82 •The Railway Magazine• July 2019
■WELSHPOOL & Llanfair Light
Railway’s (WLLR) museum/
interpretation centre will be
known as‘Llanfair Connections’.
Locatedinbay1ofthe
Colinette building, bought by
WLLR in 2016, it is targeted
to open for the line’s August
30-September 1 gala.
■THE Lea Bailey Light Railway
cancelled its May 18-19
open days after thieves stole
components from two diesel
locos leaving the railway
without operational motive
power. Parts stolen include the
rocker covers and rockers from
the Deutz engine in Motor Rail
21282/1964 and components
from a Lister JK6.
■NORTH Bay Engineering
Services Ltd has completed the
boiler for Southwold Railway
Trust’s replica 3ft-gauge
Southwold Railway Sharp,
Stewart 2-4-0T No. 3Blyth.
It was hydraulically tested to
265psi (for 160psi working
pressure) on May 24.Work on
the frames is now progressing.
■THE restoration of Graham
Morris’Andrew Barclay 0-4-
0WTGlyder(1994/1931) has
been completed at Beamish.
On June 19 the ex-Penrhyn
Quarry loco made its first
independent moves in steam
since 1965.
■GROUDLEGlen Railway’s
(GGR) new-build Bagnall
2-4-0TBrown Bearis in the
final assembly stage at Old
Hall Farm Engineering, Bouth,
Cumbria, where it moved,
under compressed air on
May 3.The new loco is likely
to be launched into service
during the Manx Heritage
Transport Festival, GGR
operating dates being July 24,
27 and 28.
■HAYLING Seaside Railway
has taken delivery of a‘new’
semi-open bogie coach. Built
on a Baguley underframe
for use at Butlins Holiday
Camps, the vehicle once ran
at Hayling Island’s Mill Rythe
Holiday Camp line, predecessor
to today’s Hayling Seaside
Railway, pending completion
of the railway’s own original
four-wheel coaches.Work
is required before it enters
service.
■EXMOOR Associates laid
150ftoftrackthroughthe
platform at Snapper Halt on
the route of the long-closed
Lynton & Barnstaple Railway
during May.The isolated halt
now appears as it did when
trains were running.
■BAGNALL 0-4-2TIsaac
(3023/1953), withdrawn for
a boiler lift and overhaul last
year, returned to Lynton &
Barnstaple Railway service in
mid-May.
■JIM Haylock’s 0-4-0TEmmet
returned to service providing
steam at Old Kiln Light Railway
on May 26.SIDELINES
Snaefell trams receive
fourth braking system
A NEW electro-magnetic braking
system has been added to
Snaefell Mountain Railway (SMR)
trams Nos. 1, 2, 4, and 5, with
the system being fitted to No. 6
before it enters service.
SMR tram No. 3 comprises
a collection of components,
having effectively been
destroyed in a March 2016
runaway incident, although the
intention is to rebuild it.
Development of a modern
braking system was already
progressing prior to the SMR
tram No. 2 runaway incident
at Bungalow in August 2017,which resulted in the Isle of Man
Department of Infrastructure
being fined £18,000 and ordered
to pay more than £4,000 costs
after pleading guilty to five
Health and Safety charges
(RMFeb).
The new electro-magnetic
track brake essentially applies
a 500mm steel bar, mounted
between the bogie wheels
(i.e. four per tram), onto the rail
surface to apply friction braking
in an emergency.
The system is novel in heritage
railway terms but a relatively
standard tram system.The primary components
come from a German supplier,
but the means of fitting them,
and the control system, to SMR
trams has been developed
in-house by IoM Transport.
The new brake can be applied
manually by the Motorman
(driver) but also operates
automatically if a voltage
drop (which would affect the
rheostatic braking system that
works via the tram’s electric
motors) is detected.
It does not operate in an
over-speed situation but could
be made to do so.The trams also retain the
manually applied Fell brakes and
‘parking’brake.
Other work undertaken on the
SMR trams covers further issues
raised following the August 2017
incident.
These include adjustments
to the Fell brakes to ensure
the brake applies correctly
on each side of the raised Fell
rail head, standardisation of
the cab layouts across all the
trams, unifying the air pressure
gauge readings, and fitting
speedometers with clear green
and red sectors.Services start
over first part
of rebuilt
Douglastrack
OPERATING over the first
section of reconstructed
Douglas Bay HorseTramway
(DBHT) track – Derby Castle
to Switzerland Road –
started on May 24 with £1
being charged for the short
‘experience’ride.
