Caprotti and Walschaerts Std class 5 and 4 comparison

Here a comparison between the Caprotti class

5 and the Walshearts class 4

 

 

I know it is not a perfect comparison between

class 5 and class 4 however the point is still

valid. Was the Walschaerts heavier on the

class five than the Caprotti 

 

Here73129 rests at Bridgenorth

 

Was there a significant weight saving

 

To my eyes the Walschaerts would have been heavier

 

Large piston valves and of course extra valve gear

 

So was there a difference in overall weight

 

I know when the WC/BB engines were

changed from Bullied's chain gear to Walschaerts the

Weight gain caused by the Walschaerts limited their

availability of the far Devon and Cornwall lines

 

Black Five 44806 at Pickering on the North Yorks Moors Railway

We have a few black fives preserved and in steam

thank goodness

 

 

Here 44806 arrives at Pickering

 

Ian Riley is building quite a stable of these engines

Queensbury tunnel and Strines cutting at the southern end

Strines cutting then, I well remember it always

seemed deep and sinister in some way

 

 

Now it is even more so as of course there is serious

danger

 

Though the tunnel entrance has been filled to some

degree it is nevertheless quite deep

 

Lets hope something comes of the work which is

projected.

 

Many thanks the The Chairman 8 for the above colour pictures

the b&w is from the John Alsop collection

Queensbury tunnel and possible reopening

 

Queensbury tunnel (2501yds) is one of the longest and deepest railway tunnels in England.
Queensbury was on the G.N.R line serving the Northern industrial towns of Bradford, Halifax & Keighley. It was built in 1879, passenger services ceased in 1955.
A big problem in the tunnel's history was giant icicles forming on cold winter nights. A steam engine used to be parked here overnight to prevent this in later years. The line used to be known as the Alpine route due to its hilly nature.

 

 

 

Many thanks to phild for the pictures of the inside

of the tunnel.

 

 

Once again thanks to phild for the above pictures.

 

Queensbury tunnel to be drained and inspected

WORK to drain a flooded tunnel in Queensbur would be the first stage of an ambitious project to create a new underground cycleway.

Proposals to turn the disused railway tunnel into a mile and a half long cycleway date back well over a year, but plans were stalled by the fact that part of the tunnel has been flooded for several years.
Early next month Highways England, responsible for the upkeep of the tunnel, will set up a pumping station on its south side, an area called Strines Cutting, to drain water from the site.
Once the water is gone, officers will be able to access the tunnel and examine its condition ahead of emergency repairs later this year and a decision over its future. It is thought that parts of it have collapsed.
The Queensbury Community Heritage Action Partnership has ambitious plans to make the tunnel, which closed 50 years ago, into a major cycling attraction that will link Halifax with Bradford and Cullingworth. Cycling group Sustrans has already backed the plans.
Highways England has a duty to make the tunnel safe, and QCHAP has lobbied for it to do this by repairing it, rather than filling it with concrete.
Norah McWilliam, one of the founders of QCHAP, said: "This is the next step for us. Things are finally getting somewhere.
"It will be quite a dramatic site once Strines Cutting reappears after being underwater for so long."
She said that despite delays in the project, the Queensbury community was still behind the scheme.
A Highways England spokesman said: “We plan to commence work on Thursday, May 7 to set up a pumping station on land on the south side of Queensbury tunnel which will allow water to be drained from the site.
“Once it has been emptied of water we will be able to examine the condition of the tunnel lining which will inform the ongoing feasibility study. We know that a large section of the lining is in very poor condition and that parts have collapsed.
“We plan to undertake some emergency repairs this year to make the structure safe for future inspections by our contractors. At this point our contractors will be able to undertake a more through survey in respect of the tunnels potential future and the likely estimate of associated costs.

“As with all of the structures maintained by our Historical Railways Estate team on behalf of the Secretary of State, any plans to reopen one as a public asset would firstly involve transferring its responsibility to a statutory body, which would take on the structure and its future maintenance.”

Many thanks Bradford Telegraph and Argus for the above.

Visit the whole article at http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/news/12914742.Work_to_drain_flooded_cutting_is__next_step__in_plan_to_create_underground_cycleway/

Riddles standard class 4 75078 draws its train out of the carriage shed

See what I mean about the rain I got soaked

 

 

Lovely engine though and newly out of the workshops

Thanks to all the volunteers at Haworth for the great

work they do.

