Photos, videos and docs of Loose_Grip/Pete, with the keywords: "WD"

Great Central Railway Loughborough Leicestershire 5th January 2003

nobody@ipernity.com (Loose_Grip/Pete) — Thu, 21 Jan 2016 07:51:48 +0000

On another cold January morning, 13 years ago, Riddles WD Austerity 2-10-0 90775 waits on road 1 prior to coming off shed to work trains to Leicester. I was still a cleaner back then I but did have a go on this loco while it was with us.

KESR Tenterden Kent Spring 1988

nobody@ipernity.com (Loose_Grip/Pete) — Fri, 06 Nov 2015 10:01:41 +0000

Loose_Grip/Pete has posted:

Ex-War Department Austerity 0-6-0ST WD 191, built by Hunslet in 1952, works number 3791, fills its tank with water at Tenterden Town station.

My one and only (so far!) visit to the KESR, fleeting at that.

Great Central Railway Loughborough June 19th 2003

nobody@ipernity.com (Loose_Grip/Pete) — Mon, 27 Feb 2006 15:47:29 +0000

Loose_Grip/Pete has posted:

GCR Loughborough USATC 2-8-0 S160 5197 in steam on shed. It was on loan from the Churnet Valley Railway for the summer.

From early 1943 up until D-Day in 1944 many S160s, although not 5197, worked on the LNER and some were shedded at Woodford Halse so would have hauled freight trains through Loughborough. No. 5197 was built in 1945 by Lima & was originally shipped from the US to China in 1945. It was purchased from the Chinese coal industry and imported into the UK in November 1995.

I was still a cleaner when I fired this beast in 2003 but it was an interesting experience. It has excellent injectors & the mechanism is very easy. First a slight pull to get the water flowing and then a longer pull for the steam. Picked up first time everytime - none of the messing about with the water valve you tend to get with most of the UK locos.

The firebox is pretty wide & needs a good back but the butterfly firehole doors give you plenty of space to swing - essential for a novice fireman! I never got a chance to prepare/dispose of it but that smokebox door looks very fiddly although I expect the firebox will have a rocking grate.