The rebuilt horse tramway
should be operational to
Villa Marina next summer
and reach the SeaTerminal
in 2021.
The newly laid track, part
of the major redevelopment
of Douglas Promenade,
employs heavier rail than
the life-expired old track,
allowing for possible
future light rail use and/
or potentially extending
MER operation along the
promenade.
Testing included runs
by Manx Electric Railway
(MER) diesel-electric works
tram No. 34Maria, which
has now operated over all
four Manx Government-
owned rail systems: Snaefell
Mountain Railway (when the
vehicle was equipped with
overhead current collectors
and 3ft 6in-gauge bogies),
MER, Douglas – Port Erin
steam line and now DBHT.
A marquee erected on
the former Summerland
site forms temporary
accommodation for DBHT
trams (RMMay) pending
construction of the new
Strathallan Depot.
DBHT No. 21 – built in
1890 – has returned to the
tramway following extensive
restoration, which includes
replacement ironwork and
lamphouses in the style of
the originals which were
removed many years ago.Ex-Penrhyn slate quarry Hunslet 0-4-0STsWinifred(visiting from Bala Lake Railway) and resident
Gwyneddwere reunited on the Fen Line during Bressingham’s May 4-6 Heritage Steam Gala. Also in
action during the event were Hampshire Narrow Gauge Railway Trust’s ex-Dinorwic Hunslet 0-4-0ST
Cloister(which is spending the rest of this season at Bressingham –RMJune), ex-Dinorwic Hunslet
0-4-0STAlice(also from Bala Lake Railway), and Barry Fitzpatrick’s Bressingham-based 2015-built
0-4-0VBTFernilee.JAMES KINDREDVoRtooverhaulThe Earl
WELSHPOOL & Llanfair Light
Railway’s (WLLR) Beyer, Peacock
0-6-0T No. 822The Earlwill
receive a major overhaul atVale
of Rheidol Railway – the first time
since reopening in April 1963 as
a preserved line aWLLR steam
loco has been sent to an outside
contractor.
Having covered 3,310 miles
(32% ofWLLR 2018 loco mileage)
The Earlwas withdrawn last
October, prior to expiry of its boiler
ticket. It had been anticipated
overhauling S F Belge 0-8-0T (ex-
No. 699.01) No. 10Sir Drefaldwyn
would be complete beforeThe
Earlhad to be withdrawn but, as
previously reported, returning
Sir Drefaldwynto operation has
encountered significant delays
leavingWLLR tight for early season
steam (RMFeb).
WithWLLR’s workshops
committed to completingSir
Drefaldwyn, Sierra Leone HunsletNo. 85 (WLLR No. 14) also in the
overhaul queue and the boiler
certificates of two more locos
ending in 2020 and 2021,WLLR
decided to accelerate the return
ofThe Earlby contracting the work
out.The Earlwill be dismantled at
Aberystwyth and the boiler sent
to another contractor for specialist
attention. Mechanical overhaul
work will start in earnest in
September with completion of the
loco scheduled for June 2020.
Having started this year with
just Beyer, Peacock 0-6-0T
Countess, Kerr, Stuart 0-6-2TJoan
and back-up diesel Diema No. 17
available, the need for further loco
availability was highlighted when
Joansuffered a damaged pony
truck and safety valve problems
in late February whileCountess,
which ran every service for the
remainder of half term, and the
first 20 days of the regular season,
also encountered a failure.THE Corris Railway’s May
26 Gala Day became so
busy after a damp start
that by midday, with trains
leaving completely full, two
scheduled demonstration
freight trains were cancelled
in favour of running more
passenger services.
An additional passenger
carriage should be in service
for the 2020 gala.
Locosinactionwere
near-replica Kerr, Stuart
0-4-2ST‘Tattoo’No. 7,
Ruston & Hornsby 4wDH
(518493/1966) No. 6 and
O&K 0-4-0DH 25721/1957
No. 11, with Clayton 4wBE
B0457/1974Aberllefenni
working as Maespoeth
Junction shunter.Corris gala
success
Narrow Gauge Track Record
COMPILED BY
CLIFF
THOMAS
Call: 01507 529589
email: railway@
mortons.co.ukYour reports and pictures
are most welcome. Highly
competitive rates
are paid, especially if
exclusive toThe RM.