Over the winter we have a programme of further improvements to undertake in readiness for next season.

We will also be launching some new marketing in initiatives – details to follow soon.

Work already has covered repairs to the Engine Shed, inlcuding a new concrete floor, roof repairs and electrical checks. The original tunnel adjacent to the shed has been demolished as it was not safe.

Forthcoming work will include, new raised platforms at both Stations, re-alignement of track at Mewsbrook Park, including revised access to the Engine Shed. The additional and apparenetly unused turntable in front of the sheds has been removed and the pit will be filled in as we will need to lay an additional direct siding into the middle road in due course.

A 100m section of track behind the wall at the Norfolk Gardens end will be completely relaid. Other sections of track will be atgtended to as needed. New signs and waiting shelters will be going up and the new train will be delivered at the end of March.

A lot of preparation work has also been going on in the background off-site including, preparing documentation including Operating procedures and Safety Management Systems, Marketing and promotion and ordering materials and equipment.

The start of work waqs delayed while contractural issues were resolved. It is plannned to re-open in time for Easter Holiday.

Further improvements will be on-going through the first half of the summer. We look forward to welcoming everyone back to a new and even better Littlehampton Railway.

We will be announcing over the next few months our long-term plans and look forward to welcoming everyone this season which will start in April.

Further updates will be put on the website as often as possible. Our aim is to make the Littlehampton Railway a first-rate seaside railway and an attraction that the town can be proud of.

We would like to thank all those who have been involved in the Railway in the past and would welcome hearing from anyone who may either have been to the railway,  or been involved in running it. We would particularly like to know what happened to the steam locos that used to run there and general historical information.

We can be contacted at info@tir-ltd.co.uk

The loco performed faultlesly and we hope that all our guests enjoyed themselves – they certainly seem to and most of the food and drink mysteriously disappeared too!

We were particularly pleased to wlecome a contingent from the Glyn Valley Tramway Trust who, not having a railway of their own yet, pretended they were going from Chirk to Pontfaen and back! More info about their project can be found at www.glynvalleytramway.co.uk 

We also enjoyed the company of a distinguished guest – the ‘Director of Fun’ for the NRM, young Sam Pointon! You might wish to look at this clip: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8216071.stm

We hope to see you all again soon. Photos and video to follow soon.

Work has also advanced on the sliding windows at the front, the cast-iron trays in which the windows run have been shot-blasted and re-painted and fitted, conmplete with little drain-hole down the front of the planking – not the greatest design! The sliding sashes themselves (of which one of the front four and both side ones have survived) were supplied originally with cast-iron rollers set into the bottom rail -as opposed to the earlier LSWR boxes which have a groove in the window and vertical ‘pegs’ on which the window is guided. New brass rollers have been fitted as the cast-iron ones must have seized up about 50 yaers ago, judging from the flat left on them!

During service with BR and later Railtrack / Network Rail the interior had been clad with thin ply sheeting. To do this all surface details had been removed including a moulding at picture rail height (which masked the join between the side wall and upper triangles) and the skirting. The sheeting was discarded during removal from site and enough of the vertical beaded t&g boarding existed to clad make good the end (gabled) walls and re-fit below the windows (which of course had been lost when the timber work below the window was replaced with brick work)

Not enough original material remained to clad the back wall, which had of course had a brick chimney inserted at some stage, requiring substantial rectification. A decision has been taken to clad this wall in plasterboard pending future plans. During renovation work, some crumpled paper was found rammed into the gap between the boarding in the corners – presumably to stop draughts and then puttied and painted over many times.

This material has proved to be a stunning find as it is parts of a Sectional Appendix or more likely Special Notice in connection with a sporting event. Here is what we have identified so far:

·         The visible dates are Wednesday 22^nd and Thursday 23^rd. No year is visible but these can only be: 1894, 1906, 1917, 1924, 1928, 1934 and 1945 pre nationalisation. My guess is that it is most likely early, judging from the typeface and fragility of the paper.

·         Image 1a shows timings and Head Discs referring to ‘Hampton Court Specials’

·         Image 1b (reverse of 1a) shows ‘GENERAL ORDERS’ and refers to Goods trains ‘after the last Race Special on the Race day’

·         Image 2a is very interesting as it refers to ‘ATHLETICS SPORTS at HAVANT’ and later ‘With excursionists in S.&D. Co’s Vehicles from Bath, &c’

·         Image 2b (reverse of 2a) also refers to Special Train Havant to P****** (Portsmouth?) East and Back with Passengers for Southampton West, Winchester, Lyndhurst, *****nhurst (Brockenhurst), Christchurch and Bournemouth  in L.B.&S.C. Co’s vehicles’

·         Image 4 shows a section of date

Conclusions from the above are difficult to draw as we cannot conclusively say that all the sheets are from the same document and date. Other sections (which we have yet to unravel, through painstaking steaming and flattening) refer to Sidmouth and Newton St Cyres.

