Statfold the second…
It was late last summer when I visited Statfold Barn for the first time and was awestruck with the museum collection. I promised my son a visit and so on Saturday we headed down for a steam event, the promise of 5+ narrow gauge locomotives in steam and some miniature steam machines to boot…
Hauling passenger trains were Alpha (probably my favourite of the collection), CSR 19, Harrogate, Isibuto and Howard. Isaac was running driver for a fiver, and the tram was doing out and back. The garden sadly wasn’t open and the engine shed and workshop were not open either, nor was the turntable being used. The museum seemed a little empty, I guess the K1 took up a fair bit of space and that is missing, but it was still a wonder to walk around. I still can’t believe the Hunslet built Kerr Stuart Brazil from 1971. How late to build such an old design! I can report that on the whole it seemed busy so I hope they’re doing well. Lots of families too, more so than most preserved railways. Anyway, rather than witter on here are a few choice photos, I didn’t take many as I was just enjoying the atmosphere.
Nothing new to see, but if you’ve never been it’s worth a visit and if you’ve been before, then like me, I’m sure you’ll still find it immensely enjoyable. Until next time, more soon…
(Oh and Dirk, no sign of the ex BMR German 0-6-2 you asked about).
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What a wonderful read over first coffees this morning and what a strong sense of "I just need to go here, see this" that washes over me. When visiting Maine's preserved two foot gauge railways it's, what I imagine to be, a similar kind of "that's the real thing". We become so familiar with the models that seeing the full size thing that there's almost this strange feeling of "Hey, that's the Forney like my Bachmann one" as if some kind of reversed order in creation where the model came first and they liked it so much they made a full size one too (I know...that's probably just me). I'm also struck by how, in my imagination, when I read about these railways I think mostly about specific aspects of what these machines are like in terms of how they move or what they sound like and when I see the real thing it's just so much more fully formed: wooden coach bodies do flex just a little, an engine sounds like so much more than the "chuff" from the cylinders or the whistle being blown.
ReplyDeleteI'm rambling. I grew up on a diet of British model and railway media and all these things are places enhanced in my imagination that need to be more fully experienced.
Chris
Thanks Chris, this blog was literally thrown together the other night. The photos really do the talking, the words are nothing special. Your description of the sounds is spot on, the coaches really do creak and the locomotives clank and hiss... but add to that the almost choking aroma of coal smoke at times, the hot oil and steam - it's wonderful. I can block out all the other stimuli and just enjoy narrow gauge steam in it's entirety over and over again. Wonderful stuff!
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