I started a one week holiday in
England on Saturday 19th August. Suffice to say that it was just my luck
that the best summer for years decided to come to an end as can be seen in some
of the pictures / video's taken at Butterley. I suppose we were lucky
though as it never actually rained on us when were out in the open. Anyway
what real steam enthusiast is put of by a wee drop of rain. So on Friday
25th August 2006 Rod Hodgkin's and I set off for a day at Butterley. This
particular Friday the railway were using their vintage carriage collection to
make up the train. And very impressive they were as well. We arrived
just in time to board the first train of the day and in our enthusiasm jumped in
the oldest carriage we saw. Fortunately for our backsides a kindly
volunteer railway worker suggested that the wooden seats may be a bit hard on our
delicate posteriors - so we moved to a more comfy carriage. What nice
people there was at Butterley.
After our trip up the line I filmed the train
as it left Swanage Junction, note the wet ground and leaden clouds. The engine was, as you can see an 0-4-0 Saddle Tank formerly
from Castle Donnington Power Station owned by the Central Electricity Generating Board or CEGB for short. (For all
you youngsters out there, this was the company that generated all the UK's
electricity when the industry was nationalised). I seem to remember
Someone calling the engine the 'Bouncy Castle' because of the characteristics
of its ride, and it certainly seemed to bounce up and down in the video on the
left. For all of you who want to go and have a look the Midland Railway
web site just click the link. Please note the worker who is at the engine
as it leaves. As soon as he realised I was filming he got out of the way
quick! I doesn't get any better than that!
Midland Railway No. 158A, and what a
magnificent specimen it is! It even has a plate on it saying rebuilt at
Derby (where else for a Midland engine) in 1897. That makes it even older
than me!
The cab, even all those years ago
looks vaguely familiar with newer steam engines. Even a none technical
person like me can spot a regulator, steam pressure gauges, injector controls
and a gi-normous handbrake lever. It also doesn't look like the sort of
environment to be in working in on a January day.
What a magnificent wee engine 1163
is, it was also in immaculate condition. You can see a picture of it
pulling two coaches on the
Butterley picture web site (click to follow the link) and it looks
dwarfed by them. But it obviously manages to earn its keep.
According to the engines web pages
it is at Butterley being restored. But from the website it looks as if
that has all been completed. Click the link to find
out more about the
BR Standard
Class 73129 with its Caprotti valve gear setting it apart from the others in
the class.
The
engine 46203 Princess Margaret Rose - the LMS
Princess Royal Class 4-6-2
is absolutely huge, and totally wonderful. (The above link takes you to
the engines web site) Its been so long since I saw one last I had
forgotten how big they were. They even look bigger than the BR Standard
Class 9F's. Needless to say the size of it, inside a building, and my
limited camera skills didn't produce a picture worthy of the engine. But
you can get a look at some better pictures on the engines web site above.
OK guys who's smart enough to spot
the chimney is missing on this engine! I understand, from the dim recesses
of my mind, that Boots used these engines for shunting around their chemical
works. Because they didn't want smoke and soot all over the place the
engines don't have a firebox. When they start running out of steam they
would scoot over to the main, and stationary boiler plant, connect a high
pressure steam line to the top of the dome and fill up with steam. Then
off they go again!
