The Ashover Light Railway

Track laying has reached the old DDNGR platform next to the standard gauge shed lead using ex MOD as new 35lb (IIRC) rail and steel sleepers. The engine rebuild of the ex-mines Hunslet Diesel and block repair to the Ruston are progessing. I believe that the rebuild of the Sentinal style steam loco is still on going as well.

 

Do they still have the Jaywick sentinel?

 

Yes they do sadly butchered to now be 2ft gauge so any hope of it and the surviving coaches running together is unlikely

 

Yes, that's what I was referring to above. It's been driven on compressed air and the LPG fired boiler is (IIRC) certified. The last time I was at Rowsley it was progressing slowly but steadily.

 

Ah, that's a shame!

Coaches plural? I thought only one survived at Windmill?

 

For the Ashover railway they need Baldwin locos, but as these are difficult to get (the WHHR has just stored one imported from India) they seemed to get parts of other locos to get started.
They have a webpage on the Jaywick sentinal loco.

This is a photo posted by a Brett Leader in 2017 to a facebook page aimed at restoring the Jaywick miniature railway.

Guess these are the 3 carriages, which then went to New Brighton railway, wiki says they then went to the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway.

The ALR webpage http://www.alrs.org.uk/site/?page_id=1213 has a blurred photo of a loco at the New Brighton railway, which looks different to the one above (Century?), more boxy, no tender?. The Sentinel type loco being restored has a vertical boiler, and the one above does not seem to be vertical? So perhaps the Jaywick miniature railway had 2 steam 15" gauge locos?

 

Jaywick was 18" gauge.


The above picture ("Century") is of this loco: https://catchingsunsets.com/world-of-country-life-devon-review/ a 1/3rd scale (ish) Stirling Single, it was built from parts supplied by Bagnall in 1898 to the Regent Street Polytechnic School of Engineering, London. (Bagnall had previously built a similar one, works number 1425, which is currently moldering for sale at Preston Services https://prestonservices.co.uk/item/bagnall-stirling-loco/ )

The Jaywick Stirling had previously operated at Fairbourne (yes, as an 18" gauge loco.)

 

Deleted

 

A very detailed history of the JMR and its locos (and their lives after Jaywick) can be found in "A Single to the Seashore" published by the NGRS. The photo below shows the Jaywick Sentinel at New Brighton after rebuilding to look a little more like a conventional loco.
Ray.

 

Found this on Pinterest (posted by Louise Oakes) of the New Brighton miniature railway, which looks a better photo of the 18" "Jaywick" Sentinel like loco, (rather than the fuzzy one on the ALRS webpage). A miniature version of the GWR 12 loco. So presume the restored loco will either look similar (with the chimney of the vertical steam engine still going up inside the cab) or as the more conventional rebuild by aRay above, but 24" to run at the ALRS, ?.

 

Love the name. "Nulli Secundus". Second to none. It being the only loco at New Brighton at the time.

 

I was under the impression that they ended up at Gloddfa Ganol, where two of the three were scrapped and the last went to Windmill Farm. I'm thinking that maybe that's wrong now and that all three are there

Thanks, I'd not seen a picture of the rebuild before. Loses some of the charm!

Seems a shame that the Sentinel is being re-gauged to 2' - though hopefully nothing else is changed

 

A fairly old post indicated that Austin Moss had the complete one and the other two chassis.
Ray.

 

I don't think there was a great deal left of it so in detail there will probably be a lot of differences. It still has the little buffers and the same overallish shape.

 

But a restoration and rebuild, or a newbuild on the original frames? Will it look like the Sentinel?

 

I think the difference between the two is mostly symantics. The body frame is Sentinel shaped, it's being returned to pre-steam outline (weird thing to do to a steam engine) appearance.

 

For enthusiasts, the ALRS restoring the "Jaywick" loco to the original unusual boxy Sentinel shape will be the right thing to do. But can see why the New Brighton miniature railway changed it to a more conventual "steam" appearance, somehow keeping the vertical boiler, as paying passengers expect a conventional steam train when paying for rides.
If the ALRS need to help raise funds to eventually get a Baldwin steam loco (restored or new build, mentioned in an article in Narrow gauge railway magazine) then restoring Jaywick back as a more conventual "steam" appearance will perhaps encourage more public passengers and more income at Rowsley? When the ALRS do have a Baldwin the Jaywick could go back to Jaywick and regauged to restart the railway back there? But might take time?
The ALRS also seem to have plans for new coaches and restoring the Rainbow cafe, but think getting a steam loco is probably a priority.

Found this picture of a restored Jaywick coach at the Windmill railway, so guess the other 2 coaches (if the chassis are good and stored well) can also be restored.
https://ngon30.weebly.com/uploads/1/6/5/2/1652796/dscf7419_orig.jpg

 

I read somewhere that the Jaywicks had moved from Windmill - not sure if that's true, Jordan man know.

I don't think the Sentinel being conventional steam outline will have any material impact on ticket sales

 

The current narrow gauge train at Rowsley is a refurbished ex Duxton coach, top and tailed by the battery Spondon loco and a small diesel loco.

Photo linked from the FB page, where a 2nd coach is being restored.
For the few days it runs probably brings in a little income from fares, guess the use of the steam powered Sentinel shaped "Jaywick" loco when working will be more appealing, until they can get a steam Baldwin and coaches of the type that ran at Ashover (rented or new build?, but will need a lot of donations).

I see the 1948 Ashover diesel loco is currently being repaired at Beamish, so could also perhaps run on the track at Rowsley sometime?
https://locomotive.fandom.com/wiki/Ffestiniog_Railway_'Ashover'

Part of the interest of the Ashover railway for me was as well as being an industrial railway the owner used it, and the rainbow cafe, to give employees (and others) well earned day trips (although some other railways also did this).

 

Sadly covid brought a lot of the volunteer work on the Beamish 2ft to an end. Along with that one of the driving forces behind it at Beamish has moved on to a new job.

Ashover suffered a major gearbox failure around 30 years ago. The top shaft needed replacement and this is incredibly complicated. Attempts to make a new one usually resulted in ridiculous quotes because nobody wanted to make it. Eventually through contacts at Beamish, someone who could make it and for reasonable price was found. There is still a lot to do to the gearbox to get it running again though. It has mostly been a one person project and finding the time and money to devote to it hasn't been easy. I think because of the work required it would take a lot of convincing to let someone else rebuild it but you never know. It is safely stored for now though.