 

Robert Arthur "Robin" Riddles, CBE, MIMechE, MinstLE (23 May 1892 – 18 June 1983) a British locomotive engineer.

Riddles entered the Crewe Works of the London and North Western Railway as a premium apprentice in 1909, completing his apprenticeship in 1913. While attending the Mechanics Institute classes he took a course in electrical engineering, feeling there would be a future for electric traction. During the 1914–18 Great War he served with the Royal Engineers mainly in France, during which time he was badly wounded.
He returned to the LNWR at Crewe, and in 1920 became the "bricks and mortar assistant" with responsibility for the new erecting shop. When work on this was stopped, Riddles was placed in charge of a small production progress department and was sent to Horwich to study the methods used by the L&Y. From this Riddles gained some backing, and had significant influence in the re-organisation of Crewe which took place between 1925 and 1927. In 1923 the LNWR became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway thus on completion of the work at Crewe, Riddles was sent to the ex-Midland Railway works at Derby, now part of the LMS, to initiate a similar arrangement. In this task he had the active support of the then Derby works manager, H. G. Ivatt.
During the General Strike in 1926 Riddles volunteered as a driver, taking trains from Crewe to Manchester and Carlisle. The experience gained made him almost unique among CMEs; Riddles maintained that the practical knowledge of driving a locomotive that he gained was an invaluable aid to his design work.
In 1933 Riddles moved to Euston to become Locomotive Assistant to the new Chief Mechanical Engineer, Sir William Stanier, and in 1935 became Stanier's Principal Assistant. In 1937 Riddles moved to Glasgow as Mechanical & Electrical Engineer - Scotland, the first to combine both engineering disciplines in a single title. However Riddles was disappointed that C. E. Fairburn was at this time appointed as Stanier's Deputy. However much of the design of the Coronation Princess Royal Class was down to Riddles as Stanier was away in India investigating a serious railway accident on behalf of the government.
Upon the creation of the Railway Executive in 1947 in preparation for the nationalisation of the railways in 1948, he was appointed Member of the Railway Executive for Mechanical and Electrical Engineering. He had two principal assistants, both of whom were also former LMS men: Roland C. Bond, Chief Officer (Locomotive Construction and Maintenance), and E. S. Cox, Executive Officer (Design). The duties of these three effectively covered the old post of Chief Mechanical Engineer; they subsequently oversaw the design of the British Railways (BR) standard classes.

My thanks to Wikipedia for much of the above with some additions from myself

 

http://kwvr.co.uk/

 

 

75078 on a very wet Saturday at Oxenhope K&WVR

See what I mean. I am sure many of our fraternal

friends with cameras at the ready know how I

felt

 

 

It threw it down

Stroudly Terrier and the Bluebell line

Some experimental screen grabs

 

 

Not the usual standard I know

 

The Bluebell line me thinks but could be wrong

 

I know the feelings of damp days, it was chucking

it down at Oxenhope Sat last

 

http://www.bluebell-railway.co.uk/

Robert Riddles standard class's for British Railways, Std class 4 75078

Collecting its train at Oxenhope

 

 

Departing Oxenhope with the first steam train of

the day

 

Next stop Haworth then Oakworth, Ingrow and

Keighley

 

The tea is always hot

 

Haworth Yard from a different perspective.

 

http://kwvr.co.uk/

N2 Tank engine 1744

Arriving Bury Bolton Street station

 

 

A sight which would have been common on the

Queensbury lines

 

the N2 was a development of Henry Ivatt’s very successful N1 class. The main differences were that the N2 carried a superheated boiler and was fitted with piston valves rather than slide valves to the cylinders. This latter change necessitated the boiler being raised in the frames with in consequence a shorter chimney and dome. The resultant locomotive had a less elegant but much more punchy and purposeful appearance which combined with a throaty bark gave the locomotive an impressive personality. The new class also had larger cylinders and a greater water capacity in the side tanks.

 

The N2 was designed for local passenger train work, essentially for the Kings Cross workings. It was able to lift a rake of non-vestibule stock up the gradient from the Cross with a minimum of fuss. The service was fairly intense and demanded no delay. Often the N2 hauled locals would leave their platform at the same time as an express hauled by a Pacific. The N2 would be away from a stand more sharply than the Pacific, its small wheels and less load behind the drawbar giving it an advantage. As the main line train was got under way it would catch up and run alongside, eventually leaving behind the local service as it gained speed. It could be quite an exciting event to watch from the cab of the main line locomotive or from a leading carriage in the train.

