The Foxfield Railway

A few previously unpublished pictures from my

visit to the Foxfield Railway last year.

 

Below VULCAN

 

 

Our old friend from the Vintage Carriage Trust

 

BELLEROPHON

 

 

Pruducts of the Vulcan foundry

 

Snow plough guards van

 

As always there are plenty of diesel shunter's

 

English Electric 4wE built 1939, number 1130 "Spondon No 2"

This small electric locomotive was built in 1939 by the English Electric Co Ltd of Preston, and was equipped with a pantograph on the roof for current collection from overhead wires. It also had a set of batteries to enable it to work from stored power away from the wires if necessary. It was supplied to work at the Spondon Power Station at Borrowash, near Derby, where it was "No2" of three similar locos. When the Central Electricity Generating Board sold the power station to Courtaulds Acetate Ltd the electric locomotives became redundant, as Courtaulds had their own diesels. "Spondon No2" was bought privately for preservation and was delivered by road to Foxfield on 28 February 1983. As an experiment, "Spondon No2" has moved under its own power at Foxfield using power supplied by a petrol generator. However, a new set of batteries are required before it could be returned to service, which would represent a major investment.

 

 

All are well looked after

 

Bagnall 0-6-0DM built 1959, number 3150 "Wolstanton No 3"

"Wolstanton No3" is the only survivor of three locomotives built at the same time for NCB Wolstanton Colliery, Stoke-on-Trent. These were works numbers 3147, 3149 and 3150 which became numbers 1 to 3 at Wolstanton. They were among several similar machines used by the NCB in the North and South Staffordshire areas, and were characterised by the neat Bagnall styling of the bonnet, radiator and cab. The design was developed in 1955 and the engine fitted is a Gardner 204hp unit with conventional mechanical transmission to a jackshaft and coupling rods. Overall, the mechanical aspects of these locomotives are very similar to a British Railways class 03 shunter. A larger, longer 304hp version was also built by Bagnalls, and they later experimented with hydraulic transmission, as shown on the four wheeled version "Myfanwy" and the smaller diesel "Leys". "Wolstanton No3" spent a short period of time at Hem Heath Colliery but otherwise worked at Wolstanton during its extensive modernisation and expansion to raise coal from the workings of several of the older pits in the area. Production never lived up to expectations and the colliery ceased winding coal in October 1985. Sister locomotive "Wolstanton No 2" had already been scrapped in 1978 but "Wolstanton No 1" and "Wolstanton No 3" remained in use until the end, together with another couple of diesels. All were sold for scrap in March 1986 except "Wolstanton No3" which was the subject of a last minute rescue by a Foxfield member, arriving for preservation by road on 21 March.