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Sunday 31 January 2016

As seen in my own sat pictures 43924, back on track


43924, back on track

by news@kwvr
Missing from the front line since the end of October, Midland 4F 0-6-0 43924 is back in action following a Winter maintenance programme that illustrates the amount of work required to keep the operational fleet operational.
Thanks to Ralph Ingham's report we have an insight into what can be involved in what, to our untrained eyes, appears quite simple. A 14 month boiler exam and fitting new left hand and right hand big end bearings sounds quite straight forward, an assumption far from the truth.
The previous set of big end bearings had done sterling service since fitting before the locomotive first ran in 1970. However these were not to the original dimensions, there being neither drawings nor patterns available when 43924 was first restored. As a consequence they could be a little thirsty on oil, although they happily resisted the 8 coaches that the Severn Valley Railway attached behind the tender on its visit there in 2014.
A suitable drawing only came to light following the acquisition by the National Railway Museum of drawings located at Derby. Thanks to a time spent by 4F regular Ron Winfindale ferreting through Derby's drawings, we were able obtain copies of all those relating to the class. From these a correct pattern was produced and brasses cast, whitemetalled and roughed out. Once completed only then could time be found for the 95 year old veteran to be stopped long enough for the fitting work to be undertaken.
Since withdrawal, and amongst other jobs, the shed staff “usual suspects” have machined and fitted new the big end bearings and after a successful test run in blizzard conditions on Saturday 30th January, the 4F returned to traffic at first in tandem with 75078 and then on its own with 4 coaches behind the drawbar.
Thankfully photographers, braved the elements and were there to record 43924's triumphant return, a tribute to the hard work of Haworth shed staff and volunteers.
'On shed' being prepared for the test run.
‘On shed’ being prepared for the test run.

Coasting down to Keighley with 75078.
Coasting down to Keighley with 75078.

Double-heading with 75078 at Damems Junction.
Double-heading with 75078 at Damems Junction.

75078 & 43924 round the curve on the exit from Mytholmes Tunnel
75078 & 43924 round the curve on the exit from Mytholmes Tunnel

In blizzard conditions, journey's end at Oxenhope.
In blizzard conditions, journey’s end at Oxenhope.

Back on duty, 43924 departs Keighley in difficult conditions but in fine style.
Back on duty, 43924 departs Keighley in difficult conditions but in fine style.

Many thanks to Robert Batty and Chris King. Nice to know I wasn't the only mad photograper out on Saturday

I include my own picture of the pair at Haworth in the morning. I caught the blizzard up at Oxenhope.


Great to see this stalwart of the K&WVR back


Robin Riddles Austerity locomotive 90733 in disguise

Playing the part of 90711 which was the last steam 
locomotive to run over the Queensbury lines as it 
hauled the engineer's dismantling train which 
lifted the tracks


BR standard class 4 76079

Crew change at Grosmont gives us a good indication
of the size of these magnificent engines


Once again a summer day, soon be back.

Crisp, cold, clear winter sunshine at Oxenhope on the K&WVR

Just a couple of weeks ago, such a difference to
yesterday


90733 shines in the sun


Roll on the summer warmth



Saturday 30 January 2016

K&WVR today, sunshine and blizzard

I won't anotate every one I think they speak for
themselves. It was blinking cold though








What we do for this hobby of ours

The new Forster Square station

The New Forster Sq station


Some may recognise the arches


The new station is situated where the old school 
St bridge cross the old station platforms at their
extreme north end



We could still squeeze another line in for steam 
with a run round


Now served by modern electric sets

Keighley & Worth Valley railway today 30th Jan 2016

Had a run up to the K&WVR this morning 


Two engines in steam in the yard. BR Class 4 75078
and Midland class 4 43924


Only the BR class 4 was working trains


In between the blizzard conditions the sun came out.
Last outing for this engine before workshop checks 
prior to the Winter Steam gala next month

Friday 29 January 2016

GWR Prairies, Moguls and 56/66XX series engines

I have often commented on my recollections of these 
very fine engines both in the South West and in South
Wales where I spent a good deal of my childhood


here the 56 and 66XX series now thankfully preserved
at Minehead on the West Somerset Railway


In my day they were a good deal grimier and here
we see them at Swansea shed


The Priarie's and the Moguls were the general 
workhorses of the GWR


Crofts Engineers Bradford and my love of all things Steam

In my own apprenticeship days the long workshops
seen in the pictures by the GNR Leeds-Ardsley line
contained the fitting and machining shops for the
heavy transmission equipment built by the successors
of Mess'rs Newton Bean & Mitchell, Mess'rs Crofts
Engineers and Co


Above you see the fabrication dept where large gear
box cases were fabricated before going for machining


Above and below the general fitting shop where 
worm wheel and helical gears were built for a 
multitude of purpose


Below can be seen the use of some of the worm 
and wheel gears manufactured on the Dudley 
Hill site


These I believe were powering malting drums at
a distillery in Scotland.

So now you know what went on those works next 
to the GNR line and my own association and 
eventual success, gaining my second and chief
engineers qualifications and when my engineering 
career ended with redundancy I was ideally placed
to study for a degree and taught mathematics 
and physics to would be future engineers. 
I do feel very sad these days that the
opportunities afforded me, albeit with 
great patience and understanding is not readily
available to the young men and women of today where
it seems everything has to be done and achieved between the 
ages of five and eighteen. My path has been one of lifelong learning. 


Dudley Hill and where I served my apprenticeship

Some of you have inquired about
the works where I served my apprenticeship
The works pictured at Dudley Hill, Dawson lane
were originally the works of Mess'rs Newton Bean
and Mitchell who produced would you believe 
STEAM ENGINES. 


