Prototype: Trentabank reservoir construction railway...
Whilst enjoying an evening walk with the kids in Macclesfield Forest we came across a short section (3 lengths of Jubilee track) near the ranger station...
It was my son who had told me about it, he had found it when visiting on a school trip, so showed us where to find it. The section appears to be embedded in concrete. It's clearly 'jubilee' track, i.e. track panels, as it has metal sleepers. There is a short 'boarded' wooden section which I suspect covers a former 'pit' and I'd take a guess that this is the foundations of a workshop or engine shed.
It was my son who had told me about it, he had found it when visiting on a school trip, so showed us where to find it. The section appears to be embedded in concrete. It's clearly 'jubilee' track, i.e. track panels, as it has metal sleepers. There is a short 'boarded' wooden section which I suspect covers a former 'pit' and I'd take a guess that this is the foundations of a workshop or engine shed.
A walk over to the information board revealed a map of the construction lines in the forest at that period, and enticingly showed a locomotive and wagons as well in some small photos, shown below. This may look peculiar, and somewhat diesel like but is a small vertical boilered steam locomotive that was gear driven and axles connected by chain rather than coupling rods.
I recognised the type as a Sentinel, built probably in their works at Shrewsbury or Chester. Further research on NGRM forum showed that a fellow explorer had found the same track, and although the information board wasn't there when he had visited, he had found out about the locomotives (thanks Paul for the information)
"The first book that I consulted was 'Industrial Locomotives of Cheshire Shropshire + Herefordshire', published by the Industrial Railway Society in 1977. I bought a secondhand copy directly from the IRS, for much less than eBay or Amazon wanted. There is little info inside to be honest, but it was a good starting point.
The gauge is stated as 1'11 1/2", not 2" as I thought. The railway was built for the construction of Trentabank Reservoir, between 1927 and 1930. During this phase two steam locos were used, both Sentinels of their Industrial type. These were 6894 and 6900, both built in 1927.
Between 1932 and 1934 some repair work (to the dam presumably) was needed and two petrol Motor Rail Simplexes were aquired. Only one of them has been identified in the book, 5240 built in 1930 and aquired from E.C. Jordan.
The next book to be opened was R.A.S. Abbott's 'Vertical Boiler Locomotives and Railmotors Built In Great Britain'. A Sentinel works list is included in this fascinating book, which confirms the gauge as 1'11 1/2". Also noted is the driving wheel diameter (1'8") and cylinder size (6 3/4" x 9"). Far more interesting however is a photo of one of the locos at work at Trentabank.
The same photo is also reproduced in Narrow Gauge & Industrial Railway Modelling Review number 73, along with a description of the type and a scale drawing.
On to the petrol locos. 'A Guide to Simplex Narrow Gauge Locomotives' by D.R. Hall and J.A.S. Rowlands was consulted next. Motor Rail 5240 was a 20/35 h.p. model, powered by a 4 cylinder Dorman engine. The frames were of the straight channel type and the driving position was on the opposite side to the normal Simplex layout. The book includes a drawing of a 20/35 loco".
Source: NGRM Forum, membership required to view.
"The first book that I consulted was 'Industrial Locomotives of Cheshire Shropshire + Herefordshire', published by the Industrial Railway Society in 1977. I bought a secondhand copy directly from the IRS, for much less than eBay or Amazon wanted. There is little info inside to be honest, but it was a good starting point.
The gauge is stated as 1'11 1/2", not 2" as I thought. The railway was built for the construction of Trentabank Reservoir, between 1927 and 1930. During this phase two steam locos were used, both Sentinels of their Industrial type. These were 6894 and 6900, both built in 1927.
Between 1932 and 1934 some repair work (to the dam presumably) was needed and two petrol Motor Rail Simplexes were aquired. Only one of them has been identified in the book, 5240 built in 1930 and aquired from E.C. Jordan.
The next book to be opened was R.A.S. Abbott's 'Vertical Boiler Locomotives and Railmotors Built In Great Britain'. A Sentinel works list is included in this fascinating book, which confirms the gauge as 1'11 1/2". Also noted is the driving wheel diameter (1'8") and cylinder size (6 3/4" x 9"). Far more interesting however is a photo of one of the locos at work at Trentabank.
The same photo is also reproduced in Narrow Gauge & Industrial Railway Modelling Review number 73, along with a description of the type and a scale drawing.
On to the petrol locos. 'A Guide to Simplex Narrow Gauge Locomotives' by D.R. Hall and J.A.S. Rowlands was consulted next. Motor Rail 5240 was a 20/35 h.p. model, powered by a 4 cylinder Dorman engine. The frames were of the straight channel type and the driving position was on the opposite side to the normal Simplex layout. The book includes a drawing of a 20/35 loco".
Source: NGRM Forum, membership required to view.
The line would make a fascinating little project, especially with such a pair of characterful locomotives! It also goes to show that there is often a narrow gauge line close to wherever you happen to find yourself, if you keep your eyes open. More soon...
Comments
Post a Comment
Thank you for leaving a comment on my blog - I appreciate you taking the time to share your views. If you struggle to log in, please turn off the ‘block cross-site tracking’ setting in your browser.
James.