The Foxfield Railway

Here I can show the magnificent work

completed by the carriage team at the

Foxfield Railway and advertise the

event on their behalf. My grateful

thanks to the team I met on Wed

gone and thanks to them for letting

me have access to the Knotty Set

and for their time in explaining the

difficulties they experienced in the

restoration process. It is a great credit

to them and will soon be available for

all to see.

 

 

The Knotty Heritage carriages are a magnificent

example of the superb work done by our preserved

railways. Two four wheel carriages of the North

Staffordshire Railways were rescued by the

 volunteers from their use as a chicken

Hut.

 

Here we see the coaches rebuilt to original standard

 

I think all will agree, a superb standard

has been achieved

 

The North Staffordshire Railways

served the potteries north towards

Manchester covering the counties of

Staffordshire. Derbyshire, Cheshire

and Shropshire. The headquarters

were in Stoke on Trent. The railway

 survived independent until 1923

when it was incorporated into the

LMS.

 

This was what they began with

 

A great deal of work some of which

was quite demanding. The original

carriages were of course unbraked.

So a system of braking had to be

designed and incorporated as well

as the emergency braking from

inside the carriages to make

them acceptable for use now

 

Many railways I know undertake such painstaking

work but they are usually attached to the larger

preserved railways such as our own Vintage

Carriage Trust on the Keighley Worth Valley

at Ingrow Station. The Foxfield is a smaller

railway and so great credit to the chaps who

set about doing this work and completed it

to such a high standard.

 

The standards are plain to see.

 

The original lamps I am told would have

been oil lamps. Normal electric lamps

would have been too bright as 5 or 6

watts. So a whole new lamp was devised

using LED's which gave a cumulative 1.5

to 2 watts, I can assure you the amount of

light is about that which would have been

experienced by travellers in the late 1800's

Very evocative indeed.

 

So go along and see them for yourself at

 

http://www.foxfieldrailway.co.uk/

 

Latest news is they have found a third and it's a brake.

So hopefully funds can be found to purchase it and

refurbish it to the same standard, then there will be

a full set.

 

The Foxfield is a relatively small railway and they

deserve our support in the very excellent work they

are undertaking with such painstaking determination

 

Remember them and pay a visit.

 

http://www.foxfieldrailway.co.uk/