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7 ft 1⁄4in Broad-gauge loco restored (Azores, British industrial)

Discussion in 'Steam Traction' started by Miff, Feb 10, 2025.

  1. Miff

    Miff Part of the furniture Friend

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    Last used in 1973 and after many years stored in the workshop at Ponta Delgada one of the two 7 ft 1⁄4 in broad-gauge locos (no. 3, Falcon 165/1888) of the Azores breakwater railway has been restored, cosmetically.

    I don't speak Portugese so I don't know any more but there's a video here:
    Locomotiva do séc. XIX restaurada em Ponta Delgada - RTP Açores

    And an ex-works photo (looking good) here:
    Antiga locomotiva do porto de Ponta Delgada volta a ganhar cor - Açoriano Oriental
     
    Last edited: Feb 10, 2025
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  2. Hirn

    Hirn Member

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    Knew of the railway and of its locomotives under cover, very glad to see care being taken. Never seen a good photograph of this one, nor how very short the wheel base!
    Also at least three of these major harbour construction lines came to be broad gauge - this one, Holyhead in Anglesey and Simonstown in South Africa - were there any more?
     
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  3. 5944

    5944 Resident of Nat Pres

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    Wheelbase wider than it is long?
     
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  4. Andy Williams

    Andy Williams Well-Known Member

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    There was the Port Erin Breakwater contract in 1863 which used a loc0 named 'Henry B Loch'.
    Port Erin Breakwater.jpg
     
  5. Ploughman

    Ploughman Part of the furniture

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    Just wondering if these locos are escapees from the Swindon scrap line?
     
  6. marshall5

    marshall5 Part of the furniture

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  7. Miff

    Miff Part of the furniture Friend

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    Sadly no. As explained in @marshall5 ' s link above Broad-Gauge was used for a number of industrial railways around the world including several breakwater schemes. In Wales a Longridge 0-4-0 remained in use at Holyhead until about 1913 and stayed there derelict until scrapped in 1945. A Neilson or (Sharp-Stewart?) loco was on the Azores railway at least until the 1960s and may've been 2nd hand from Holyhead but there appears to be no sign of it now. The two survivors are Black Hawthorn 766/1883 and Falcon 165/1888.
     
    Last edited: Feb 12, 2025
  8. pmh_74

    pmh_74 Part of the furniture

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  9. wookey

    wookey New Member

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    This is really good to see, these two have been waiting for a while for a bit of tlc.
    Also I gather number 3 is the one that always looked to be in a worse state in the older pictures, so it’s good to see that hasn’t been a barrier to its restoration.
     
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