We have been invited to be part of a road making demonstration at Welland Steam Rally on 26th – 28th July 2013. This will involve our Simplex shuttling up and down a short length of temporary track hauling stone (from a steam-driven stone crusher) to the road head where a steam roller will ‘do the business’.
For the occasion we have been offered the loan of some 40 metres of lightweight track which we have collected from a private railway near Gloucester; of course we took the opportunity to look at this little gem. Our trackwork appeared on a small wagon propelled by a Clayton battery electric locomotive. The owner is a Lister enthusiast and in addition to 3 small diesel locomotives he has this delightful ‘Auto Truck’ (42019/1955) perfect for shunting small yards ā there’s another one pre-WW2 here awaiting full restoration.
Temporary track
Battery-electric
Lister auto-truck
Transfer track
Job done
At Lea Bailey there was some shunting to do before the track could be loaded onto a flat wagon while stored on site. Before the event we have to check we have sufficient fishplates and bolts as we have inherited a couple of similar sections of our own.
Next: see what happened when the track and rolling stock were delivered to Welland
On 22nd June 2013 we organised the move of a wagon from the south end of Hawthorns Tunnel, Drybrook to Lea Bailey. While not insubstantial, it was small enough to pull out with Jack’s Land Rover and mount on a trailer winched up by Pat’s Land Rover. Apart from the enforced diversion via Mitcheldean, everything went perfectly and you can also enjoy the proceedings in the video clip below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MiFdFNl9bk
A second similar wagon followed the next day and once we have opened up the tipper doors, these will be ideal for laying ballast.
Ian Harrison’s truck made good speed to Lea Bailey and the minor items were unloaded first and shunted away by the Simplex. The Hunslet soon joined them and there was plenty of time to run it up and down and confirm, as expected, that it had no problems with the trackwork which had received considerable attention in the last few months.
Other new arrivals
Lift off!
Revamped shed
Discussion point
Group photo
Special thanks again go to the Wrights at Clearwell who have entrusted first their MotorRail Simplex and now their Hunslet with us.
On 8th April 2013 it was time to call Ian Harrison’s special lorry into action again. Our Hunslet mines locomotive was now in full working order and was loaded up first. We then squeezed in a rusty manrider, a hydraulic jack, part of a set of points and a small flat wagon to make the most of the opportunity. Once again, Ray Wright who had started the Lea Bailey project some years back was there to watch.
More correctly know as Hawthorns Tunnel, this 638 yard tunnel is normally securely locked at both ends to prevent casual access. We have been allowed special access to the tunnel to check on the long term possibility of running trains through it. I would say “again” but it apart from the odd engineering train it is almost as new and not smoke stained as normal. Under the pictures is an account of working in the tunnel more than 60 years ago.
Yesterday afternoon with Rob and Yuehong Dickinson, I visited Edgar Tippins of Lea Bailey, Herefordshire at the invitation of his daughter, Caroline Probert. The purpose of the visit was to hear and record his memories of working in the tunnel in 1947 and 1948, when the Admiralty was still using it for storage of munitions. Mr. Tippins was born in 1924 and has lived in the area all of his life, having been born at home in Drybrook. As he worked as a miner in the Arthur and Edward pit, Lydbrook, for seven years he could have registered as a freeminer, but he didnāt bother.
In the Admiralty facility he was one of a team of about a dozen workmen, most of whom were older than him, so he could well be the last living member of the team. There was a foreman in charge of the team, which was under the control of a manager in Malvern who visited the facility each week to hand out wage packets. The facility was used to store depth charges, torpedoes and mines, received from ROF Swynnerton, Staffs, (No 5 filling factory, which seems to have been connected with the Royal Navy, although producing a wide range of munitions) and ROF Glascoed, Gwent, (which produced sea mines for the Royal Navy). These were brought to the facility on standard gauge trains, via the GWR branch from Bullo Pill (near Newnham) to Cinderford. The trains were normally of up to seven or eight assorted wagons, which could be open wagons with the load covered by a tarpaulin or vans, and were hauled by a small engine, presumably a GWR tank engine. When the Admiralty took over the tunnel, they had laid concrete slabs through the tunnel and installed a narrow gauge railway (widely reported to be 18in gauge) ā there is a single picture in Pope and Karauās Wild Swan book on the Forest of Dean Branch. The munitions were transferred from the standard gauge to narrow gauge wagons in a barn-like transfer shed with platforms for the two gauges at the same height for easy transfer. There were three grounded coach bodies for the staffās use ā these included some female clerical staff.
The narrow gauge track ran into the tunnel on the right hand side and went the full length to the far end. At each end of the tunnel was a blast wall. Wagons on the narrow gauge were hauled by one of two battery electric locomotives, normally one being in use while the batteries of the other were being charged. Edgarās work included checking and topping up the fluid level in the lead acid batteries. Each locomotive was approximately 3ft 6in wide and 8ft long. One was apparently taller than the other, and Edgar felt that the taller one seemed to be top-heavy. The munitions were transported on small (i.e. 4 wheel) flat wagons, not more than five or six at a time (one munition per wagon, up to 5 or 6 wagons at a time). He thought that the gauge was 2ft rather than 18in, but admitted that he wasnāt sure.