 

Many thanks to the GCR for the above notes

Bewdley station on the Severn Valley Railway

Must be one of the most photographed stations

on the preserved network

 

A lovely station faithfully restored to its GWR

days

 

The town is a lovely place to spend a while too

 

Towards Bridgenorth

 

Towards Kidderminster

GWR Manor class 'Earlestoke Manor'

Her about to leave Kidderminster town for Bridgenorth

and all intermediate stations

 

 

Once again a superb class of engine

GWR Small Prairie 4566

 Seen here at Kidderminster Town station on the

Severn Valley Railway

 

 

Undoubtedly a superb class of engine for country

and light suburban work

 

Good acceleration got them away and up to speed

between stations

 

An excellent workhorse for the rural lines in the

West Country

BR Standard class 4 4-6-0 75078 at Haworth today

Class four 75078 is readied at Haworth this morning

for the days work.

 

 

A superb engine now run in from it's recent overhaul

 

Below arriving at Oxenhope to collect its train

 

Coupled up and ready

 

The right hand side of the engine has the BR totem

however the left hand side of the tender still carries

the strange logo

 

 

Kidderminster Town station Severn Vally Railway

Kidderminster Town is operated by the Severn Valley Railway, a heritage line which runs from Kidderminster to Bridgnorth. The station was opened on 30 July 1984, was built in the Victorian style, and shares its station approach and car park with the adjacent National Rail station.

 

 

The first railway station at Kidderminster was opened by the Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway (OW&WR) in 1854. It became an important intermediate station on the line which became part of the West Midland Railway in 1860. In turn, the WMR was absorbed intro the Great Western Railway (GWR) between 1863 and 1870.

 

The opening of the Severn Valley Railway in 1862 had no direct effect on Kidderminster because passengers wishing to use the line changed at Hartlebury.

 

The situation changed in 1878, when a "loop-line" was opened between Bewdley and Kidderminster, linking Kidderminster with the Severn Valley Line. However, despite this most trains using the line ran through Bewdley, and then the Wyre Forest line to Tenbury Wells or Woofferton.

 

Due to dwindling passenger numbers, the Severn Valley Line closed to through traffic in 1963. North of Bewdley, the line closed completely in early 1969 when Alveley colliery was shut down and freight traffic ceased. Passenger services on the Kidderminster, Bewdley and Hartlebury section clung on until 1970. The halt of traffic to Stourport power station in 1979, and Kidderminster - Foley Park sugar corporation traffic in 1982 saw the end of regular British Rail services off the main line.

 

With the exception of Country Park halt, Kidderminster is, by far, the youngest of the SVR stations. Bridgnorth to Bewdley passenger services started in 1974, and it was decided to extend the line to Kidderminster to attract more custom from what was (and still is) a bustling town close to the West Midlands conurbation. After Kidderminster goods yard became disused in 1982, the SVR purchased the line to the east of Foley Park. Sharing the British Rail station of Kidderminster was impractical, so SVR claimed a site to the west of the BR station. When the station building was constructed insufficient funds meant only two wings of the basic building could be completed. Many of the typical Victorian GWR station fixtures and fittings also had to be omitted. The station design was based on a turn of the century GWR design for Ross-on-Wye station. Since then a number of these missing features have been constructed and erected by volunteers including a cantilevered canopy in the 1880s Port Cochere style at the front of the building and the replica ornamental crestings adorning the two towers. The original iron crestings of this style are thought to have been cast by Macfarlane & Co at the Saracen Foundry, Possilpark, Glasgow. At the architect's request the replicas have been cast in aluminium to reduce the deadweight on the tower structures. To prevent corrosion due to electrolytic action all fixings to the roof structure have been electrically isolated from the aluminium castings with plastic washers etc. Examples of identical original cast iron crestings may be seen adorning Slough railway station, Wrexham General railway station and the HSBC Bank in Derby city centre.

 

The missing wing was completed in 2006, together with a canopy covering the station concourse. The design of the steelwork for this canopy has been closely based on the former GWR station at Wolverhampton Low Level.

 

In 2000, the carriage shed was constructed within the site. A fifth of a mile long, it is the UK's largest on a heritage railway with a capacity of circa 56 bogie vehicles. In the Spring of 2012, it was a filming location of the fantasy adventure movie Mariah Mundi and the Midas Box, which was scheduled for release in 2013.

 

Many thanks Wikipedia for the above notes the pictures are my own