RSH 7135 of 1944 was used on the replica Broad gauge locomotive "Iron Duke" built in 1985. At least one has been turned into a Thomas the Tank Engine look-a-like, and another into one of Douglas, also from The Railway Series.

Hunslet undertook the rebuilding of many NCB locomotives and when the Army started to sell off locomotives again in 1959, they bought 15 examples that were to be rebuilt and sold on. The NCB bought 13 of these, the 14th was sold directly into preservation and the final locomotive was scrapped without being rebuilt. Ultimately from first to last, a total of 485 examples were constructed between 1943 and 1964.
The NCB continued to use Austerities in the 1970s and a small number remained in service until the early 1980s, notably at Bickershaw Colliery, Greater Manchester. Some of the examples that survived the longest were those fitted with mechanical stokers and Kylpor Blast pipes or Giesl ejectors to improve their performance and reduce smoke.

Driver diameter	4 ft 3 in (1.295 m)
Minimum curve	180 ft (54.86 m)
Wheelbase	11 ft 0 in (3.35 m)
Length	30 ft 4 in (9.25 m)
Axle load	13 tons 7 cwt (29,900 lb or 13.6 t)
Locomotive weight	48 tons 5 cwt (108,100 lb or 49.0 t)
Fuel type	Coal
Fuel capacity	2 tons 5 cwt (5,000 lb or 2.3 t)
Water capacity	1,200 imp gal (5,500 l; 1,400 US gal)
Boiler	Round top outer firebox, 181 tubes, copper or steel inner firebox
Boiler pressure	170 psi (1.17 MPa)
Firegrate area	16.8 sq ft (1.56 m2)
Heating surface: Tubes	873 sq ft (81.1 m2)
Heating surface: Firebox	88 sq ft (8.2 m2)
Superheater type	None
Cylinders	Two, inside
Cylinder size	18 × 26 in (457 × 660 mm)
Valve gear	Stephenson
Valve type	Slide valves
Tractive effort	23,870 lbf (106.18 kN)
Power class	BR: 4F
Nicknames	Austerity
Retired

My thanks to Wikepedia for the text above

J96 Austerity the view from the footplate

The view from the footplate forwards

My grateful thanks to the Footplate crew and all at Embsay station.

Do visit them in person or take a look at http://www.embsayboltonabbeyrailway.org.uk/

If you visit in person, and trains are still running at the weekends, there is a very good second hand book shop on the platform. Railway magazine past issues at eight for a pound is very good value indeed. There are lots of Books too and the Railway shop proper has a wealth of new books and other items.

Do support the work of this super little railway

remember http://www.embsayboltonabbeyrailway.org.uk/

J96 Austerity's footplate

Here the firemans side.

And here the drivers side

Pressure up nicely

Yesterday

Yesterday being pleasantly warm and sunny I took a drive along to the Embsay and Bolton Abbey railway

The Austerity J96 'Norman' was in charge again. Do have a little patience with the second one ot takes some time for the loco to move off.  

I got permission to board the Footplate

LMS 2500

Probably amongst the most powerful tank locomotive built in Britain.

LMS 3-Cylindered Stanier 2-6-4T

LMS 3-Cylindered Stanier 2-6-4T is a class of steam locomotive designed for work over the London, Tilbury and Southend Railway. All 2500-36 were built in 1934 at Derby Works. The third cylinder was provided to allow increased acceleration between the many stops on the L.T.&S.R. line. From 1935 the LMS switched to constructing a very similar, simpler, 2-cylindered design.
No. 2500 was the first of the 37 express passenger tank locomotives designed specifically for the London Tilbury and Southend line of the London Midland & Scottish railway (LMS) as they were too powerful for mixed-traffic work. It was built in 1934 at LMS Crewe works.
No. 2500 has survived and is on display at the National Railway Museum in York. It is the sole survivor of this class and is painted in LMS lined black livery.

Leading wheel diameter	3 ft 3 1⁄2 in (1.003 m)
Driver diameter	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Trailing wheel diameter	3 ft 3 1⁄2 in (1.003 m)
Wheelbase	38.5 ft (11.7 m)
Length	47 ft 2 3⁄4 in (14.395 m)
Width	8 ft 11 1⁄2 in (2.731 m)
Height	12 ft 10 1⁄2 in (3.924 m)
Locomotive weight	92.25 long tons (93.73 t)

The Devonian in Royal hands

Would that it had been so in real times past. We usually got a jubilee. Here Princess Elizabeth hauls the 'Devonian'. The Devonian was a Bradford Paignton train and a very busy one in the summer holidays as I well remember on holidays to Torquay and Torbay.

Seen here at Bristol Temple Meads where the train was always handed over to the Great Western from the LMS

Princess Royal Class

The London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) Princess Royal Class is a class of an express passenger steam locomotive designed by William Stanier. They were Pacifics (i.e. had a 4-6-2 wheel arrangement). Thirteen examples were built at Crewe Works, between 1933 and 1935 and two are preserved.

When originally built, they were used to haul the famous Royal Scot train between London Euston and Glasgow Central. Two batches of locos were built; a first batch of two, and a second batch of eleven, including a single example of a version using steam turbines instead of cylinders (No.6202) – which was in its own, separate class. This Turbomotive was later rebuilt with conventional pistons, then finally destroyed in the Harrow and Wealdstone rail crash. The rest of the class were withdrawn in the early 1960s in line with British Railways' modernisation plan.
Each locomotive was named after a princess, the official name for the class was chosen because Mary, Princess Royal was the Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Scots. However, the locos were known to railwaymen as "Lizzies", after the second example of the class named for Princess Elizabeth who later became Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom. Later examples of 4-6-2 express passenger locomotive built by the LMS were of the related but larger, Princess Coronation Class.
.
My thanks to Wikepedia for the above

Scematic of Bullied valve gear

Here Bullieds famous valve gear as fitted to the Merchant navy class aswell as the West Country and Battle of Britain class pacifics of the southeren railway.

