Wednesday 22 January 2014

First trip of 2014! - Peak Rail

A reasonably good day (weather-wise) a couple of weekends ago provided an opportunity for what is becoming my annual winter trip to Peak Rail.

Hunslet Class WD 0-6-0ST 'LORD PHIL' departs from Rowsley South-20140111Hunslet 0-6-0ST "LORD PHIL' departs Rowsley South, 11/1/14

Whilst a lot of heritage lines close up for the post-Santa Special winter months Peak Rail continue to operate a regular, weekend steam service and it makes a very pleasant start to the year indeed.

For most of the year trains are operated with a locomotive at each end as Matlock station has no facilities for a loco to run round its train but in the winter months services are cut back slightly to the wooden platform at Matlock Riverside, a short walk from the town centre and Matlock station proper. Riverside station does have a run round loop and this makes the use of a single locomotive on a train possible which I assume brings about a significant reduction in operating costs during the quieter winter months.

Hunslet Engine Co. Ltd. Class WD 'Austerity' 0-6-0ST 'LORD PHIL' (works no.2868 of 1943)* was in action and it's rake of five coaches were surprisingly full (as was the buffet at Rowsley South which seemed to be doing a roaring trade in bacon sandwiches!)

After enjoying a couple of round trips through the Derbyshire Dales I popped into Bill Hudson Transport Books at Matlock station and came away with a couple of secondhand bargains to add to my library, I recommend calling in if you're in the area, the shop is a veritable (if small) Aladdin's Cave!

* 'LORD PHIL' carries the works no.3883 which dates from its rebuild (by Hunslet) in 1963 along with a smaller plaque that reads 'AUSTERITY LOCOMOTIVE BUILT FOR THE 2nd WORLD WAR ORIGINALLY DATED 1943 HUNSLET ENGINE Co. No.2868'.

Tuesday 7 January 2014

Signalbox Safari - Glenfinnan

Having mentioned the state of my traditional photographic archives here it would appear that my early digital archives aren't any better organised as this image cropped up today while I was looking for something else entirely, from the other end of the country and a totally different year!

Glenfinnan signalbox-20050908Glenfinnan signalbox, 8/9/05

Built by the Railway Signal Company (RSCo) in 1901, Glenfinnan signalbox closed in 1987 when the West Highland line between Fort William and Mallaig switched over the the Radio Electronic Token Block (RETB) signalling system.

Now part of the Glenfinnan Station Museum (and with a new staircase installed!) the box is apparently home to a heritage film studio, something that probably interests the legions of Harry Potter fans that visit the famous Glenfinnan Viaduct (used in at least one of the Harry Potter films) more than a heritage signalbox would do…