Docks Heritage Weekend this Saturday and Sunday!

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This weekend is the time when we get all the interesting bits and bobs that you don’t usually get to see out on the wharf and bring a 1950s working quayside back to life!
Whats on:
Cargo loading
M Shed in Miniature (OO gauge model railway with working cranes)
Hook-a-duck (win a prize) and model boats
Bristol lorry on display
Steam locomotive on quayside and doing shunting
Docks and docker history
Boat trips on John King (tugboat)
Crane rides
Capstan demonstrations
Actors from Show of Strength Theatre Company interacting and explaining
Cake

Bob’s model railway will also be shown alongside his models of the DD2s formerly on Wapping Wharf.


Today we were preparing the last few bits and pieces.
With the long siding out of use due to trackwork, most of the stock is trapped, so the CONFLAT from the passenger train has been un-passengered by removing the tub, and it will be pressed into use on the quay along with the newly-restored MOGO.
Meanwhile much R&D has gone into making ‘hook-a-duck’ challenging and rewarding (without all the ducks getting stuck).

Come on down this weekend!

September and Late Summer Update on the BHR

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PYRONAUT IN ACTION – AGAIN
Due to the relentless heatwaves in August, ‘Pyronaut’ was callout out again on Sunday 9th to assist with cooling the bridge at Cumberland Basin. This time, Paul was skipper.
‘Pyronaut’ was giving boat rides that day so the last few trips had to be cancelled.
Thanks to Ned for these images.

HENBURY AT WORK
The heat also meant that loco crews had to be supplied with ice lollies regularly. It’s a medical thing, honest.

On 23rd August, Bristol Vintage Bus Group were out in force in Museum Square once again with their fabulous collection of vehicles on display and giving rides.

TRACKWORK
Efforts are ongoing to give some much-needed TLC to the track in the yard. Next to the pit has been particularly affected with rotten life-expired sleepers causing part of the track to become wide-to-gauge.
During a non-railway running weekend, the track gang were sorting through stacks of new (to us) sleepers and sorting them all by size. The rotten sleepers were dug out (often by just smashing them up). The weekday gang followed up by lifting one of the rails, removing the rest of the ballast and cutting new sleepers to fit.

Of course on the Saturday morning, the crane had ‘a moment’ and vomited diesel everywhere in the engine bay. This was traced to a tiny split hose. Thanks to a nearby GSF Car Parts stockist we were back in action before long. The weekend also offered a RARE haulage moment as the crane towed the entire passenger train and the coal wagon back onto the pit. That one’s going in the spotters’ book!

On the rained-off Saturday, there was still an opportunity to do some work despite the downpour. Dolly the Dog helped keep our spirits up whilst at the shed.
Once Henbury had been coaled, we set off in search of stashed sleepers, eventually locating them hiding amongst concrete ones in store.
After retrieving the Weltrol from the yard, the crane assisted in loading up the wagon, and the train headed back to L Shed.
As you can see, the sleepers have been used to construct something, but what is it? Well, if you come along to Docks Heritage Weekend on 19th and 20th September, you’ll find out!

DOCKS HERITAGE WEEKEND
This is my favourite event of the year, when we get all the toys out on the quayside (trucks, trains, boats, cranes, barrels and crates, the capstan and more) and try to bring a flavour of life on the docks in the 1950s back to Bristol.
There will also be plenty to see inside L Shed with model and historical displays, as well as the Show of Strength Theatre Company, so don’t miss it!

Pyronaut in Action (again!)

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The 93 year-old fire float ‘PYRONAUT’, one of the working exhibits at M Shed, was called back into action on Friday 26th June 2026 to help cool down the large swing bridge at Cumberland Basin.
The extreme heat wave has been causing the bridge girders to expand and stop it from being able to open and close, so a dose of harbour water is handy to help cool the steel down.
Coincidentally I had a day off and Bob gave me a heads-up about this operation, so I was able to cycle out and catch ‘Pyronaut’ passing Albion Dockyard and capture the event on video.
Katie also came along and took some cracking photos-see below.

Have-A-Go, Mogo’s Out and Shuffling About!

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This week has seen the return of the very popular ‘have-a-go’ event, where you can book a 20 minute one-on-one training session on the steam locomotive followed by 20 minutes of tuition on how to drive one of the electric cranes, we think this may be a unique offer in the UK!
Henbury was doing the honours on the quayside line with Crane 30 in operation overhead. Thanks to Bob Edwardes for these photos.
Keep an eye on the M Shed website for more have-a-go events.

Recently, the newly-overhauled GWR MOGO van has been moved back out on to the quayside looking very fresh with a fresh coat of paint on the underframe. Just the finishing touches and signwriting left to do. The passenger train has also been getting some TLC outside L shed, with seat timbers being replaced and the whole train being cleaned.

Last Saturday the inclement weather meant train services finished early, but as always there was still plenty to do. L Shed will be hosting the popular droids event in a few weeks time (hence the MOGO going out again to clear space). This also involved shuffling the large Bristol lorry through 90 degrees to form the backdrop for the event space. It was a tight fit but got there ok!

Upcoming Talk About Imperial Smelting Co., Avonmouth

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Local railwayman and Author Paul Stanford is giving a talk all about the Imperial Smelting Co. At Avonmouth, which was served by the Port of Bristol Authority railway lines.

