North Staffordshire Rolling Stock Trust

The "Knotty Trust" has a new website on line form today @ www.knottycoachtrust.org.uk/ , packed with news and information. We are very proud of what has been achieved to date, please take look at the new site -it will be updated each month.

 

Trying to get the link working !, Home - perhaps someone can advise.

 

Bingo !, sorry for the duplication, enjoy !.

 

The news section of the Knotty Coach Trust @ www.knottycoachtrust.org.uk has been updated via the December news tab to show progress on NSR No 127 @ Stangegate Restorations.

 

Like the trust's website, by the way!

and the work continues......

 

Edition 4 of "The Staffordshire Knot" published @ Home in the news section. Hope you like it !.

 

For those who cant wait for the March update the link from Stonerose above gives some indication of both quality of work and rate of progress on No.127 during Jan & Feb.

The Trust have now taken on the two MR bodies as we dont want to get bored when NSR No.127 & No.61 are finished !. We have a original MR frame for the larger of the two, a CCT for the smaller. If we could find the cash we would send both bodies for a Holiday in Cumbria !. Lots to do - 2013 will be a big year for the Trust.

Issue 4 of the Staffordshire Knot has features on both the Midland coaches and early NSR coach livery - including identification of the mid 1880's "Victoria Brown" paint shade.

If you are interested in lending a hand why not visit Foxfield and say hello. If you would like to become a "Friend" a regular donation from as little as £5 a month will ensure your free place on the first run of the two NSR coaches in over 100 years.

The 1879 Bayer will be back in action this year, Bellerophon ( 1874 ) awaits attention to its wheelsets and no 6 ( 1886 ) is also in the wings. We have the prospect of a step change for the better at Foxfield. We may allow the young upstart Avonside 1593 ( works no that is ! ) to join the party when its finished in two or three years time !.

 

March news update now posted @ News - significant progress is being made on 127 at Stanegate.

 

Apart from your 2x NSR coaches and the one at Cheddleton, are there any other NSR coaches in preservation?

BTW Keep up the good work. One day maybe we at the CVR will get round to restoring our one and we can have a full NSR rake. Be even better if we had the NSR 'L' no.2 restored!

 

No, just the three - two more have been lost in the last 10 years.

No28 on the CVR dates from the late 1870's and will have run with No61 & 127. I am visting the CVR soon to see what we can do together. We should remember that NSR 78 ( thats not a typo, differant story ref new L NSR no 2 as preserved is not NSR no 2 ! ) was built after all three coachs were withdrawn.

We are also looking at a new build NSR passenger brake - see drawings on the web.

 

Be nice to see ours restored, but our lack of undercover accommodation would make any restoration futile in the long run without such to help maintain it. Never know what the future holds mind.

NSR78? Thought the new L was number 2 as NSR policy was to number locos with vacant numbers, and presumed the original no2 was scrapped before the New L was built and so that is why it ended up as no2. Guessing I'm wrong?

 

Now you've got me confused, according to the book North Staffordshire Railway Locomotives by R.W.Rush no.78 was built in 1899 works no.107, LMS 2346 and withdrawn in 1931.

 

Firstly an apology, I should have recorded the correct identity of “NSR no2 “ as NSR no 72. I wrote a few notes for the NSR study group last year and should have checked before putting pen to phosphorus !. Failing memory and all that.

That five NSR 0-6-2T's were sold into industry in the 1930's is well known.

A detailed history of the locomotives up to scrapping can be found in The Industrial Railways of Bolton, Bury and the Manchester Coalfield Part 2 The Manchester Coalfield by C.H.A.Townley, C.A.Appleton, F.D.Smith & J.A.Peden.

The authors record the arrival of 2271 on the Bridgewater railway system on 8th October 1937, the engine being named Princess in 1938. The original super heated
boiler was replaced by a new saturated boiler built by the Hunslet Engine Co in 1946. Princess is also recorded as receiving new side and back water tanks, new
bunker, new cylinders and slide valves at Walkden as part of the rebuild.

In this form Princess was repainted as NSR no2 and appeared at the North Staffordshire Railway Centenary exhibition at Stoke in 1960. Following the exhibition the engine returned to industry, retaining the NSR no 2 identity.

