3 foot gauge Hudswell Clarke "Handy Man"

It's a Scaldwell wagon, one of two we have. The other is unrestored and may yet go on holiday with Lord Granby.

Stuart, there is an interesting file I have left in the workshop office for you to see one Tuesday night, it has some details of fittings and a livery sample - Midland Iron Co red, lined black and straw, will look superb.

 

Sorry for the delayed reply, thank you again for the information, we saw the paint sample and were very very pleased with it just to think we were considering painting her green the red livery will look much nicer.

 

Hi all thought I'd post some photos of progress as we have had the saddle tank off for a few weeks now and quite a bit of the loco has been cleaned and painted, apologies for the quality of the photos but they hopefully give an idea of progress

 

Stuart I am from Burton Latimer my Grandfather Henry William came to BL in 1892 to be an Ironstone worker having resigned his post with the Midland Railway at Leicester station.

I wonder if that is why I have been a lifelong steam enthusiast!

But as you know Handyman was at BL ironstone quarry and can be seen here at work http://www.burtonlatimer.info/industry/ironstone-mining.html.

But more importantly some of the trackway is still visible.

Now Kettering Furnaces railway was also three feet and there are two engines in existence, No.3 and No.8. So the question is would all three engines be a catalyst to build a 3 foot railway along part of the original route? Lottery bid?

Russ

 

I'm afraid No. 3's owners (Penrhyn Castle) have publicly said in the past that none of their collection, except Hugh Napier, will steam again.

 

Oh well, make that lottery bid big enough and you can new-build some replicas ....

 

That's if you don't count the Coal Tank.

 

I only have the first, single volume, edition of Tonks's, The Ironstone Tramways and Railways of the Midlands. In it, he states that Handyman was regauged from metre to 3 feet for use at Lamport, initially by pushing the tires in, and later by fitting wider tires. I am not suggesting this is true, especially as I understand it has been proved untrue, but am just attributing a source for that story, although where he got it from he doesn't say. Most researchers sometimes fall into the trap of making a deduction on mistaken evidence, and putting it into print as solid fact.

Re. Lord Granby, I see it has been taken into the care of a local history group at Eastwell, near the system it worked on all its working life. see: http://lordgranbyrail.org.uk/ and the facebook page given on that website.

 

I didn't think the Coal tank was theirs, ( National Trust ?)
who or what runs the Penryn Castle set up anyway?
is everything in there the property of said organisation?

 

Penrhyn Castle is National Trust. As is Coal Tank. Hence the comment above

 

No need for a new line, head for Donegal (or even (London)Derry

 

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This is a picture of my great grandad Arthur Wiggins Hodson (frist left) engine driver and blacksmith with this engine[/IMG]

Burton Ironstone company around 1920