Embsay & Bolton Abbey - Branchline Weekend - May 4th, 5th & 6th

Yes, sounds like a good idea.

 

Website update:

Branchline Weekend Saturday 4th, Sunday 5th and Monday 6th May 2013
The event will feature a variety of trains and up to 7 locomotives in traffic.

Locomotives: (Subject to availability)

1300 - Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway A-Class
65 - Southern Railway USA Tank
Norman - RSH Austerity
Beatrice - Hunslet 16"
31 119 - BR Class 31
NCB 38 - BR Class 14 in NCB livery
11103 - BR Class 04 in black

Trains will depart from Embsay and Bolton Abbey stations every 30 minutes. Your tickets (which can be purchased in advance, online) allow unlimited travel on the day in question on all passenger services.

We will be operating :

A MkI set with the 1913 LNWR Directors' Saloon attached
A Stately Trains set with the three 6-wheelers and the L&Y Directors' Saloon
A Parcels train
A mixed goods train

Timetables will be published here in early April - there may also be opportunities to travel in a brakevan on the goods - watch this space.

Tickets are priced at £15 for adults and £5 for children.
Platform tickets are available for £5 for those not wanting to travel.

 

Beatrice: drawings completed and new bushes made for the trunk rods / trunk rod guide. Now awiting the return of the offending (repaired) item.

 

Work on wagons going very well - one boxvan re-roofed, scraped and painted. Two wagons having new vac. pipes fitted. New livery for another one. Nothing like a challenge!

Class 14 out for a test run this w/e following some more work to improve its performance and reliability.

31 119 due for a test run as well after brake cylinder overhaul and other bits of work.

Bad news on Beatrice's trunk rod guide - more cracks have been found. Repairs are underway but it will be very tight (time wise...) and we are on the lookout for another casting. If anyone can help, let me know! A pattern wouldn't go amiss either so we can have a new one made. It's very frustrating knowing that so little is preventing it running now.

The L&Y A Class arrives on 17th or 18th April, depending on collection time / driver hours.

Consequently, the timetable will be published on Monday without loco allocations, but we have several permutations, and each day will be slightly different.

 

Fingers crossed with Beatrice then Tim

I am guessing that no allocations will be available before you arrive then sadly?

May 3rd would do!!!

 

As soon as we are in a position to 'know' as opposed to speculate, we will publish some information! It may well be that I publish the provisional one IF it looks as though things will be all right, with a disclaimer that it may alter, depending on locos.

At the moment, there is an 09:30 departure off Embsay on the Saturday consisting of the L&Y (engine) with JUST the L&Y (carriage) - the only time that happens all weekend.

I think that is safe to stay in, whatever happens with Beatrice. But from that point onwards...

 

Is it intended to use all locos on all days? Thanks

 

All locos will be in use on all days. We want to phase them throughout the day (some starting earlier than others), although this may / may not work out.

On a positive note, Beatrice's casting is on the bench being worked on at the moment from the report I was given.

65 will be heading back in June to cover the KESR's loco shortage, so this is your chance to see it at a gala! (It was originally planned that it would stay for considerably longer).

 

Cheers Tim, much appreciated.

Hope Beatrice comes together for you



Andrew

 

1300 has landed safely; FTR exam due this w/e.
Beatrice's trunk rod guide casting is with the owner having been repaired and it will be machined this weekend when he arrives on Saturday.
Class 31 and 14 out on test Saturday evening following work that has been completed.
Progress on wagons is good.

04 will probably not take part as Bolton Abbey station pilot as it looks unlikely that we can crew it.

 

Thanks for the update Tim, shame about the 04.

It is 31119, D5600 not available from memory?

 

Provisional timetables now available via the website. Whilst there is still work to do on 31 119, Beatrice and the wagons, things are coming together thanks to lots of hard work from a number of people.

We will also have the Narrow Gauge at Embsay in operation with new arrival Vulcan running.

The miniature at Bolton Abbey will also be operating with its new loco!

 

Looking good
where is best for parking Embsay or Bolton Abbey
Thanks

 

Both are good, BA is somewhat bigger (in terms of car parking) though!

 

Despite the best efforts of our star machinist / fitter and team, Beatrice will not take part in the gala, although may be about on Saturday at Embsay light engine. Whilst the machining and reassembly was completed, seemingly successfully, there has been no time to test it as there are issues with two washout plugs. These are being resolved, but there is no opportunity to carry out any running in prior to the event. This is another setback on what has been a long road back into traffic, bu tthe end is in sight. The decision has been taken to avoid causing any damage to the loco, which should then play a big part in our operations.

A new timetable will be published shortly. Sadly the 04 cannot just slot in as it is limited.

 

Sad news about Beatrice, look forward to further news soon.

 

Any sign of the new roster yet Tim?

Hope things are going ok and no news is good news?

Thanks

 

Thanks to all those of you who came along to what we think was a very good event. If at all possible, I would like some feedback in order to help plan the 125th Anniversary details and further events.

We enjoyed running it most of them time - the passengers were friendly, things worked (almost all the time) and everyone seemed happy with it.

The only worry I have is the very small minority who seem to think that if they pop something high-viz on, they can go anywhere they please. As a Railway we do NOT do Lineside permits and expressly forbid this, based on our own concerns, insurance and recommendations received. The views granted by public rights of way generally give much better pictures anyway, especially given the hard work on lineside clearance we have started (now waiting until the end of the nesting season...).

 

Absolutely, a bit of effort gives many really good steam in the landscape photos at the railway. The background of Embsay Crag makes for excellent photos on the climb to Skibeden. Coming up from Bolton Abbey there are really photos from footpaths near Draughton village. The railway did make a serious mistake in tree planting on the lineside above Stoneacre loop though, one of the best locations on the line for seeing locos working hard.

 

We were down yesterday, thoroughly enjoyable visit, not having been down since 2010.

Very friendly staff, who had time to talk / explain things.

Trains mostly ran as advertised, I guess the 4 header on the 1700 from Bolton Abbey was changed with the 31 parking up earlier and the 14 not coming back down from Embsay?

Didn't bother us, as the 65/1300 combination was very good.

65/31 combo was also good, as was the fact you can travel in the directors saloons without being charged extra (NYMR take note!!)

Think the mixed timetable worked with the 1 goods to every 2 passenger, that balance needs to be kept for October, which I am certainly looking forward to.

Not sure if 1300, 65, Norman all still around by then or if anything else will have joined Beatrice by then.

Thanks for the updates leading up to the event and hope it was a success for the railway

Best Regards