Stamford in Rutland Takeover

[Ian Smeeton]

Not quite as the title infers.

 

Rocks by Rail, the old Rutland Railway Museum has been the home to 'Stamford',  an 0-6-0 Avonside of  1927. 

 

She was preserved by a group of Bluebell Railway members, and worked there for some time, before being sent 'on loan' to Rutland.

 

The loan period has now expired, and as the Bluebell have no need or use for her, have offered her for sale to Rocks by Rail.

 

Our curator has put fingers to keyboard to launch an appeal so that we can secure Stamford for the museum, ensuring that she remains in her home area, and so that we can restore her for future generations.

 

3

 

Stamford is seen here on 21/5/66 with a capacity load of freshly quarried enthusiasts from Birmingham Locomotive Club at her old stomping ground, Pilton Quarries.

 

Regards

 

Ian

Edited December 31, 2020 by Ian Smeeton
Sp

[Ian Smeeton]

The Appeal, direct from the Curators Keyboard.

 

STAMFORD Joint PR FINAL.docx

 

 

PLEASE HELP US TO KEEP STAMFORD IN RUTLAND

The standard gauge steam locomotive named “STAMFORD” currently resides, on loan, within the exhibition building at Rocks by Rail – the Living Ironstone Museum based near Cottesmore in Rutland. It is one of only a small handful of quarry steam locomotives that worked in the ironstone quarries in Rutland, having spent all of its working life at work on the mineral railways at Pilton Ironstone Quarries. 

 

The locomotive’s owners, the Bluebell Railway, have recently agreed to sell the locomotive to the Museum so that it can remain at the museum in Rutland, not far from the ironstone quarry in which it was once in daily use. The Museum is now raising funds to purchase the locomotive and start the long road ahead for its repair, re-assembly and conservation as a historic museum exhibit.

 

David Atkinson Chair of RbR Trustees said “We are grateful to the Bluebell Railway for firstly securing the locomotive for preservation when Pilton ironstone quarry closed in 1969, secondly for allowing it to come on loan to the museum and thirdly for now offering the loco for sale to the museum so that it can remain on public display in its home county”.

 

Mr Christopher Hunford, Chairman of the Bluebell Railway PLC Board commented :    “ As this small quarry loco did not fit in with our core objectives as a working heritage railway in southern England we are pleased to offer it to the volunteer run museum to safeguard its future in an appropriate location. Any donations made to the museum’s Stamford Loco Appeal will thus benefit two railway heritage organisations and enable the Bluebell Railway to continue to invest in vital future railway infrastructure projects to safeguard its continued operation.” 

 

Rocks-by Rail would welcome any assistance and donations in the furtherance of this project. Any donations by way of cheques should marked on the rear “Stamford Loco Appeal” and be made out to Rutland Railway Museum and sent to:

Mr A Salmon, RbR Treasurer, 

4 Main Street, Stanford on Soar, Loughborough,  LE12 5PY

 

For donors willing to donate as Gift Aid there is an RbR Gift Aid Form which is available via email from the Curator         email: Curator@rocks-by-rail.org

 

For donors wanting to make their gift by bank transfer please contact the Treasurer for these details on email andysam@stayfree.co.uk

 

Rocks by Rail - The Living Ironstone Museum, Cottesmore Iron Ore Mines Sidings, Ashwell Road, Cottesmore, Rutland LE15 7FF

 

Tel: 01572 868415      Rocks by Rail is the trading name of Rutland Railway Museum -                Registered Charity No 1115462

 

Regards

 

Ian

Edited December 31, 2020 by Ian Smeeton
Posted too soon

[rope runner]

A very worthy cause indeed. 

 

I've build a 4mm scale model of this loco. Some additional historic details and the build are covered over on this thread in the Standard Gauge Industrial Railways area of the forum. 

 

Modified press release posted over on the thread too, thanks Ian. 

 

Paul A. 

[Ian Smeeton]

The curator has been dusting again, so here is a short piece of Stamford's story.

 

PILTON IRONSTONE QUARRY LOCO “STAMFORD”

 

The Staveley Coal & Iron Company Ltd adopted Avonside Engine Company built six coupled saddletanks 0-6-0ST as their preferred choice for ironstone quarry work and a number of locomotives were purchased and supplied to their quarries in the East Midlands.

 

 In February 1927 Avonside supplied a pair of class B5 saddletanks to the Staveley Coal and Iron Company Ltd to be used at their Pilton (Rutland) and Cranford (Northants) ironstone quarries.

 

The standard gauge quarry railway at Cranford utilised an earlier tunnel constructed for a narrow gauge quarry railway system. This tunnel was a very tight fit for the standard gauge locomotives and so the two locomotives were built with low profile open backed cabs (open cabs were a feature usually standard for export locos) so that the loco crew could get out of the tunnel in the event of a mishap.

