On a gloriously sunny Easter Saturday we were delighted that 172 visitors joined us at Steamworks. That is Oliver driving the Opel locomotive which ran splendidly all day on its new and much more suitable coal. The BVLR station canopy
Easter 2019
17th April, 2019
The latest picture of the “Blyth” locomotive boiler with ready for its 58 tubes in the Darlington workshop of North Bay Railway Engineering Services. I confess I find it rather emotional watching this machine come back to life. Many thanks
Early April 2019
A working Southwold Railway pocket watch just acquired. It is inscribed on the back “J.SMYTHE SOUTHWOLD RY”. That name does not appear in the list of station masters in the new book by Rob Shortland-Ball so I wonder if anyone
13th March, 2019
To Darlington then. Peter Southgate and I visited the North Bay Engineering workshop in this interesting town yesterday to see the work well under way on the boiler of Blyth, the 2-4-0 Sharp Stewart replica which will operate down at
Early March, 2019
Signs of early spring at Steamworks. Dennis’s bird feeders have just been refilled. Daffodils not exactly rampant but a touch of colour nevertheless and it is greening up a bit over the site. Oliver and Robin busy in the workshop
End of February, 2019
Making the most of some lovely weather on the final workdays of the month. At the top, this fine piece of biblical carpentry is not an Ark about to float off onto the Lake but the new platform canopy for
Wed 13th February, 2019
Good sunny workday yesterday and various activities across the site at Blyth Road. Some track has been put down by the platform but not yet fixed. But you get the idea. The mahogany worktop in the station looks great thanks
1st February, 2019
Work continues on the boiler for Blyth, the replica Sharp Stewart locomotive the Trust has commissioned. Thanks again to David Humphreys of North Bay Engineering for sending us these photos taken in the Darlington workshop. The SRT board has just
“Blyth” components – boiler end and firebox
North Bay Engineering has just sent these through. Not quite in time for the February Newsletter which is at the printers now but anyway here they are. Watching this unique Sharp Stewart locomotive coming to life is going to be
23rd January, 2019
Some pictures from the Wednesday work day. Above, various Gilets Jaunes (Ian, Toby and John H plus Grant) are sorting out the embankment earthworks by the BVLR track in the southwest corner of the Steamworks site. Not the warmest of