Bagnall 0-4-0ST "Alfred" and "Judy"

Last updated

Alfred and Judy
Alfred at Royal Albert Bridge 150.jpg
Alfred on display by the Royal Albert Bridge
Type and origin
Power typeSteam
Builder W. G. Bagnall
Build date1937 (Judy)
1953 (Alfred)
Specifications
Configuration:
   Whyte 0-4-0 ST
Gauge 4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm)
Driver dia.33 inches (840 mm)
Wheelbase 5 feet (1,500 mm)
Cylinder size 10 in dia × 16 in stroke (254 mm × 406 mm)
Career
Operators English China Clays

Alfred and Judy are two 0-4-0 saddle tank steam locomotives. They were built by W. G. Bagnall for use at Par Docks in Cornwall, United Kingdom. The unusually low design was required to cope with extremely tight curves and a very low bridge under the Cornish Main Line. The locomotives are both preserved in operational condition on the nearby Bodmin and Wenford Railway and inspired the Reverend Wilbert Awdry to include them in The Railway Series of children's books as Bill and Ben.

Contents

History

The first ships used Joseph Treffry's artificial harbour at Par on the south coast of Cornwall in 1833. It was fully operational by 1840, when it was linked to his inland mines and quarries by a canal up the valley to Ponts Mill, where it connected with inclined tramways to Treffry's copper mines and granite quarries. The canal was supplemented by a horse-drawn tramway to Ponts Mill in 1855, while a separate tramway incline served the Par Consols mine on the hill behind the harbour. In 1860, a connection was made to the recently-opened Cornwall Railway which was carried on a viaduct and embankment between the harbour and mine. The mine closed in 1869 and the main tramway was converted to locomotive haulage as the Cornwall Minerals Railway in 1874, but wagons continued to be moved by horses within the harbour complex. [1] Several years later a branch line was taken through an 8 feet (2.4 m) bridge beneath the Cornish Main Line to serve new china clay processing works. As well as the very low bridge, this line had a tight 70 feet (21 m) radius curve; these two restrictions had to be taken into consideration when buying locomotives to work at the harbour. [2]

The first steam locomotive to be put to use by the Treffry Estates was a small four-wheeled vertical boiler locomotive built by Sara and Burgess in Penryn in 1912 that arrived at Par the following year. This was supplemented by a more conventional 0-4-0ST in 1916 named Punch, a second hand Manning Wardle engine. The Sara locomotive was taken out of service in 1927 and was replaced by a Sentinel engine known as Toby. This was another four-wheeled vertical boiler locomotive, but of a much more modern design than the one it replaced. In 1932, Punch was rebuilt by the harbour staff using the Sara boiler but it only operated in this form for five years. At around this time they created another locomotive at Par using the parts from two steam cranes that had been operating around the harbour. [2]

A larger locomotive was ordered from W. G. Bagnall and delivered without a name in 1937; this was later christened Judy which continued the Punch and Judy theme, but the final locomotive was named Alfred after the manager of the harbour, Alfred Truscott. This locomotive, which arrived at Par in 1954, was another Bagnall 0-4-0ST similar to Judy. [2]

The Treffry Estates leased the harbour to English China Clays (ECC) in 1946 and sold it outright to them in 1964. It was then operated as the Port of Par by ECC Ports. Toby was kept as a spare locomotive until it was withdrawn in 1957. Judy was taken out of traffic in 1969, but Alfred was kept in service until 1977. The connection to British Railways' Cornish Main Line was closed in 1965 and most of the sidings around the harbour were taken out of use, the main rail traffic that remained was china clay dried on the harbour that was moved out over the old tramway connection beneath Par Viaduct. [3] This line is still in use but is now worked by DB Schenker locomotives from St Blazey.

Judy

Judy while on loan to the Bristol Harbour Railway in 2015 Wapping Wharf - Judy.JPG
Judy while on loan to the Bristol Harbour Railway in 2015

Works number 2572, built 1937.

Bagnall designed a locomotive that was only 90 inches (2.3 m) high by dropping the cab floor down between the main frames. 16 ft 6 in (5.03 m) long over headstocks and 7 ft 5 in (2.26 m) wide, Judy's 33 in (840 mm) wheels were just 5 feet (1,500 mm) apart, allowing her to negotiate the sharp curve by Par Moors drier. The outside cylinders allowed her to be serviced without the use of an inspection pit, and Bagnall–Price valve gear was fitted. She cost £1,200 and weighed 16 long tons (16,000 kg) on delivery. [3] [4]

It had originally been planned to name her Chough after the distinctive Cornish chough. The message was received by Bagnall's as Cough, which they thought was rather strange and so she was sent to Par without a nameplate. She was finally given nameplates that read Judy in 1960. [2]

In 1969, she was withdrawn from service as the cost of boiler repairs could not be justified considering how little rail traffic was now handled at Par. She was kept in the engine shed until 1978, when she was moved to the china clay museum at Wheal Martyn near St Austell and displayed as a static exhibit alongside a locomotive from the Lee Moor Tramway in Devon. [4]

