MYSTERY LOCO AT GLASTONBURY

[Mike_Walker]

Morning all,

A long shot this, a friend spotted this industrial shunter in a yard whilst passing through Glastonbury a few days ago.  Can anyone identify the type and/or its history?

Note the suitably "hippy" paint job!

Thanks, hopefully...

Mike

 

[Purnu]

Hi Mike, have a look at this link and it’s comments. These should help to explain. 
 

https://flic.kr/p/2k8dxFG

 

Edited April 5, 2021 by Purnu
Attempting to fix link .

[Mike_Walker]

2 minutes ago, Purnu said:

Hi Mike, have a look at this link and it’s comments. These should help to explain. 
 

https://flic.kr/p/2k8dxFG

 

Brilliant, thanks!

Mike

[009 micro modeller]

Have I understood correctly from the article linked in the Flickr comments that the plan is actually to run it at that site?

[Purnu]

1 hour ago, 009 micro modeller said:

Have I understood correctly from the article linked in the Flickr comments that the plan is actually to run it at that site?

That’s the way I’d read (rightly or wrongly) the linked article myself but whether or not it actually happens I suppose is another story. 

[009 micro modeller]

45 minutes ago, Purnu said:

That’s the way I’d read (rightly or wrongly) the linked article myself but whether or not it actually happens I suppose is another story. 

 

As far as I can tell it’s not a site that’s had a railway on it before.

[rab]

Not very good publicity for its previous custodians:

"looking in a sorry state after years in 'preservation'

at Cranmore, Radstock & Pontypool", but I guess the

same could be said about a lot of 'preserved' stock.

Edited April 5, 2021 by rab

[johnofwessex]

There was an ex LSWR carriage body at that site until recently

[009 micro modeller]

2 hours ago, rab said:

Not very good publicity for its previous custodians:

"looking in a sorry state after years in 'preservation'

at Cranmore, Radstock & Pontypool", but I guess the

same could be said about a lot of 'preserved' stock.

 

But the unusual paint job is newly applied?

[6990WitherslackHall]

I've got a few pics of Thomas Hill locomotives in a book I've got. It's called An Introduction to British Industrial Diesel Locomotives. It's by Ray King and it was  published back in 2006 by Traction and Rolling Stock Advertiser

[6990WitherslackHall]

 

I've had a look through the book and I've found the page. 

 

The locos featured in the book look exactly like the one at Glastonbury. I've posted the pics on here:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 6, 2021 by 6990WitherslackHall

[Steamport Southport]

 

6 hours ago, rab said:

Not very good publicity for its previous custodians:

"looking in a sorry state after years in 'preservation'

at Cranmore, Radstock & Pontypool", but I guess the

same could be said about a lot of 'preserved' stock.

 

Sadly the fate for many diesel shunters. Most heritage railways think of them as plant and once expensive parts need replacing you might as well just get another one. Not just costly in parts, but in man hours.

 

Often selling the old one on to someone else or for scrap.

 

 

Jason

[RJS1977]

The other problem that heritage railways can have is that someone can turn up and say "I own a loco/item of rolling stock that I'm looking to store somewhere and I think it could be useful to you." Railway agrees that the owner can bring the loco along. Loco/stock then turns out not to be as useful as agreed. Either the owner then makes well-intentioned but sporadic attempts to work on it, or disappears completely. In some cases the railway is then stuck with an item they have no use for but cannot scrap or otherwise dispose of (as it isn't theirs) and are unable to contact the owner to give him notice to quit (and if they do manage to give him notice, he just moves it somewhere else and it starts all over again....).

[Rods_of_Revolution]

I've I had cab ride in one of those Vanguards at Whatley; a friend working at NR organised a visit in 2007, and once the Whatley chaps saw how fascinated we were with this little shunter they fired it up and gave us a ride. We got to ride in the SW1001 too, but that didn't have quite as much novelty as we'd already been in the 1001 at Merehead earlier in the day!

 

Whoever painted that Vanguard in OP's photo must have been listening to Hawkwind and eating some of the local fungi!

 

Cheers,

 

Jack

[Tim Hall]

8 hours ago, RJS1977 said:

The other problem that heritage railways can have is that someone can turn up and say "I own a loco/item of rolling stock that I'm looking to store somewhere and I think it could be useful to you." Railway agrees that the owner can bring the loco along. Loco/stock then turns out not to be as useful as agreed. Either the owner then makes well-intentioned but sporadic attempts to work on it, or disappears completely. In some cases the railway is then stuck with an item they have no use for but cannot scrap or otherwise dispose of (as it isn't theirs) and are unable to contact the owner to give him notice to quit (and if they do manage to give him notice, he just moves it somewhere else and it starts all over again....).

Indeed, virtually all heritage railways have such locos, coaches, wagons cluttering up the sidings, with little prospect of being restored, and spoiling the view for "normals".

