UK Railways

Hunslet 3595/1948 Silverband in action to a background of massed draglines at Threlkeld Granite Quarry.

The first day of the Churnet Valley Railway steam weekend was blessed with a lot of sunshine and a strong cold wind. The Black '5' from the Mid Hants Railway is seen here approaching the crossing at Apesford on its second run of the day up to Caldon Low. This shot is special to me because it also features the mighty Shutlingsloe in the far distance.

Prairie 5199 approaching Apesford crossing as the sun breaks through on the first train of the day up to Caldon Low.

The driver has time to glance towards the photographer as QJ 2144 nears the summit of the climb from Liushu towards Nancha with a heavy timber train. There is another QJ immediately behind and another banking the train. The noise was fantastic.

Livestock in the way on the Burma Mines Railway as 1927 built Bagnall No.42 heads a freight climbing the valley towards Lopah.

A remarkable survivor of the Norbury Colliery Railway is this arch that carried the line over an internal roadway. This was a steep section rising from the LNWR exchange sidings to the canal interchange close to High Lane. The colliery locomotives always pushed the loaded up the incline to reach the canal. The line replaced earlier tramroads in 1874 and operated until the closure of the collieries in 1892.

The use of wooden signal posts is a particularly fine feature of the Midland Railway Centre.

The shadows lengthen as SY 0951 heads a coal train into Xifeng on the Lishu system of the Jixi Coal Railway.

QJs 6882 and 6828 on an eastbound freight crossing the viaduct at Simingyi on the Jinpeng section of the Jitong Railway. Happy times in the days when diesels were only just beginning to appear west of Daban.

Foxton Sidings was the interchange point for traffic on and off the Barrington Light Railway which served Barrington Cement Works. By the time this photograph was taken there had been no traffic for a number of years but the lines were still kept in order in case of a change of policy by Cemex. The diesel was one of those retained at the cement works, whilst the steam locomotive had been brought in from the Rutland Railway Museum for an open weekend at the works. All now closed and gone.

Prairie 5199 passes Cliff Farm Crossing climbing towards Apesford on the Caldon Low line.

I had a ride out to Wolverhampton today, and very interesting it proved to be. On arrival I was able to make a few shots around the station before hitting the town. The London Midland service to Walsall is waiting to depart from the south end bay platform whilst the Arriva Wales service arrives from Birmingham New Street and will no doubt head on to Shrewsbury and Chester

'Holly Bank No.3' works past the shunter at the point lever as it brings a short mineral train into Chasewater Heaths on the Chasewater Railway.

Black 'Fives' 45407 + 45231 lead 'The Tin Bath Extra' onto the viaduct at Penistone. The wind pushed the exhaust across the train and obscured the locomotives for much of the way across, so I was lucky to get this shot.

In 1837, John Taylor established a foundry in Rhydymwyn to provide mining equipment to the Mold mines. In 1862 the operations were transferred to an existing foundry at Sandycroft on the banks of the River Dee. The company specialised in making machinery for the mining industry. By 1877 the business was trading as the Sandycroft Foundry and Engine Works Company Ltd. The company was very busy supplying machinery to India, Brazil, Australia, New Zealand and numerous mines and collieries throughout Britain. By the 1920s, however, competition had increased significantly and in 1927 the works closed due to lack of orders. The site was by 1942 occupied by International Electroplate Co Ltd, and is now used for steel fabrication and general engineering. The rail connection was already disused by 1967 but even today there are rails to be seen in the floor of the main building. The front of the works suffered a fire some time ago and has been rebuilt. However, the rear section seen the background of this photo s the original erecting shop with the distinctive roof trusses that can be seen in many old photos of the works.

Bagnalls "No.2" and "Florence No.2" head out of Foxfield Coliery yard.

Even a short train has a major challenge to get out of Foxfield Colliery yard and up the 1 in 19 bank. "Whiston" charges the gradient but is already slowing down to walking pace.

A remarkable survival is this twenty arch viaduct that once carried the wooden waggonway from Lane End Colliery to the Calder at Horbury Bridge. The actual date of construction is uncertain but the evidence suggests that this section was constructed in 1790-93. It was later converted to an edge railway of gauge 3ft 9ins and was presumably abandoned when Lane End Colliery closed in 1893.