The subsequent rebuilds under British Railways to conventional Walschearts valve gear added to the weight of the loco reducing its route availability in rebuilt form. To the end of steam only the original unrebuilds were allowed over the far West of England lines such as from Barnstaple to Ilfaracombe.

Battle of Britain class

We used to refer to them as 'spam cans'. Now recognised as being before their time, as indeed was Riddles 8P Duke of Gloucester.

Problems experienced with the oil bath for the chain driven valve gear have been over come with modern materials such as neoprene rather than the leather cup seals originally fitted.

Fairburn Class 4 tank

A once very common sight

The Stanier Mogul

LMS 'Royal Scot'

The Stanier 8F

LMS Royal Scot class 'Kings Own'

Class 3 43098 at Leeds City Station

A superb pencil drawing of a class 3 simmering at Leeds City Station. Yes it really is a pencil drawing. Do you know by who? Let me know maybe they have done others. Excellent work which should be recognised.

Britannia

Can't quite make out the signature. Is it yours?? Let me know and I shall attribute this very atmospheric painting of 70000

Greates and smallest

Tyresley as it was

Tyresley was a major Midland MPD in the days of steam and of course still remains so in presevation

Railways in the Antipodes.

As you will have seen I am a marine engineer whose service began at sea. I have mentioned passing Hartland point outward bound for New Zealand. Well in my early days steam was still in use in and around Wellington Docks. Here on Lambton Quay Wellington steam was the prime motive power used

My own service in those days were in the ships of the New Zealand Shipping Company. Ships such as Cumberland, Sussex, Westmorland and Wild Auk.

LMS and LNER memories

These were very small thumbnails and I think the signature is Freeman which I beieve to be Barry Freeman do visit his site at http://www.barry-freeman.co.uk/

Great Western Railway memories

I spent much time on the GWR in my childhood days in both the West Country along with South and West Wales. Happy days for holidays and visiting distant family left many happy memories.

Although the sigmature is a bit indistinct I belive it id Barry Freeman. View his other work at http://www.barry-freeman.co.uk/

Super D with mixed goods

Once a common sight, here a LNWR Super D hauls a mixed goods.

I have not found the author of this pic, if you see it and it's yours do please let me know and I can attribute it properly. Contact at teachertalk1234@yahoo.co.uk

The heavy lift set

Picture curtessy of http://www.haworth-village.org.uk/ do visit them

Steam goods today

More by way of keeping the image alive our preserved railways run good trains. Don't earn any revenue from them but they do trigger the memories.

Rebuilt West Country 'Hartland'

Rebuilt West Country pacific 'Hartland'. Named after the promontory of rock jutting out into the Bristol Channel it marks the point where the Bristol channel ends and the Atlantic begins. Many times I have sailed past this point of departure outward bound for New Zealand.

LMS Horwich Crab

Not too frequent a visitor this side of the Pennines but many were seen over here. Superb engines  they could pull anything anywhere

Evening Star

On the main line and in the NRM, one of the jewels of the national collection

George Stephenson 44767

                       Our old friend George Stephenson on the 'Jacobite'

Lancashire and Yorkshire At the Worth Valley line

London and North Western Super D 49395 at Keighley

                          52044 Lancs and Yorks 0 6 0 at Oxenhope

Devons Railways

Devon of course is home to many preserved railways one of which is the Dart Valley Railway

Railways view

Yes it was glorious this August past

My own memories of the summer gone

Bude is a beautiful seaside town as is the one bottom. Woolacombe sands are the very best in England. The water so clear you can stand out to sea with it up to your neck and look down and see you feet and toes clearly. On many days the surf is such that many surfers enjoy the sea sand and sunshine.  

Mortehoe was a station on the line from Barnstaple to Ilfracombe, from there is went down the steep grade into that lovely town. 



Summer reminders holiday posters

As the first frost of the year bit this morning I thought it appropriate to give ourselves a gentle reminder of warmer days

Steam nostalgia on canvas

I am most grateful to Philip Hawkins for these small copies of hise excellent paintings which stir the memories in all of us. Do suypport our railway artists and puschase their full size prints. They would enhance any room but of course our hobby room even more See Philips paintings at http://www.philipdhawkins.co.uk/

Ingrow Loco and the Bahamas Society

Ingrow station on the KWVR houses both the vintage carriage trust's museum of stream travel and the Bahamas societies Railway Centre

The museums (off South Street A629) are adjacent to Ingrow (West) railway station on the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway, a five-mile long heritage railway which serves Keighley, Ingrow, Damems, Oakworth, Haworth and Oxenhope.

The museum houses some of our collection, and at present includes two of our steam locomotives LNWR Coal Tank and Tiny.  Here also, is an interpretive exhibition of aspects of railway history, primarily the steam locomotive.
The Workshop provides for the maintenance and overhaul of  locomotives and rolling stock.
The Museum exhibition, created and produced entirely by the societies volunteers, is currently open on all days when the Keighley & Worth Valley are running trains.  This includes most weekends throughout the year, and weekdays during the summer.

My thanks to Ingrow Loco for the above, visit them at  Visit our Museum Website

Bahamas in LMS crimson livery



Ay Haworth shortly after it's arrival from Dinting