Developments on the Corris Railway

This works plate is really a quite particular success: nicely cast plate, with the legend both well lettered and most aptly chosen from "FALCON WORKS" to "No91 2022" The works number is the sort of pleasant surprise that lifts a Christmas, Birthday, Anniversary present to the memorable by its aptness. (No space between "No" & "91" but space before "2022" indicates careful layout.)

The cherry on the cake being the Alan Keep works number, they have certainly built more locomotives than Davies & Metcalfe, off the top of my head I think also Lewins at Poole.
They may also be unique in having built an appreciable number of internal combustion locomotives before having turned to steam ones - incidentally one tram engine came for a heavy repair as it was: rebuilt to fireless.

 

D&M only ever built the two original VoR locos. They were much better at injectors! Now if you'd said Davey Paxman ......

 

From Alan Keefs open day with CR number 10 and others.

 

Another U Tube I managed to not be in! I bumped into another Urie LS member there, he is in every U Tube I've seen!
Pat

 

For those unable to have got to Keefe's open day ..... and those who just want to see a Corris loco being the largest machine on display (Yep, it really was!). Glad they had good weather for what looks to have been a most popular event.

https://www.corris.co.uk/news/

Purists will doubtless decry the misplaced blue plastic bucket, as being a couple off feet to the platform side of where photos show No.3 always carried it's galvanised, non-blue bucket (!) but it doesn't detract one single jot from just what a magnificent achievement this is for the Corris, for Keefe's and let's not forget Israel Newton, boilermakers. Lovely to see a descendant of an original Corris driver. The old bonds are evidently alive and well.

Though (obviously) steamable, there's a fair bit needed to finish the loco, ahead of it's journey to it's forever home. Link to donations page on the CR website.

Today's useless fact: Some probably won't know that (green) Bagnall 0-4-0st Woto prominent in many photos, was originally constricted to 3'-6" gauge (it worked at BICC, Belvedere, Kent as did it's also preserved and likewise gauge converted sibling, Sir Tom, alive and kicking at Threlkeld Quarry & Mining Museum Cumbria) There are photos of both in Middleton Press/Chalk Pits Museum's volume 'Industrial Railways of the South East'

 

There's one photo in particular got my pulse racing ..... and it has not so much as a sleeper in it ...... just yet. It's the southern extension, at least a part of which is now approaching final height.

Good to see a relationship with the steadily re-animating GVT is making progress, nowt on axles though!

https://www.corris.co.uk/news/

 

Missed posting a link to the last updates. Sorry 'bout that .... but it does mean there are a lot of new progress piccies to catch up on.

Work on Carriage No.24 continues apace. If it keeps going at this rate, a decision will be needed on whether to run one long train or two shorter ones next year. I'd say that's a call for the folks who actually do the workshop tours.

At Corris Station, the traditional drystone wall separating rail and road is taking shape nicely and south of Maespoeth, there's substantial progress on the southern extension. That new embankment looks more impressive each time I see it.

There's now covered accommodation (immediately south of the engine shed) for a reasonable number of heritage waggons, in a very well built dedicated shed .... and a good display of the slate roofer's art is on display in the pics as the building is completed.

Work continues on improving the waggons and vans which have to work for a living too. Much of the ex-RNAD kit is looking in much better condition than I've ever seen it before. In that regard, buffers have helped no end with the proper 'Corris Look'.

You all want to know about No.10 don't you? .... I can tell these things. It's a little ways down, but here you go, see for yourselves:

https://www.corris.co.uk/news/

 

Coming thick and fast this week. To those who remember the first train back to Corris, check out the latest fantastic pw work. What a credit that trackwork at Corris is to the line! Nice too to see Y Mochyn's seasonal apparel.

https://www.corris.co.uk/news/

 

Agreed, a well-designed plate. It doesn't need a space as a delimiter between "No" and "91" as the underlined superscript "O" serves the same purpose. There is no ambiguity at all.

 

I agree with you both. Such a minor item in the grand scheme of things, but when well designed, speaks to a fully justified pride of Keef's in (yet) another new loco. Mind you, so does the rest of the loco. Before the build of No.10, I'd never fully appreciated Tom Rolt's comments concerning the design of No.3, but have to agree, this is a mainline quality design in all but it's slim gauge and overall size.

 

You might want to check the spelling on the worksplate again Howard...

 

Noted and duly corrected (childhood friend's name had the 'e'). Thanks Keith.

 

I well remember around 1973 when the then oil fired 3'6" gauge Bagnalls Sir Tom and Woto stood in Peter Elms yard in Crow Lane (A man to whom I owe an enormous debt of gratitude) As a youngster I had thoughts on the 3'6" Gauge Southend Pier Railway, but age and having no money obviously made that a no- go. Whilst I can see that converting to 2' gauge has made the loco's more usable, I'm still sorry to see that it has happened.

 

Update time:
https://www.corris.co.uk/news/

And 11'27" of 'A day in the life of a little train on the Corris Railway'. This includes images of the TR ballast waggon kindly loaned to complete the trackwork in Corris Stn.:

 

Falcon 10 is getting ever closer to entering service as Lawrie of the guy on Yorkshire Steam Railway has been to Keef works to give it a whirl:

 

Here are a few pictures of No10 at Christmas 2023, I provided all the CAD working drawings for the new cab and saddle tank so that they could be laser cut, here I was dropping off the curved arch beadings for the upper side sheets, these were originally 3D Printed before casting in brass, it's all scaled up slightly to appear faithful to the original, the height of the lower part of the cab was raised 2 inches so that it doesn't appear stretched vertically which I think has been successful.
The works plates are not in fact cast but 3D CNC machined by me from 5mm thick brass, I felt it wasn't worth machining a master for casting when we only needed two and went straight to brass the end result is a lot crisper. It's moved on since then and the cab now has vertical stanchions, wheel splashers, air brake reservoirs and I think a dummy vacuum pipe over the saddle tank although I haven't seen that yet. I'm currently working on the cab window surrounds which will be cast brass with fabricated hinges. The loco is due to be dismantled for painting and will appear in Corris Red/Brown livery but with the ornate triple lining.
Graham
IMG-20221219-WA0017 by uniquenarrowgauge, on Flickr
IMG-20221219-WA0012 by uniquenarrowgauge, on Flickr
IMG-20221219-WA0011 by uniquenarrowgauge, on Flickr
Corris No 10 Axo view 1 copyright[/url] by uniquenarrowgauge, on Flickr[/IMG]
Corris No 10 Axo view 1 copyright by uniquenarrowgauge, on Flickr

 

Graham
It appears there is no exit on the left-hand side of the cab?

 

Hi Bryan, Look carefully at the blanked off side you will notice a hairline split on the cab sheets, the rear part can be unbolted to provide access on that side when No10 visits the Talyllyn Railway, on the Corris it will stay blanked off as traditionally. also the upper side sheet swings open for coaling up.
Graham
Open Side sheet by uniquenarrowgauge, on Flickr
Coaling up by uniquenarrowgauge, on Flickr

 

Thanks Graham.

 

I see via Facebook and the Corris railway site that not only has a painted No 10 appeared, she's at the line already!