Their steam engines were of course of 
the static variety that powered mills and 
generating plants.


The connection with the company with whom I 
served my apprenticeship was in the power 
transmission side such as gears and pulleys


Such were needed in abundance to transmit the power
of the steam engine to the looms and spinning mules
of the mills. 


There is an excellent example of just such an engine 
in the Bradford Industrial Museum seen below


This was a Newton Bean & Mitchell Uniflow engine.


Before the development of the steam turbine,
as with the marine industry, power generation
was by means of steam reciprocating engines as
seen above. Newton Bean & Mitchell built some
very large engines. In my day it was the first shop 
entered and was called the heavy fitting shop. It
was of course by that time owned and operated 
by Crofts Engineers and it was where the very 
large gearboxes were assembled that drove
large sugar mills and indeed turbine 
installations and was of course the 
raison-d'etre for my eventual
move to P&O as a junior 
marine engineering officer.
Now in old age I harbor fond 
memories of the Newton Bean works 
and the men who very patiently taught me my trade

The artistic side of me says my cup raneth over




Laisterdyke East junction and Cutlers junction

I have been asked how access to the Dudley Hill 
GNR Ardsley line was gained from the Bradford
 side. Well it was from these two junctions. 


Above we see Cutlers junction which was a little
way past Laisterdyke station and formed the GNR
line to Leeds from Ardlsley and of course Low Moor
the lines in the centre foreground are the main line
from Leeds to Bradford via Laisterdyke some 
quarter mile to the west of this junction, here we
see a Thompson B1 coming off the GNR Leeds 
to Ardsley line having passed through Dudley Hill
some mile and a half back or of course maybe it 
just turned on the triangle 


Above in the second picture is Laisterdyke east
with the line to Cutler Heights and Dudley Hill 
on the left with the Fowler tank and train. The
line to the right of the picture is the main line 
from Bradford to Leeds. Originally of course line
 down past Laisterdyke into Bradford terminated
at Adolphus St station which was the original
terminus for trains from Manchester via Low 
Moor and Bowling tunnel. However by the time
the Cutlers junction to Low Moor line was built
everything running down into Bradford would
have terminated at Exchange. Adolphus St was
by that time only used for goods. So the train in
the picture would probably have been a Wakefield
train via Laisterdyke, Dudley Hill and Ardsley.

Thursday 28 January 2016

West Yorkshire railways map

Here a better map showing the Dudley Hill
Low Moor line and many others


A GN and L&Y bill was deposited in 1883 for new junctions between the two systems, at Dewsbury and Low Moor. Work on these connections did not begin until 1890. The Dewsbury connection running from a point 0.5 miles south-east of Dewsbury to the L&Y Thornhill-Dewsbury branch at Headfield Junction and was a rather costly affair. It incurred building a 300 yard long masonry viaduct from the Gn Bradford-Wakefield  line, a substantial cantilever bridge across the River Calder, a girder road bridge and finally a smaller edition of the river bridge across a cul-de-sac of the Calder and Hebble Navigation Canal. The Low Moor connection to Dudley Hill involved earthworks and road bridges only and was nearly two miles in length.
When these lines were completed in 1893 the GNR was able to advertise a circular passenger service from Leeds Central station through Tingley and Dewsbury via Thornhill to Dudley Hill, and then back to Leeds through Pudsey. Sadly the public did not show any enthusiasm for the new route and the service was withdrawn some twenty years after its opening. The Low Moor to Dudley Hill branch closed in 1917 and track later taken up.

Dudley Hill Station was described in the 1960’s as: ‘Grass sprouts on the four platforms as the station was closed on April 7th 1952. The two eastern faces are even more decrepit, for they have not been used since the withdrawal of passenger services between Dudley Hill and Low Moor in 1917. This branch, the earthworks of which are still to be seen, descended to pass beneath the parent line some 300 yards south of the station and turned south-westward towards Low Moor.’ 

Wednesday 27 January 2016

The Dudley Hill station story ending

Once again for your convenience I include the view
of the line from above. Crofts Engineers Dawson
lane works dominates the centre top. The Low 
Moor line can be seen in the cutting bottom right
where it entered a short tunnel to pass under the
Great Northern Leeds to Ardsley line. We can 
all to easily forget how the local railways scene 
was dominated by the Great Northern Railway
who were determined to gain footholds in the 
Lancashire & Yorkshire territory now under the 
influence of the Midland and LNWR soon to be
the LMS


The large shed like building which can be seen in
the picture below, centre left, can be seen bottom 
right corner of the aerial view above. In my days
working at Crofts it was a bicycle shop


The view above is take from the Great Northern 
line looking towards Dudley Hill station. The steel
over bridge at the top of the picture carries Dawson 
lane over the railway. To my back would be seen 
Crofts Dawson lane works and the line to Ardsley
and further on to Wakefield. The small bridge on
the right of the picture carried Tong St across the
Low Moor line whose short tunnel parapet can be
seen centre right 


Above picture taken from the Tong St bridge facing
Knowles lane bridge and shows the good branch now
unused and disconnected on the centre left



Here the cutting is now being infilled in the 1970's
The steel bridge being Dawson lane. How short a
 life these very costly civil engineering projects
lasted is testimony to the railway mania of the time.


Above the last views of what little remains of  a
once busy station, goods depot and junction. 
Dudley Hill station bereft of all buildings 
showing the view towards Knowles Lane

Below the end of the Low Moor line



How quickly we cast aside that which we have no further use of only to find that we needed it after all