Kirklees and Healey Mills
15" and 56s
14 August 2002
This shortish day out took us to two railway installations in
the old West Riding of Yorkshire - fairly close, geographically,
but very different physically
The only link is perhaps the common ancestry of the railway
routes - our first destination, the 15" gauge Kirklees Light
Railway is based on the site of Clayton West station, running on
the trackbed of the former L&Y branch from Clayton West
Junction (now known as "Shelley"). An interesting fleet of
modern steam locomotives is based here, all built by owner
Brian Taylor.
0-6-2ST "Badger" is seen above arriving with a train - the others
were in the shed. First is "Owl" - perhaps the most unusual, an 0-
4+4-0 articulated loco which has a 2-cylinder V-engine under the
boiler, powering the loco through a cardan shaft. The blue
locomotive is "Hawk", another 0-4+4-0 articulated loco, this time
powered by more conventional cylinders and valve gear. Lastly,
the first of the several red locomotives we would see today, is
"Fox", a fairly conventional 2-6-2T - an attractive locomotive.
Geoff’s Rail Diaries
My companion for the trip was keen to see some main line
traction, so we next headed for Healey Mills - another ex-L&Y
location, where we were able to record a number of class 56s in
action, plus a 66 on a west-bound freightliner. We had to wait a
fair length of time to get the photos - there didn't seem to be an
awful lot going on. Eventually we decided to head for home,
travelling over the top of the Pennines and down through
Glossop and Buxton.
"There might be a few trains along the Manchester - Sheffield
line". Yes, there might have been - if drivers for the local TOC
hadn't been on strike. An hour at New Mills South Junction
rewarded us with just two trains - an east-bound Central Trains
170 unit, and one final 56 - on the Castleton - Toton rail train -
just two flat wagons on this occasion. Enough was enough - time
for home.
Links:
•
Kirklees Light Railway
•
Friends of the Kirklees Light Railway