For reasons that will become clear we should consider a sister engine, 2262 arriving on the Bridgewater system in 1937. Original NSR 72 this engine was built at stoke in 1920, the engine carried the name Sir Robert in industry. In 1964 the boiler tanks and cab from Princess were fitted to the frames, cylinders and wheels from Sir Robert, the locomotive retaining the identity of NSR No2. Convention of course is that a locomotives identity is taken from the frames, in this case NSR 72.

The authors point out unique features on the frame of 72 as evidence. I have looked at the surviving paint work and without doubt a less sure hand has been at work on the splasher and wheel lining, supporting the view that the chassis paint work was blended in to match the top works at a latter date.

The chassis from No2 was fitted with bunkers from King George VI, NSR 69 ( if indeed original by then ) along with a Hunslet boiler ( not recorded but perhaps
that from Sir Robert). In this form the engine emerged in 1965 from Walkden in area 1 maroon livery, the authors stating that this was the only one of the NSR
engines to be so treated. Scrapped in late 1969, a number of publications from this time state that the engine was to be preserved at the Lakeside Railway...

So what do we have today ?. As noted above the surviving boiler was built by Hunslet in 1946, the tanks and bunker being built by Walkden in the same year. The complete chassis assembly is from NSR 72, hence convention has it that today's engine should be restored thus. LMS 2262 or Bridgewater / NCB condition if a return to steam ever takes place.

The available evidence suggests that if there is one condition that should not be considered it is that of NSR No2 !.

The NRM are aware of all of this, perhaps they or "we" should do a "dig" as was done on Rocket some years ago – there is little doubt that parts from other locos will turn up, perhaps even a part from NSR No 2 !.

Not sure is this "lives" in this section - but I started it !.

The point remains that the New L design loco @ Shildon was built at least 10 years after the remaining coachs were withdrawn, many parts a great deal after.

 

Well thank you very much for your quick reply. I did not know about this, so came as a surprise. So basicly its a NSR engine with a Hunslet boiler that much I did know, as an engine is based on the frame we should put a 7 in front of the 2. Perhaps this is why its never been considered for restoration?.

 

The loco is in poor condition, but anything can be done given time & money - as long as we remember that a great deal of the loco was built in the 1940's. The purist in me says that the only correct condition is post NSR / LMS - we should get promotion to the loco section and get a few hits on the strength of that... . As for today - well add a 7 as you say !.

The Trust have 2 NSR coachs ( and we have just taken on the care of the two Midland bodies ) and @ Foxfield we have three 1870 /1880's locos ( one is with you at the moment ). The coachs will be able to visit other locations, in truth your ( NSR Society ) no 28 needs to run with this rake - its bang on period and would have great significance - better still if we can find the cash for the passenger brake and run a four coach set. Whilst we are looking to run at Foxfield on a regular basis with the likes of Bellerophon, Robert Heath no 6 & the Beyer we should between us be looking at the bigger picture.

We are also looking at cover and have irons in the fire, wood and rain dont mix !.

Talking of locos it time for me to wave a few spanners in front of a green Bagnall...

 

Thanks for your information Glenalmond, all very interesting. Never realised the extent of no2 deception!

Best of luck with your project, you guys certainly seem to be doing a very good job

 

Indeed, I was aware No2 was a real mongrel made up from a variety of different locos, but wasn't aware of the extent of the 1940's influence, makes the loco almost modern!!

 

April news update posted @ Home. Stangate Restorations are doing a great job.

 

May news update posted @ Home, NSR No 127 is once again looking like a coach.

Significant progess is now being make, if you have not yet looked at this project now is the time !.

 

The Knotty Trust are delighted to announce the award of a £18,000 grant from PRISM for the restoration of NSR 61 . The contract has been awarded to Stanegate Restorations of Haltwhistle, the work will be finished by the end of the year.

Both NSR 127 & 61 will enter service next spring, both over 135 years old, both last carried passengers over a century ago. Latest photos of 127 will be on diplay over the Foxfield Gala next weeked, on the last lap of a years work at Stanegate.