Clearly these timetables were prepared for  special event. Here are some possibilities I have excluded so far:

·         Derby at Epsom – June, won by Spearmint (which of course gave its name to an A3)

·         Olympics in London 1908, not 1906 (Athens, though apparently not counted as a true Olympics!)

·         Coronations – does not fit with any dates

I would be very grateful if anyone could help us with identifying the likely event associated with this document. We have yet to actually see the word ‘Axminster’ but I anticipate that the heavily crumpled fragment on which we can see ‘Sidmouth’ will be forthcoming!

Chris Phillimore

She was still warm from Friday on the Sunday and despite lighting up at a reletively late 10:00, adequate presure was reached by about 12:00 without much trouble. On a day such this when the loco is not expected to do much work – a couple of trips around the line and some running up and down light engine, keeping the engine quiet was always going to be a challenge. Past experience has shown that the boiler is such a good steam raiser that if you get a good thick fire in and let the  water get high, she will just blow off continually! I opted for running with low water and not letting the pressure get above 140psi. plenty of space in the boiler allowed judicious use of the injectors to keep the presure from rising too fast.

The train consisted of the ‘Grean Dragon’ coach and the two SAR flats (one still with mines loco on board). A gentle run down was followed by a blast up the bank which was tackled with only about 120psi and pressure dropped to about 100psi by the time we arrived at Statfold Central. My guests were not English and the language barrier hit hard when I gave the instruction to my guest to open her up for the last charge into the station and instead he shut the regulator! Result: we ground to a halt and had to set back for another run!

Later we had another go and made a better fist of it. I do like the way in which the loco will still put some grunt down even with ‘low’ pressure.

During work to finish refitting the internal panneling a chunk of crumpled paper was found shoved into the gaps – this appears to be a very old sectional appendix or Special working timetable with train times, headcodes etc. the date is partly lost and it is very fragile.. but says Saturday 22nd August – does anyone know waht year that would be?

CJP

This will see a Full Planning Application submited in October to cover the entire section from Chirk Station to Pontfaen. Preliminary Construction work could commence in 2011 depending on funding.

A public Display of the detailed designs will beheld in Chirk as part of the Planning process.

CJP

The loco will continue to stay at Statfold for the time being but we hope to go and visit some interesting places in the near future!

Chris P

Works No 3355 of 1929

2’6” (762mm) gauge

In full working order with new 10 year boiler Certificate (to June 2019)

This locomotive has undergone a thorough overhaul and is currently located on a private site in Central England, where it may be inspected in steam and test driven.

History:

Then loco was delivered new to SA Hoboken in Antwerp, Belgium where it worked on the company’s internal rail system moving steel and other metallurgical products and waste around the site.

At some stage in the locomotive’s life it was heavily rebuilt using parts from its sister loco No 3243 of 1926. This included the frames and significant parts of the motion. The boiler carries a plate identifying it as from No 3355. The original works plates from 3355 survive (see photo, left). A replica set of plates for no 3243 have been made allowing the loco to run with either identity (or both!)

The locomotive was bought by a dealer in Belgium and was briefly stored at the Maldagem Museum. In the late 1980s the loco was bought and moved to a private site in England. After an overhaul she briefly ran in 1993 at the Welshpol and Llanfair light Railway (photo, right)

Subsequently the loco was sold again for use at a proposed new narrow gauge railway in Pembrokeshire, unfortunately this project did not develop as planned.

Between 2004 and 2006 the loco was dismantled and the boiler was overhauled at Bennett’s Boilers (Highbridge) and WSRA (Williton) and in May 2006 the loco, in component form was moved to the works of the Hunslet Engine Co. at Tamworth. In May 2009 the loco was tested and successfully passed the final Boiler Inspection and was granted a new 10 year Boiler certificate in accordance with the EU Pressure Equipment Directive.  

 Due to circumstances mentioned earlier the loco does not have a public home railway to operate at on a regular basis. In running to date she has been shown to be an exceptionally strong and free-steaming locomotive which is not a surprising with a good boiler design (short with a wide barrel and Belpaire firebox) and large cylinders.  The driver’s controls are well laid out lending themselves to easy one man-operation if required. A steam brake is fitted and the loco is through piped for twin-line air with a driver’s control valve. In addition provision has been made for the fitting of an air pump (pump available if required).

 For more information including Prices, please email: chris.phillimore@tir-ltd,co.uk.  a short video of the loco in action is available here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5lXF0y78Co and photos ar on the gallery pages