In 2004, she was given to the care of the Cornish Steam Locomotive Preservation Society (CSLPS). Before Judy could be moved from Wheal Martyn to their base at Bodmin General railway station, a specialist had to remove the asbestos insulation around the boiler. A £50,000 grant was made from the Heritage Lottery Fund towards her restoration, and the work was supported by both Poltair Community School and the Cornwall Young Archaeologists Club. Part of the firebox had to be renewed, this being the reason it was taken out of service at Par in 1969. One of the four axle journals were found to have suffered water damage while on static display, but otherwise it was in reasonable condition despite not having been in steam for more than 30 years. Heavy and specialised repairs were undertaken by contractors, but much of the work was done at Bodmin by volunteers. The boiler was steamed in June 2008 and she moved under her own power on 31 October 2008 for the first time in nearly 40 years. Now fitted with a vacuum brake so that she could operate passenger trains, Judy entered service on the Bodmin and Wenford Railway in April 2009. [4]

Alfred

Alfred nameplate.jpg

Works number 3058, built 1953.

Although essentially the same design, the second Bagnall locomotive had several small differences. These included flat handrail mountings instead of turned fittings, and a flush saddle tank without the prominent rivets used on Judy. It also weighed 560 pounds (250 kg) more. [3]

No longer required for traffic at Par harbour in 1977, Alfred was moved to the CSLPS site at Bugle in 1978, where a vacuum brake was fitted so that it could haul passenger trains. In 1987, the CSLPS had to move, and so Alfred found a new home on the Bodmin and Wenford Railway. About ten years later it was repainted in yellow livery, the colour used by the fictional Bill and Ben who were inspired by Judy and Alfred, but it has now been repainted back into a green Port of Par livery with the lettering as carried from 1969 to 1977. [4]

Alfred was always the wider-travelled of the two locomotives. In 1955, it spent a short period at Ponts Mill working in the china clay drier there while the regular locomotive was being serviced, the movement between Par harbour and Ponts Mill being made under its own power over British Railways tracks. [3] In 1994, it was taken to Exeter for a rail fair celebrating the 150th anniversary of railways in that city. [5] August 2002 saw it at St Blazey depot of an open day and it was steamed down the branch to Par harbour, the first time in 25 years. [4] In May 2009 it was taken to Saltash as part of the 150th anniversary of the Royal Albert Bridge. [6]

Fictional counterparts

While at the Bodmin and Wenford Railway Alfred was painted for a time in the yellow colour used by Reverend Awdry in Main Line Engines Bodmin General Alfred in yellow livery.jpg
While at the Bodmin and Wenford Railway Alfred was painted for a time in the yellow colour used by Reverend Awdry in Main Line Engines

The Reverend Wilbert Awdry visited the Port of Par in 1966 and he soon wrote Main Line Engines, the 21st volume of The Railway Series of children's books. This book featured two diminutive low-cab 0-4-0STs named Bill and Ben. These locomotive characters have also appeared in the Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends television series based on the books. [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bodmin and Wenford Railway</span> Heritage railway in Cornwall, England

The Bodmin and Wenford Railway is a 6 miles 12 chains (9.9 km) heritage railway at Bodmin in Cornwall, England. Its headquarters are at Bodmin General railway station and it connects with the national rail network at Bodmin Parkway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lappa Valley Steam Railway</span>

The Lappa Valley Railway is a 15 in minimum gauge railway located near Newquay in Cornwall. The railway functions as a tourist attraction, running from Benny Halt to East Wheal Rose, where there is a leisure area with two miniature railways.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atlantic Coast Line (Cornwall)</span> Railway line in Cornwall, UK

The Atlantic Coast Line is a 20+34-mile (33 km) Network Rail branch line which includes a community railway service in Cornwall, England. The line runs from the English Channel at Par, to the Atlantic Ocean at Newquay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Par, Cornwall</span> Village on the south coast of Cornwall, England

Par is a village and fishing port with a harbour on the south coast of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The village is situated in the civil parish of Tywardreath and Par, although West Par and the docks lie in the parish of St Blaise.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bodmin and Wadebridge Railway</span> United Kingdom legislation

The Bodmin and Wadebridge Railway was a railway line opened in 1834 in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It linked the quays at Wadebridge with the town of Bodmin and also to quarries at Wenfordbridge. Its intended traffic was minerals to the port at Wadebridge and sea sand, used to improve agricultural land, inwards. Passengers were also carried on part of the line.