 

Both locos carried brass nameplates namely STAMFORD and CRANFORD for their respective quarries and STAMFORD was to act as emergency replacement loco for CRANFORD should this loco be unavailable for any reason. STAMFORD only went to Cranford once in its career to cover a loco overhaul.

 

When supplied STAMFORD was fitted with dumb wooden buffers mounted inside the standard buffers so it could be used for the haulage of “Ship canal” type side tipping wagons which were then used for moving the excavated ironstone to the calcine banks.

 

Once the ironstone had been burnt and calcined the ore was loaded into standard wagons. The locomotive then took these wagons to the exchange sidings prior to dispatch to the distant steelworks.

 

Avonside loco “STAMFORD” was the last steam loco in use at Pilton Ironstone Quarry in Rutland and hauled the last train of ironstone when the quarry finally closed on 4th June 1969. The locomotive left Pilton in October 1969 following its purchase by members of the Bluebell Railway Preservation Society arriving at their base at Sheffield Park.

 

LOCO SPECIFICATION :

Wheel configuration : 0-6-0 ST

Date built : 1927

Avonside Works Number : 1972

Final number in quarry service : Stewarts and Lloyds No. 24

Length : 26ft 6“

Weight : 27 tons

Water Capacity : 1000 gallons

Coal Capacity : 1 ton

Max Boiler Pressure : 160 psi

Driving Wheel Diameter : 3ft 2”

Cylinders : 2 Outside 15” x 20”

Tractive Effort : 16,100 lbs

Engine brake : steam

 

 

1. Copy of a publicity advert released by the Avonside Engine Company in 1927 showing the open backed cab of the locomotive.

 

 

2. When supplied in 1927 both the quarry locomotives had dumb buffers mounted between the standard Avonside buffers. The arrangement is shown on sister locomotive CRANFORD.

 

 

3. As the locomotive has an open backed cab in operation a tarpaulin was used to provide protection for the loco crew when working in damp and wet conditions. With just a few months to go until quarry closure STAMFORD brings its loaded train along the quarry railway on a damp and dismal day. Photo Courtesy Roger Hardingham.

 

The appeal has been progressing nicely, and we appear to be about half way to our target of £5000.

 

This will help secure the loco's future at Rocks by Rail, allow us to do some cosmetic restoration, and will also help the Bluebell Railway in these tough times.

 

Regards

 

Ian

[Ian Smeeton]

The target of £5000 is now within reach.

 

Press release being prepared at the moment to update everyone, however, we are still working hard on reaching the total (and maybe a little more)

 

Regards

 

Ian

[fezza]

Great to see the future of this important loco being secured. During the lockdown my daily local walk took me past Pilton and the crossroads bridge.

 

I'm guessing that there is no prospect of it being returned to working order without telephone numbers being spent?

[Ian Smeeton]

If you have a telephone number to spare, I am sure that it could be arranged.

 

In actual fact, her boiler is in good condition, as is the firebox.

 

Unfortunately, time is the problem, and she is quite a few years down in the queue, at least until we get some telephone numb£rs to play with.

 

Regards

 

Ian 

[fezza]

2 hours ago, Ian Smeeton said:

If you have a telephone number to spare, I am sure that it could be arranged.

 

In actual fact, her boiler is in good condition, as is the firebox.

 

Unfortunately, time is the problem, and she is quite a few years down in the queue, at least until we get some telephone numb£rs to play with.

 

Regards

 

Ian 

 

Well, it is great to know it is in safe hands and not too far gone from a future restoration point of view. 

[Ian Smeeton]

Stamford Update

 

7th June 1969,  a scant 52 years ago tomorrow (Monday) Steam haulage in the quarries of Rutland came to a close.

 

 

On this day fifty-two years ago steam locomotive STAMFORD worked its last train load of ironstone at Pilton Ironstone Quarry in Rutland. Fifty years of ironstone quarrying at Pilton in rural Rutland finally came to an end on 7th June 1969. Upon quarry closure the STAMFORD locomotive assisted with track lifting on the quarry railway as required until October of that year when it was secured for preservation and taken to the Bluebell Railway in East Sussex.

 

 

 

We are along way from seeing Stamford shuffle some tipplers about at Rocks by Rail, but the appeal  moves on, and  with a bit of publicity in the Leicester Mercury a couple of weeks ago, another couple of Hundred £ hit the coffers.

 

We are close to the half way mark in the £10,000 appeal to fund the purchase and some cosmetic restoration.

 

Onward, ever onwards.

 

Regards

Ian

 

Edited June 6, 2021 by Ian Smeeton
Sp