Mid Suffolk Light Railway

Whilst looking for some other photos yesterday, I found these ones of Brockford from the early 1990's which might be of interest.

What was left of the goods platform at Brockford in March 1991......



...and just over a year later (May 1992) those remains have been rebuilt and extended to form the current passenger platform, then in the very early stages of development.....

 

Fantastic photos - shows how far we've come!

 

This has appeared on the local papers website this evening....
https://www.ipswichstar.co.uk/lifestyle/heritage/suffolk-engine-wins-top-heritage-award-8713850

 

Easter Steam Up
17 Apr 2022 - 18 Apr 2022
The first major weekend opening of 2022 will be the Easter Steam Up.
All the Middy attractions, Museum, Souvenir Shop, Restoration Shed, Tea Room and The Kitchener Arms real ale bar will be open and ready for a great weekend’s entertainment.
As a special addition just for our visitors, we will be joined by a few talented local craft stall holders selling a range of handmade crafts including original paintings, cards, wax melts, bath products, Amigurumi animals and more. And there will be an Easter Bunny Hunt for the younger visitors entry forms available at the ticket office.

Two locos will be on duty, the Cockerill Steam Tram and the Heritage Railway Association’s award winning Shredded Wheat Fowler diesel, topping and tailing the trains of Victorian 4-wheel coaches.

 

I think someone has got their stories/locomotives mixed up.

The 'Shredded Wheat' loco (Standard gauge Fowler 20337 http://www.heritage-railways.com/locosdb/locosdb2.php?RefNo=3759) won the Morgan Award in 2021.

The loco at Mid-Suffolk nominated in 2022 for The Coiley Locomotive Engineering Award is a Ruston (2 ft gauge No. 179880 I think http://www.heritage-railways.com/locosdb/locosdb2.php?RefNo=4131).

HRA Press Release at https://www.hra.uk.com/press-release-23-march-2022

 

Given we are talking about the "Ipswich Star" here - formerly known many years ago as a decent local newspaper and called the "Evening Star", that doesn't surprise me in the least........even with an alleged "Enthusiast" as a senior Editorial position there.
I thought the Shredded Wheat Fowler won something last year!

 

Credit to them, there was no sign of the usual local press clichés:
A) Full steam ahead for...
B) Chuffed!
C) All steamed up
D) Puffer nutters on track for....
But then I suppose being a diesel made that difficult!

 

Not seen it mentioned elsewhere but Beyer Peacock arrived last night at the MSLR and will be staying until the end of June. Where she will be 'replaced' by Wissington from the NNR/M&GN.

Oldest ever loco for Middy in the 1940s - Mid-Suffolk Light Railway Museum (mslr.org.uk)

 

Handsome little loco. Is that the one which just visited the W&LLR's Beyer Bash?

 

It is yes. Looks great and should go well with the MSLR Vintage Coaches - Very much looking forward to my turn on it!

 

I just hope the owners of Furness Railway 20 don't read the usual rubbish spouted by the local rag here....
https://www.ipswichstar.co.uk/news/oldest-locomotive-vists-the-middy-8992284

 

To be fair is FR 20 operational at the mo?

 

Yes

Sent from my SM-A125F using Tapatalk

 

Fair enough, in the article it does say there are other loco’s under overhaul if I wasn’t sure FR 20 was in traffic, I can maybe understand why a possible non enthusiast might might be.

 

Think the paper has got confused, the press release from the railway says how it'll be the oldest loco to run on the MSLR. It mentions how it is one of the oldest currently in ticket in Britain but doesn't say the oldest... so think they've got the two mixed up and ended up churning out what they have!

 

I imagine a media intern working on the online version of the article couldn't be bothered to read the whole thing when copy-pasting the original transcript, and subsequently incorrectly summarised the title based on a skim-read.

 

Just as a note for anyone that may not have seen it. Wissington is planned to be heading to Suffolk on Friday 1st of July for an extended visit to the MSLR from the NNR/M&GN Society. Its first days operation is planned to be Sunday 3rd of July when it will be running alongside Beyer Peacock in its last steaming before it departs back to the Foxfield Railway.

 

Announced yesterday on Facebook that 1219 (from Pontypool & Blaenavon Railway) will be our main locomotive for the 2024 season, subject to final boiler certification and contract. It is planned 1219 will be in operation on all of our open days and will be with us until at least the Steam Gala 30th August and 1st September.

 

Will the extension be in operation this year?

 

Unlikely as the railway just started the progress of getting the Transport Act. We need to run trains on the extension due to the public footpath that crosses the line.