Portbury’s sister locomotive No. 1798 worked there (now based at the Avon Valley Railway).

The event is being hosted at Bitton Station on June 10th at 6:30pm and you can reserve tickets here:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-avon-mouth-smelting-works-and-the-avonside-loco-edwin-hulse-tickets-1989371891881?aff=oddtdtcreator&keep_tld=true

Thanks to Gordon Edgar for the photo of ISC No. 2

Pyronaut to the Rescue!

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Due to the current heatwave, Plimsoll Bridge (at the Cumberland Basin end of the Harbour) ran into difficulties. The swinging section of the bridge had expanded in the heat and couldn’t close!
Avon Fire and Rescue were called out to hose down the upper surface of the bridge, while the Harbour Master put in a call to M Shed, who scrambled a crew to get the 92-year old Fire Float ‘Pyronaut’ in to spray the underside with water.
It was ‘Pyronaut’s first shout in 54 years!
Thanks to David Stagg for these photos:

2026 Season Begins This Weekend!

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This coming weekend (28th and 29th March) is the start of the operating season on the Bristol Harbour Railway.
Over the past few weeks, volunteers have been putting in the graft to get everything ready after the winter shut-down.
The last few loads of concrete sleepers are cleared off the dockside and onto waiting wagons to be taken to the stack at SS Great Britain Halt.

The flangeways on the inlaid track have been thoroughly cleaned.

And of course, Henbury has been given a good clean and polish. The first fire was tentatively lit on the new firebars, badly needed after the old ones became warped.

Hopefully see you at the weekend for a train ride!

‘Mickey Mouse’ at Wapping Wharf, 1985

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Bringing back an old feature (‘Throwback Thursday’) to showcase these great photos by Paul Stanford from 31st May 1985 when a series of special trains were run down the harbour branch (in those days still in use for coal trains).
These ‘Bristol Harbour Specials’ were sponsored by Imperial Tobacco and featured Ivatt 2MT Mogul (this type was nicknamed ‘Mickey Mouse’ by enthusiasts) No. 46443 and three chocolate and cream Mk1 coaches.
Coaches of this length were unusual on the branch. Paul remembers that At Ashton Junction, the guard locked the interconnecting doors between the coaches as the curves were so sharp, passengers would not be able to move safely between carriages.
“Colin Forse was the driver that day. On the way back, a sort of unofficial Blue Riband was playing out amongst train crew, to see if coming up from Wapping on the final leg Parson Street Junction to Bristol Temple Meads, could the little loco hit 50mph. It managed it on the run I did.”
Thanks to Paul for the photos!
In the first photo the train is standing roughly where the long siding in the yard is now.

Special trains were also run from Temple Meads up the Portishead Branch. Paul caught the 2MT at work on 2nd June 1985, then later at Pylle Hill in July.

The very last Portishead special was on 29th September and the Ivatt is pictured with steam to spare. On the final day the train was strengthened to 8 coaches such were the number of tickets sold.

We’re Going Back up the Branch! (IV)

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A new year and a few more working days done at the bonded warehouses.
A very frosty work site first thing with a classic hot air balloon in the background.
One of the first tasks was to begin curving the track panels towards the new station site. The running line has to allow for the yard to be put in on the South side as well as allowing access for machinery while we work.
Whilst we do have a winch, it was easier to use the loader buck to push the track around and start the curve. This was repeated at several points along the length of track (which was keyed but not fishplated together) to put a gradual curve in.

These views show the progress by early afternoon with another 2 rails being added and clipped/keyed, then more bending using the loader.

The view at the end of the first day shows the extent of new track, at this point about a third of the way to the station area. The sleepers in the foreground of the first photo were laid out before the curve was put in and show just how much of a bend has been added.

Another chilly start to Day 2, but with some beautiful frost and lighting as we added more rails. One of these fought us every step of the way, including having to be turned 180 degrees to put the unworn side facing inwards, then needing a lot of persuasion to sit in the chairs!
Alex is seen laying out the keys ready to be hammered in, then the current railhead is shown now that more track-bending has been done.
Thanks to Hayden and Chris for the additional photos.

Amelia and Chris were busy adding fishplates to the rails laid previously. As the track had now been bent, large gaps had opened up between the South side rails as the radius increased. This meant hammering out all the keys on a piece of rail, then jacking the rail horizontally to close the gap, re-keying and finally bolting fishplates in.
This process will need to be done along the whole of the new track here. These photos show the new fishplates as well as the impressive view of the line curving around and out of sight.

Whilst this was going on, the team also cracked on with taking apart the large stacks of wooden sleepers to avoid ‘painting ourselves into a corner’ – the running line will restrict access to the stores for the loader, so it’s better to lay out the sleepers we need alongside the trackbed, then later they can be dragged into place manually.
The sleepers are of variable condition. There will be some triage involved and the rotten ones will be cut up/salvaged for another use. The long-term plan will be to replace them all once the Coles Crane can access the site, but in the mean time we want to try and use the best of the wooden ones we have.
Similarly, the rail pile will need sorting through to get the best quality rails for the running line and lay them out alongside the trackbed ready to go in, but that’s a job for another day….