RS&H 'Ugly' 0-6-0STs

I am very surprised at your comment on footplate rides in the works .The security was very very tight there .Patrol men (that's what Corby people called security men )would jump out even at the remotest parts of the works .I was on a visit to the works with the IRS (or it may have been RCTS ) on the 30/06/1956 ,32 loco's noted including Caledonian pug 628.On enquiring where the mines loco's were ,we were told they had a new shed along the Gretton Road. So the next day ,a Sunday ,a group of us push biked over to Pen Green loco shed. We propped our bikes up against the side of the shed wall,walked in a side entrance and obtained permission to look round .24 loco's present. We were just leaving when a patrol man ,seeing our bikes outside rushed in ,wanting to know what we were doing.
I can still hear the man who gave us permission saying "Well they told us they were down at the works yesterday " Our names were taken and told not to enter S&L property again with out written permission.
I met Eric Tonks several times on I R S visits ,I corresponded with him regular, giving reports on what I had seen. A very nice man ,but living in Birmingham he made very few visits to the East Midlands Ironstone field on working days. I don't know where he got the info' from about HE 2411 on test,I was told it was a standard Hawthorn Leslie, this was by the driver on the open wagon tour to Wakerley with No21 ( HL3931) in 1973.

 

In response to you query re the use of HE2411 in the Minerals system I would presume that the information would be known to Eric from his talks with the drivers of the Minerals fleet during his visits to Pen Green depot. My source was Percy Horne whom I met during my visits to the Works network during the period 1964 - 1970 and who spoke about his involvement with the trials. Whilst I understand your disbelief regarding riding in the works you should be aware that I worked in the offices from 1964 thru 1970 and had good contacts with the Transport Offices; sufficiently good that I was given full details of the arrival of all Class 14s bought by S&L / BSC but that information was loaned to a person who subsequently claimed to have lost them during a house move.

When I first began sampling rides on 24 it was on the line between the Tubeworks and Corby Sidings which I joined adjacent to Corby North then, using a safety helmet kindly supplied by a friendly driver, regularly sampled the ride with empty wagons from Corby Sidings to the Tubeworks and returning from the Tubeworks with loaded wagons for Corby Sidings. When 24 was subsequently replaced by the Hawthorn Leslies I continued the rides on many Sundays given that I worked during the week. In addition my employment with S&L - later BSC - I had access to the Works depot.

In terms of the Minerals system I became friendly with Mr Jones, the Traffic Manager, as did local expert Peter Staughton who lived in Northampton, and having proved our sense of responsibility, we were among a few enthusiasts who were were generally allowed unlimited access to both depot and locos hence had frequent rides down to the quarries on Saturday mornings with both steam and diesel traction.

You mention the "security staff" but were you aware that they had a great deal of authority even outside the works complex. When I drove taxis in Corby between 1971 - 77 I often saw the security personnel checking the many pubs and clubs in the town for workers who should be at work. If any were found they were asked to prove they had a valid reason for NOT being at work and - if unable to do so - were immediately "arrested" and returned to their appropriate work centre.

 

Is there likely to be a role for industrials after reunification or is that considered to be too far into the future to be an issue?

 

There is no reason why the industrials wouldn't have a role. The exact nature of what the railway(s) will look like post-unification is far from clear, but purely from a practical sense, the RSH Ugly's have proved themselves more than capable of a GCRN round trip with water to spare, and have plenty of power for the job. And if a less powerful Jinty can do a GCR Loughborough round trip, there's no reason why, provided they had the opportunity to top up with water either at Loughborough or Leicester, they couldn't run a full line round trip. The only real issue to overcome is potential snobbism among people who think Industrials are inferior locomotives and have no place on such a preserved railway, which is not true.

 

As I previously noted in post #67 and about the other two in the thread about the loco formerly known as Wainwright

 

Never! Industrials have their place in my heart, that's for sure.

I was watching videos of industrial railways on YouTube and came across a few of the S&L locos which may be of interest here.

Kitson, Sentinel and RSH on shed


RSH out on a run


Loading and hauling (suggest mute for these)

 

Interesting films BUT I don't think the 4th one is Corby as the loco is none of the standard Manning Wardle / Kitson / RSH locos from the Pen Green fleet. If I had to guess I suspect this to be a scene from Storefield quarry rather than an S&L example.

 

It is indeed Storefield Fred and the other location in that video is Cranford.

Cheers,

Alan

 

Ah yes, good spot. Does anyone happen to know of a GA drawing for the Ugly class available online? My searches have come up blank. Also trying to find one for the Kitson/MW type based at Corby.

 

p

 

A line drawing for MW1316/17 is published in The Elan Valley Railway by Colin Judge ( Oakwood Classic OL71 published 1987 reprinted 1997 ISBN 0-85361-517-9). This pair of locomotives have 15 x 22 ins cylinders but later Manning Wardle / Kitson locomotives had 16 x 22 ins cylinders although I don't know if any other measurements were altered; from external view there looked to be no difference.

 

The 15" and 16" designs are quite different Fred. Fundamentally the 16" engines have a 'haystack' type firebox with a longer grate and barrel. The frames of the 16" engines are significantly longer which is also reflected in longer wheelbase.

 

Yes ,South Durham Steel and Iron Co Storefield ,Newton Pit ,Number 19 AB 2101 /1940 . Taken 1965-7.How do I know ?I was a loco' driver there.

 

A couple of months ago nos 56 and 63, the two Uglies based at the GCRN, were sold and moved off site, with many crew members sad to see them go. We wish them all the best, and hope that, once restored to operational condition, they will pay us a visit once again.
Per chance, does anybody know where they have ended up? That information has not been communicated anywhere I can see

 

Does the GCR(N) have any home based operational Steam locomotives currently- or any returning to traffic soon?

Chris

 

Not currently. Austerity 68067 has been on loan from the GCR(S) for the last couple of years, but I am not one to know whether that will remain the case into 2021. The lockdown has massively slowed down progress on the Manning Wardles, and I don't know the plans the 8F's owning group have.

 

My information is that the big RSH tanks went to Epping-Ongar.

 

Last i heard they were still on site at Ruddington

 

Nothing has turned up at EOR to the best of my knowledge.

With No.62 unlikely to steam again unless lockdown ends before the expiry of the boiler ticket in a months time, are there any operational 'Uglies' left now?

 

Nope. 62 has been the only Ugly in operable condition since 63 failed a boiler inspection in 2015.