Tracks to the Trenches finale
Apedale: best of three
Geoff’s Rail Diaries
14 July 2018
The Moseley Railway Trust has a very substantial collection
of narrow-gauge railway equipment at its Apedale Valley
Railway. Its four steam locomotives all date from WW1 -
today, at its last and biggest “Tracks to the Trenches”
event, three of those locomotives would be in operation.
There would be visitors too - two of similar age, and one
newcomer…
The weekend’s star attraction (which is not
to denigrate the role played by other
residents and visitors) was for me the newly-
restored Hunslet 4-6-0T no 303 (Hunslet 1215
of 1916), out of use since its active service
ended in 1967 in Australia. No 303 made an
interesting comparison with visiting no 778,
the Baldwin 4-6-0T from Leighton Buzzard.
There’s another visibly (slightly) similar duo -
in wartime grey, resident “Joffre” 0-6-0T and
visiting Henschel “Brigadelok” 0-8-0T no 1091.
Lastly, Apedale’s no 104, Hudswell Clarke 1238
of 1916 was in action on the “main line”, while
diminutive visitor “Edgar”, a newly-built
replica of a Decauville 0-4-0T, chuffed about in
fine fashion.
There’s much more, of course, at TTTT3.
Staying with the railway for a moment, there are lots of
interesting internal combustion machines coughing and
chugging around the field railway (and a battery-electric).
There’s also a traction engine, a WW1 tank, a London
Transport B-type “battle bus”, the trenches, the cavalry… Not
to mention the many operators of the exhibits, authentically
dressed and really looking the part. The only tricky bit, a
result of the event’s great success, is keeping the less-
authentically dressed visitors out of the photos.
The three “TTTT” events have all taken place 100 years since
the first world war. That “window” of opportunity ends later
this year - what’s next for the Apedale Valley Railway?
Link: Apedale Valley Railway