[Rods_of_Revolution]

5 hours ago, Tim Hall said:

Indeed, virtually all heritage railways have such locos, coaches, wagons cluttering up the sidings, with little prospect of being restored, and spoiling the view for "normals".

 

I often think that some of these heritage railways should give a bit more thought to 'front of house'. A restaurant for example might have bins, old fridges, cookware, trollies, etc, but they're not stored in the view of the customers; they're out the back behind a screening fence. If sidings are being used to store rusty, broken and tarpaulin covered hulks, I'm sure in many cases a screening fence with some period adverts on or something could be built to hide it.

 

Cheers,

 

Jack

Edited April 6, 2021 by Rods_of_Revolution

[Steamport Southport]

2 hours ago, Rods_of_Revolution said:

 

I often think that some of these heritage railways should give a bit more thought to 'front of house'. A restaurant for example might have bins, old fridges, cookware, trollies, etc, but they're not stored in the view of the customers; they're out the back behind a screening fence. If sidings are being used to store rusty, broken and tarpaulin covered hulks, I'm sure in many cases a screening fence with some period adverts on or something could be built to hide it.

 

Cheers,

 

Jack

 

So who's paying for all this then?

 

I'm sure your local heritage railway will be grateful to see you at five o'clock on Sunday to clear the ashpits and shovel a few tons of ballast.

 

Maybe even paint a fence so that John and Joanna Normal can have a nice day out.....

 

 

No wonder many people like me give up. 

[Rods_of_Revolution]

6 minutes ago, Steamport Southport said:

 

So who's paying for all this then?

 

I'm sure your local heritage railway will be grateful to see you at five o'clock on Sunday to clear the ashpits and shovel a few tons of ballast.

 

Maybe even paint a fence so that John and Joanna Normal can have a nice day out.....

 

 

No wonder many people like me give up. 

 

Customers are paying for the nice day out, so profits can be used for such improvements. There are also grants available for improving vistor attractions. Or perhaps a fund raiser specifically for the purpose. People are more inclined to visit a railway if the atmosphere is enjoyable and everything is neatly presented, so the time, money and effort that go into such improvements will often be worth while. There are some wonderfully restored and looked after stations in preservation, and it makes a huge difference to the experience. People are more likely to spend money in the cafe if they can sit outside with a nice view, rather than a backdrop of grotty old wagon underframes and rotting woodwork.

 

All the best,

 

Jack

[rab]

Oh dear, having earlier had a moan about another thread going 

On 05/04/2021 at 16:55, rab said:

Not very good publicity for its previous custodians:

"looking in a sorry state after years in 'preservation'

at Cranmore, Radstock & Pontypool", but I guess the

same could be said about a lot of 'preserved' stock.

Oh dear, having had a moan about another thread going off topic,

I fear I may be the reason for this one doing so.

 

[009 micro modeller]

2 hours ago, rab said:

Oh dear, having earlier had a moan about another thread going 

Oh dear, having had a moan about another thread going off topic,

I fear I may be the reason for this one doing so.

 

 

Getting back on topic, does anyone know any more about the plans to build a running line at the site where the loco is now? And is there any trackbed nearby or will it be completely new? I can’t help noticing they’ve also painted the rails blue...

[Kris]

On 06/04/2021 at 20:11, 009 micro modeller said:

 

Getting back on topic, does anyone know any more about the plans to build a running line at the site where the loco is now? And is there any trackbed nearby or will it be completely new? I can’t help noticing they’ve also painted the rails blue...

The nearest trackbed would appear to be the old S & D line between Glastonbury and Evercreech Junction. This was about 1/2 mile from the site. 

[Ben B]

I rather like the paint, and the artistic effect of it.  It's something unusual and eye-catching for passers-by to spot, and whatever the colours, the paintwork will be stopping the loco rusting away.

[Mike_Walker]

Reading the links kindly provided by Purnu's reply to my OP, it seems there are plans to lay a short length of line at the farm and run a "Zyder Express" for visitors.  The bizarre paint job has only recently been applied and it seems the hundreds of dots have been applied using a paint that glows when exposed to UV light.

[Nearholmer]

I'm 90+% sure that this is the farm at which I bought cider (two gallon plastic canisters), and several wines, the latter made from grapes grown on the farm, many years ago.

 

The wines were pretty good, but the cider was way too much for me, and others who tried it ...... incredibly strong, and with a pretty rough edge to it. Colour of it was interesting, quite a pinkish shade.

 

Doubtless their technique has refined over the years.

[Reorte]

3 hours ago, Nearholmer said:

I'm 90+% sure that this is the farm at which I bought cider (two gallon plastic canisters), and several wines, the latter made from grapes grown on the farm, many years ago.

 

The wines were pretty good, but the cider was way too much for me, and others who tried it ...... incredibly strong, and with a pretty rough edge to it. Colour of it was interesting, quite a pinkish shade.

 

Doubtless their technique has refined over the years.

Pinkish, plastic container - sure it wasn't screenwash?