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5619 Update | Steaming to Ironbridge
Update 16/5/2011
Lawley Buffers Connected
On Sunday May 1st the last piece of track needed to join the bufers at the new Lawley platform site to our running line was finally tightened down and fishplated. Now, OK, there is still some ballasting to be done on the east side, the east side engine release point has only the straight through rail in-situ and the west side is not connected up at either the tunnel point or the engine release, BUT there is continuous track. Who could resist taking the steam engine through to the buffers, so after the public service finished ....
Update 7/1/2011
Departures
Both privately owned 1950 Sentinel 0-4-0 No. 9401 (Steam) rebuilt 1967 by Thomas Hill No. 177C 'Joanna' and 1956 Yorkshire Engine Co. 0-6-0DE No. 2756 have been moved to EMR Kingsbury scrapyard. Joanna will be used as the yard shunter, the Yorkshire will be scrapped.
Arrivals
Not a loco - a bridge! back in October 2010 Network Rail replaced a single track bridge at Honeybourne in Gloucestershire. They made a video of this work which can be seen on You Tube. This bridge was donated to TSR, we only had to pay transport. It is destined to be used to cross the ironbridge By-Pass in Phase 2 of or Steaming to Ironbridge project.
Also arrived is a hand operating hydraulic track-alignment machine, kindly loaned to us by Chasewater Railway. This is being used alongside our own tamping machine to align and tamp the new trackwork through the tunnel and out on to Lawley Common.
New Toilet Block
In November, just before the bad weather arrived, the concrete raft for our new toilet block was poured. The bad weather since then, and the interruption caused by our Santa Service, means that this project has been slightly delayed. However it is intended that this new toilet block will be open in time for the new season.
Update 9/9/2010
Ruston Hornsby 0-4-0DH LSSH No. 525947
'Rusty' has been out of service for about 5 years. Following sponsorship from the Ironstone Development Group, work commenced some time ago on restoration and repaint. Originally suffering from overheating the water pump was refurbished, there was a crack in the body, and the system cleaned. However this did not solve the problem. Further investigation discovered that one of the cylinder heads had a crack and was leaking water into one of the cylinders. The head has been replaced and the engine has had a number of hours running, static in the shed without overheating. The pump feeding fluid to the torque transmission unit and also the air compresssor have both been overhauled too.
New Arrival - Sentinel 0-6-0DH No 10180
Owned by Andrew Briddon, the Sentinel was delivered to TSR on 18th August 2010. Formerly at Rutland Railway Museum
the Sentinel has returned to its birthplace. Well - not quite.
The forerunner of the Sentinel steam waggon was built by the Shropshire based company of Simpson
and Bibby in Horsehay, located just opposite TSR. Simpson and Bibby Ltd was taken over by Alley
and MacLellan Ltd of Glasgow in 1903 and production was moved to Polmadie, Glasgow. The waggon was
then sold under the Alley & MacLellan trade mark "Sentinel". The waggon became such a success that
it was necessary to form a separate company and build a new factory especially to build them. The
factory was established on a greenfield site on the northern outskirts of Shrewsbury in 1915. The
Sentinel diesel hydraulic range started production in Shrewsbury following the takeover of
Sentinel (Shrewsbury) Ltd by Rolls-Royce in 1956.
North British 0-4-0DH No 27414 'Tom'
Tom now has a new engine in situ. A new coupling shaft is now being fabricated to connect the engine to the drive. This shaft will have integral belt pulleys fitted to drive the air compressor and vacuum exhauster.
Update 24/6/2010
North British 0-4-0DH No 27414 'Tom'
Work has started, after quite a long delay (many years) preparing Tom to receive a new engine. The new unit should arrive on site shortly. The Photo shows that the engine bay superstucture and the radiator have been removed - ready and waiting. You can follow progress on the Photo Pic page.
Update 1/4/2010
5619 and Steam Tram
Our flagship locomotive No. 5619 moved to the North Norfolk Railway on 9th Mar 2010 and was in service at their Spring Gala in Mar 2010. Check out the video link on the 5619 Update page. The photograph, copyright Paul Gildersleve, shows 5619 approaching Weybourne on Friday 12th March 2010 with the 15:17 Sheringham to Holt.
Our own steam tram will be back in service at Easter after a major overhaul. When the boiler was removed for its ten year re-tube, the supporting frames underneath were found to be heavily corroded. These have had to be replaced. At the same time several body panels have been replaced and the tram repainted. New wooden cladding has been made for the boiler. Thanks go to Bob Bailey and those that helped him in this overhaul.
Update 27/1/2010
5619
Following the locos succesful two seasons at the G&WR, our flagship locomotive 56XX no. 5619 is to be based at the North Norfolk Railway for a period of two years, moving there in March for the new season. Although a long way from our railway, the NNR offers tremendous oportunities for 5619 to be seen on long passenger trains in great scenery and the two year agreement will ensure financial security for the loco.
Weather
A couple of pics taken during the severe weather. 'The Santa Specials, without our blue friend for the first time in many years, saw an expected reduction in visitor numbers, but we still returned a nice profit. The hard frosts in the mornings caused problems with frozen vacuum brakes, thawing them out was fun, with buckets of hot coals from the loco firebox placed under vacuum cylinders, but it worked.
The thaw brought its own problems with some flooding due to blocked drains, so that has been an urgent task over the last couple of weeks. In tandem, both before and after the Santas, the guys have been hard at work clearing trees and shrubs from the lineside, work that has to be completed in the next month before the birds start nesting.