The Newquay and Cornwall Junction Railway was a 7 ft broad gauge railway intended to link the Cornwall Railway with the horse-worked Newquay Railway. It opened a short section to Nanpean in 1869, the remainder being built by the Cornwall Minerals Railway who took over the company in 1874. Its main traffic has always been china clay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newquay railway station</span> Railway station in Cornwall, England

Newquay railway station serves the town and seaside resort of Newquay in Cornwall, England. It is the terminus of the Atlantic Coast Line from Par, 302 miles 49 chains from the zero point at London Paddington measured via Box and Plymouth Millbay. The station is situated in the heart of Newquay, close to the town centre itself and the beaches. The station is managed by Great Western Railway which operates local branch line services to and from Par. In the summer, there are also services to and from London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bagnall 0-4-0ST No. 19</span>

No. 19 - aka is a preserved 0-4-0 saddle tank locomotive, built by W.G. Bagnall in 1950. It was the final steam locomotive to work in the HM Devonport Dockyard, and is currently owned by Phil Croombe.

The Redruth and Chasewater Railway was an early mineral railway line in Cornwall, England, UK. It opened in 1825 and was built to convey the output from copper mines in the Gwennap area to wharves on Restronguet Creek around Devoran, and to bring in coal to fuel mine engines; later it carried timber for pit props and also house coal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Treffry Viaduct</span> Bridge in Luxulyan Valley, Cornwall

The Treffry Viaduct is a historic dual-purpose railway viaduct and aqueduct located close to the village of Luxulyan, Cornwall in the United Kingdom. The viaduct crosses the Luxulyan Valley and is part of the Treffry Tramways. It forms an integral part of the Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape, a World Heritage Site. It is scheduled under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 and due to its poor condition is on Historic England's, Heritage at Risk Register.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cornwall Minerals Railway</span> United Kingdom legislation

The Cornwall Minerals Railway owned and operated a network of 45 miles (72 km) of standard gauge railway lines in central Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It started by taking over an obsolescent horse-operated tramway in 1862, and it improved and extended it, connecting Newquay and Par Harbours, and Fowey. Having expended considerable capital, it was hurt by a collapse in mineral extraction due to a slump in prices. Despite its title, it operated a passenger service between Newquay and Fowey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Luxulyan Valley</span> River valley in Cornwall, England

The Luxulyan Valley is the steep sided and thickly wooded valley of the River Par, situated in mid Cornwall, England, UK. It contains a major concentration of early 19th century industrial remains, and was designated as part of a World Heritage Site in 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Treffry Tramways</span>

The Treffry Tramways were a group of mineral tramways in Cornwall in the United Kingdom, constructed by Joseph Treffry (1782–1850), a local land owner and entrepreneur. They were constructed to give transport facilities to several mines and pits producing non-ferrous metal, granite and china clay in the area between the Luxulyan Valley and Newquay, and were horse-operated, with the use of water and steam power on inclines, and at first operated in conjunction with the Par Canal and Par Docks, also constructed by Treffry. One of the routes crossed the Luxulyan Valley on a large viaduct, the largest in Cornwall when it was built.

There are eight disused railway stations between Wadebridge and Bodmin North on the former Bodmin and Wadebridge Railway in Cornwall, in the United Kingdom, with ten other closed sidings on the branches to Ruthern Bridge and Wenfordbridge. The section from Boscarne Junction to Bodmin General is currently part of the Bodmin and Wenford Steam Railway; the line from Wadebridge to Wenfordbridge is now part of the Camel Trail, and the line to Ruthern Bridge can be followed for much of its length as it runs parallel to a public road.

Joseph Austen Treffry was an engineer, mining adventurer, and industrialist who became a significant landowner in Cornwall, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transport in Cornwall</span>

The evolution of transport in Cornwall has been shaped by the county's strong maritime, mining and industrial traditions and much of the transport infrastructure reflects this heritage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boscarne Junction railway station</span> Railway in Cornwall, United Kingdom

Boscarne Junction railway station is a railway station on the Bodmin and Wenford Railway in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom, and is its current terminus of the railway. It is adjacent to the Camel Trail, a long-distance footpath and cycle trail.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rolling stock of the Bodmin and Wenford Railway</span>

The rolling stock of the Bodmin and Wenford Railway are the locomotives, carriages and wagons used on the Bodmin and Wenford Railway, a heritage railway in Cornwall, England.

Presented below is an alphabetical index of articles related to Cornwall:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Par Docks</span>

Par Docks is an Imerys-owned harbour in the village of Par, Cornwall, England, United Kingdom, which was used for the export of china clay from the numerous Imerys sites in the clay-rich region of Mid-Cornwall.

References

  1. Vaughan, John (2008). Rails to Newquay. Oakwood Library of Railway History. Vol. 148. Usk: The Oakwood Press. ISBN   978-0-85361-677-1.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Port of Par – The End of an Era". Industrial Railway Record (78). Industrial Railway Society: 253–257. 1978.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Penberthy, D (1997). "Par Harbour". Railway Bylines. 2 (5). Irwell Press: 196–205. ISSN   1360-2098.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Pit to Port. Bodmin: Cornish Steam Locomotive Preservation Society. 2009.
  5. Heavyside, Tom (2004). "Cornish Cream". Railway Bylines. 9 (12). Irwell Press: 586–590. ISSN   1360-2098.
  6. Hunt, Bruce (2009). "Saltash May Fair". Archived from the original on 10 July 2016. Retrieved 25 May 2009.