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Foxfield's 50th Anniversary Year


avonside1563
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2017 sees the 50th anniversary of the formation of the Foxfield Light Railway Society and to celebrate this the railway is planning a series of events throughout the year, besides the usual Summer Steam Gala and Autumn Anything Goes Gala. I will use this thread to let people know what is happening throughout the year so keep an eye out for all the latest.

 

One of the plans is the return of passenger trains to Foxfield colliery and on Foxfield Bank, to this end work is in progress on the relevant equipment and infrastructure upgrades to enable this to happen and if anyone wants to get involved please PM me for details.

 

Here's one of the items of equipment recently acquired to assist with trackworks, we're getting quite modern!

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The evening of Saturday the 26th November saw an impromptu charter with Bellerophon at Foxfield Colliery for a couple of well known photographers. Here's a couple of snaps of my phone of the event.

 

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Bellerophon at Caverswall Road catching the late afternoon sun during the first day of Santa specials.

 

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During a pause in the charter at the Colliery

 

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Standing in the Colliery on the start of Foxfield Bank. What you can't see properly is the fully loaded 16 ton mineral wagon behind.

 

Events like this will also feature as part of the 50th celebrations in 2017.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Some of you may have seen the 4 page article in the latest Railway Magazine about the forgotten Peckett, 'Ackton Hall No.3'. Plans are afoot for this Cinderella industrial and it is intended to undertake a detailed survey and remove the boiler for assessment once the overhaul of 'Wimblebury' is completed in 2017. Below shows the progress a couple of weeks ago on Wimblebury's motion as seen from the cylinder block with the left hand set of slidebars to go in ready for the crosshead and connecting rod. The right hand side having been put up the day before.

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Talking of Ackton Hall, we are keen to locate the whereabouts of some missing items such as boiler fittings, injectors, pipework etc. It was all on the loco when she was stored at Llangollen but has since parted company from the loco. If anyone knows where it might be located please drop me a PM.

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Work is progressing on the upgrade of Foxfield Bank towards the return of passenger trains from Dilhorne Park to Foxfield Colliery.

 

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A selection of rodding cranks being refurbished for the pointwork

 

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One of Foxfield's older items of plant, the rail mounted Hiab, being used as an oversized garden tool removing large bushes and small trees to clear space for a ground frame.

 

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If anyone is contemplating coming along to assist with the upgrade of Foxfield Bank this may help sway your decision. Lunch at Foxfield Colliery!

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The 50th Anniversary year will see the return to service of a stalwart of the Foxfield Railway as the boiler from 'Wimblebury' is ready for its 'out of frames' steam test and will then be craned back onto the frames allowing all the pipework to be replaced ready for the final steam tests.

 

Also coming into service this year is RSH 0-4-0ST 'Eustace Forth', the boiler from this having passed an 'out of frames' steam test at Israel Newtons' boiler works and being reunited with the frames at Foxfield a week later.

 

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'Eustace Forth's' boiler undergoing an 'out of frames' steam test

 

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A week later and the boiler is back in the frames ready for final reassembly.

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No we won't be doing gravity shunting for passenger trains, those days are long gone. However it does happen sometimes when we're running freight trains if the loop is blocked and there's only one loco; we use the brakevan to control the train in that instance.

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A lot happening over this last weekend - Wimblebury's boiler has passed its out of frames steam test and was craned back into the frames followed quickly by lagging and replacement of tank and cab. She now needs all the fittings and pipework replacing and a repaint prior to re-entering service this year.

 

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At the same time Ackton Hall was dismantled to remove the boiler for assessment prior to restoration. This is the first time this loco has been apart since it's last abortive overhaul with the NCB in the 60s. This also allows a more thorough inspection of the motion and axleboxes.

 

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(Photos : John Eastwood.)

 

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Hi there, is Bellerophon still at Foxfield, and will it take part in this years celebrations, please?

Thanks,

Paul.

Hi Paul,

yes Belllerophon will be back in service this year following winter maintenance which includes new piston rods and neck ring bushes. She will certainly be in action at the summer gala in July.

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I'll keep things updated with regards to loco availability. We hope to have Wimblebury and Eustace Forth ready for the gala in July, and also the return to traffic of the little Beyer Peacock 1827/1879 following axlebox overhaul and repairs to the inner firebox following discovery of radial cracks round some stays.

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Seen yesterday on the left is RSH 'Eustace Forth' undergoing a steam test following major boiler work. She will be inser ice for the gala in July. On the right is Bagnall 'Kent Electric No2' in steam to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first passenger train to ever operated on the railway under the auspice of the Foxfield Light Railway Society in 1967.

 

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'Wimblebury' and 'Eustace Forth' both passed their in steam boiler exams and should be in action at the Gala next month bringing the working fleet up to 5 at present. We're just waiting on 'Bellerophon's' crossheads to be returned from remedial repair work and boiler repairs to the Beyer Peacock to bring the fleet up to 7!

 

Guest engine to be announced shortly.

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Some behind the scenes work took place this week as volunteers teamed up with professionals to renew the level crossing at Creswell Ford, including the first piece of flat bottom track to be installed on the railway. The photos are taken over the 4 days of works.

 

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This is all part of works to upgrade the level crossing from hand worked gates with basic interlocking into something more suitable for modern road and rail requirements.

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Work on repainting Wimblebury and Eustace Forth following completion of overhauls is underway. Wimblebury will run at the gala in unlined blue as N.C.B. No7 and Eustace Forth is getting yellow and black wasp stripe buffer beams.

 

Alongside them Whiston will be running as in the guise of 'Dilhorne No3', a Foxfield loco in colliery days that unfortunately didn't make it into preservation despite attempts at the time.

 

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Undercoat being applied to Eustace Forth's buffer beam

 

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Wimblebury in undercoat with works and number plates trial fitted.

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Below is a photo of Sir Gomer in action at Shackerstone, she (he?) will be arriving on Wednesday and steam for an acceptance/clearance run on Thursday then out and about at 9.30am on Friday (yours truly at the helm). Timetables will be uploaded tomorrow for those who are interested

 

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Thanks for keeping us informed about The Foxfield Railway and the loco updates you post, I hope the Gala goes well for you chaps over the coming weekend and I look forward to seeing more of updates Nigel. 

 

Best for the weekend especially

 

Guy

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Sir Gomer arrived yesterday afternoon and looks good alongside the other locos. We're hoping that an issue with Eustace Forth's regulator can be sorted easily so she can appear over the weekend.

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