At each end of the tunnel an area was enclosed with āunclimbableā steel fencing (rusting remains of which still survive in situ). Outside each tunnel portal was a hut for a security guard (apparently manned 24 hours a day, as there was a night watchman as well as the daytime guard). The purpose of the guard seems to have been to prevent unauthorised access to the tunnel as beyond the hut but within the fenced perimeter at the northern end of the tunnel was a larger shed known as the ālabā. In the tunnel there were concrete plinths on the left hand side (when facing north) to raise the storage racks above the wet floor of the tunnel. On these plinths were mounted vertical steel girders to support the racks on which the munitions were stored. (The plinths with mounting points for the girders plus a few of the girders are still obvious in the tunnel.) Torpedoes and depth charges were stored towards the Drybrook end with mines stored towards the other end of the tunnel. All munitions were stored without fuses, mainly in sealed wooden boxes. The whole tunnel was illuminated by small electric light bulbs.
There was apparently a regular movement of munitions into and out of the facility. The team also were responsible for routine care of the munitions, including removing old protective paint and re-painting. Tools used were brass, to prevent any sparks being caused.
This is my summary of over an hourās conversation with Edgar as he remembered working in the Euroclydon tunnel. (Note ā the tunnel is variously known as either Euroclydon, after the house above it which was built by a member of the well-known Brain family of colliery owners, or Hawthorns, after the name of the area above the tunnel.) The conversation was recorded by Yuehong on video.
Until 20th September 2012, there were no locomotives on site as we had yet to establish a secure storage system. The pictures of the locomotives were all taken at Clearwell Caves.Ā However, we now have the Motor Rail Simplex and the Hunslet at Lea Bailey together with a container in which to keep one of them securely, the other being safe in the mine.
Adding a battery to enable Simplex No. 21282 to be started.
20th September 2012 was a big day in the short history of the Lea Bailey Light Railway. With our ‘new’ locomotive on site, we had the perfect excuse to ‘fire it up’ as we needed to test drive it before its planned debut performance on 22nd September. However, first it needed a new battery fitted. Rob raced it round the curve keeping the chain taut at a speed of at least 1 mph, after which we assembled virtually all the available stock for a run past requested by the webmaster. There was a short delay however while a miscellany of coupling devices were found ā chains, hooks and wires in the best tradition of the Javan sugar cane trains. Finally, we had our trundle past and then after all that excitement it was time to put the little old lady to bed.
First train
First train
Assembling the stock
21282 with first train in 2012
Bed time
Special thanks again go to the Wrights at Clearwell who have entrusted their Motor Rail Simplex with us.
20th September 2012 was a big day in the short history of the Lea Bailey Light Railway. First we went to Clearwell Caves where our Simplex locomotive was waiting for us and then saw it loaded onto Ian Harrison’s special lorry. Appropriately, Ray Wright who had started the Lea Bailey project some years back was there to watch. We raced to Lea Bailey and there Rob and Steve who hadĀ been responsible for most of the preparation of the site there looked on like a pair of proud fathers.
Loading at Clearwell
Unloading at Lea Bailey
Welding rails
Unloading container
Positioning container
Meanwhile a couple of days earlier, Shane had welded up the rails which were to provide the base for the container which will provide secure storage. Just a couple of hours after delivering the Simplex, Ian Harrison was back with our new container. In expert hands the unloading took no time and it was placed exactly as planned. In between we had been busy doing what all little boys ought to like doing, playing with our new train.
The original Gold Mine at Lea Bailey was established in 1906 and was unsuccessful. While there are small quantities of gold present in the area, it seems unlikely that they are economically exploitable. However, there is a small adit on site which was used later to extract ironstone from the same source as earlier mines in the Wigpool area higher up the hill. Running nearly 600 yards into the hillside it has suffered some rock falls. It is said that a narrow gauge railway was built to the mine from Mitcheldean Road but like its standard gauge predecessor never used. The Euroclydon tunnel has also been considered as a base for further exploration.
Some time ago the Wrights who operate the tourist attraction at Clearwell Caves sought to establish a new attraction here and brought a significant amount of materials and rolling stock (the latter almost 100% ex-National Coal Board in origin). However, it was eventually aborted and the better stock removed to Clearwell.
The existing infrastructure dates from the time the mine was due to be promoted as a tourist attraction. The right to the gale is owned by the Wright family, the land shown is owned by the Forestry Commission and leased to them. The Commission has indicated that subject to us obtaining the appropriate planning permission from Herefordshire County Council, they will probably agree to allow us extend the railway in the mine area to coverĀ the trackbed up to the bridge and again up to the limit of their land.
