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Author: Ben Coulson

Chief website tinkerer, bear washer, paintbrush botherer and wire brush wielder.
Simplex at the rock pile
📅 Open Day — 28th September 2024 ?>

📅 Open Day — 28th September 2024

Our next Open Day will be on Saturday 28th September 2024 from 10am to 3pm. Please note that the Open Day at Alan Keef Ltd. has been cancelled due to the field used for public parking being waterlogged. Come and see the progress we have made since our last Open Day. New track and wagon turntable will be in operation. Working demonstrations throughout the day, using the full line to load materials for the latest extension. Locomotives in operation (subject…

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Curved track panorama
⛏ Turntable and trackwork progress ?>

⛏ Turntable and trackwork progress

Following our September 2023 Open Day we were able to purchase a wagon turntable and our volunteers have been working to install it along with associated trackworks. The space between the points and the turntable site has some uneven ground so once the sleepers had been treated with creosote they were packed up with rocks from our stockpile to achieve a level. The rails were curved using a jim crow and then cut to length in order to meet up…

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Autumn leaves and Lea Bailey tank
📅 Open Day — Sunday 24th September 2023 ?>

📅 Open Day — Sunday 24th September 2023

We will be opening the site at Lea Bailey for visitors between 10am and 4pm on Sunday 24th September. Our resident Simplex 21282 will be operational on the day, with other locomotives and items of interest on static display. We will be requesting a donation of ÂŁ5 per person, towards our new appeal to raise funds for a wagon turntable which will form an integral part of the new line we are planning to construct on the mine tip. Along…

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The curve that leads to the mine entrance
📝 Works Update July 2023 ?>

📝 Works Update July 2023

New pipe for bywash channel The bywash channel, dug by volunteers after an outflow of water in 2016, allows excess water to run out of the mine in a controlled manner during periods of increased flow which would otherwise be too much for the underground pipe. A bridge made of two sleepers was installed but one had been removed by persons unknown and the other had become dangerously slippery due to the persistent damp conditions in the Forest. A length…

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Simplex on the curve
📅 Open Day — Saturday 24th September 2022 ?>

📅 Open Day — Saturday 24th September 2022

To coincide with the 50th Anniversary Open Day at Alan Keef Ltd. we will be opening the site at Lea Bailey for visitors between 10am and 5pm on Saturday 24th September. Our resident Simplex 21282 will be operational on the day, with other locomotives and items of interest on static display. Our volunteers will be on-hand to answer queries, and to give information about the history of the site and our heritage activities.

Tipping the spoil next to the loop
⛏ New Project: Rail Loop F ?>

⛏ New Project: Rail Loop F

Whilst the rest of the country was in lockdown, members of the Lea Bailey Light Railway Society were working behind the scenes on ambitious plans to extract and process a rare mineral from the Bailey Level mine. During a routine mine inspection, a rich deposit of Coprolite was discovered in a partially-collapsed side working just off the main level. After work to stabilise the collapse, a partnership was soon formed with a local manufacturer of garden fertiliser to process the…

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Simplex shunting a wagon
đź’‰ COVID-19 Update ?>

đź’‰ COVID-19 Update

During the lockdown, individual volunteers have been visiting the railway for regular site checks, and so far no problems have been found. Travel restrictions are being eased in Wales from Monday 6th July, and as some of our core group of volunteers travel to us from over the border, the Chairman is considering re-starting volunteer working parties from Sunday 12 July 2020. We are currently consulting Government guidelines and drawing up a risk assessment and a set of guidelines for…

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Airborne autum leaves (mainly beech)
📅 Autumn Open Day 2019 ?>

📅 Autumn Open Day 2019

Sunday 22nd September 2019 This year our Autumn Open Day will be a low-key affair as we only have one locomotive in operation and no working compressor to run the Eimco 12B and 24 rocker shovels and 401 air locomotive. Motor Rail “Simplex” 21282 will be available for demonstration trains and our volunteers will be on hand to give progress updates on our work at the mine. Please aim to visit us between 11:00am and 3:00pm.

Simplex shunting a wagon
💰 Fundraising Appeal for Motor Rail 21282 ?>

💰 Fundraising Appeal for Motor Rail 21282

? Update (as of 4th July 2019): Money raised so far is  £690.00  with thanks to everyone who donated (including a very generous donation from a local business owner). Please keep donating if you are able to do so. Further funds will be used to purchase new traction batteries for the WR8 battery-electric locomotive We have now had a quote from a supplier for parts required to get our Motor Rail diesel locomotive back into working order following the theft…

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WR5 hauling logs
đź“ť Details of items stolen ?>

đź“ť Details of items stolen

Originally published on our Facebook Page on 7th April 2019 Following an inspection of our shed at Lea Bailey, here’s a list of all the items that were stolen during the recent break-in Rockers, rocker covers and air filter from Deutz engine. Battery & leads, coupling pins & chains, several D-shackles from Simplex locomotive. Rockers, rocker covers, exhaust manifold, crankcase covers from Lister JK6 engine. Head bolts undone in an attempt to steal heads. Large bench vice Metal bucket containing…

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