Last chance to have your say on Western Harbour development

Posted on March 5, 2025 by corwinb

The public consultation for the proposed Western Harbour redevelopment of Cumberland Basin and its surrounding area closes on 9th March, so there are only a few days remaining to have your say on the current proposals.

Western Harbour Website

Link to consultation

How does this affect the Bristol Harbour Railway?
The current proposals do make a point of reinstating the railway along the New Cut (closed since the development of Metrobus on the site of Butterfly Junction). However, the proposed end of the line stops short of the BHR’s intended new terminus (for which ballast has been laid but trains are yet to run to) alongside the bonded warehouse.
The BHR’s storage shed ‘the barn’ and the buildings around it are to be demolished under the new proposals in favour of apartment blocks.
A link to the proposal video is below:

Photo Charter with 1369

Posted on February 26, 2025 by corwinb

On Monday, 1369 once again took to the harbourside to star in a photo charter in central Bristol, organised by 30742 charters.
Here are some photos from the day, thanks to Bob Edwardes and David Stagg.

Training Day

Posted on February 12, 2025 by corwinb

Recently the BHR did a training weekend for the operating staff and volunteers. This started with a session in the classroom going over rules, conduct, risks and procedures.

Then it was out to the engine shed for a briefing on train movements and safe working practice. Then each person took it in turns to stop traffic and wave the locomotive (1369) across the crossings. This was followed by a demonstration and practice on points in the yard, then understanding how to call a locomotive onto a train, operation of hand brakes, shunting pole and the correct protocol for coupling/uncoupling including vacuum hoses.

At the end of the day there was some shunting required to get the Toad back to the shed in order for the work on its underframe to be completed and the springs refitted.

Thanks to Katie Richards and Bob Edwardes for the photos.

A Pannier in the Port Again!

Posted on January 19, 2025 by corwinb

As Henbury is currently away at the South Devon Railway, in return the BHR has Collett pannier tank No.1369 on loan. It arrived earlier this week, straight from a guest appearance at the Battlefield Railway’s winter gala. Thanks to Bob, Katie and Jay for these photos.

After the trailer was lined up on the quayside and the loco winched down, Larry did the honours of towing it to the Buttery, with the crane assisting on the way to the shed.

There is a photo charter planned with 1369 and hopefully it’ll make a few appearances in steam.

Sulphuric Acid Tanker – Refurbished

Posted on January 15, 2025 by corwinb

The ‘tarting up’ of the tanker has been completed by the weekday volunteering team.
The Coles having been fixed at the weekend meant the tanker could be manoeuvred onto the running line yesterday. Katie was on hand to take these photos.

With the wagon re-railed, the lid could be craned into place. This wasn’t removed during the previous restoration but it has enabled some remedial work to be done inside the tank.
Bruce did the honours of tightening up the new/refurbished securing hooks.

All done! A nice quick win for the team and proof if proof be need be that the team can turn around wagon overhauls in good time.

Henbury Holiday, Coles Controls and Toad TLC

Posted on January 12, 2025 by corwinb

Henbury is currently on vacation down at the South Devon Railway. Unfortunately it missed its guest appearance at the winter gala partially due to a weeping washout plug. Hopefully the SDR engineers can work their magic on it while its at Buckfastleigh.
Bob Edwardes and I got some photos of Henbury and the SDR fleet over the course of the gala,

Back at M Shed, the Coles has been having issues with its control switches. Tis was traced to eroded contacts. These were replaced with NOS contacts (never throw anything away) and after some fettling, seems to have worked, with the crane being able to move again.

The TOAD’s refurbished springs are due back soon, and the shed space will be required, so there have been a few work sessions at cleaning up the underside (which may not have been touched in decades). Plenty of scraping, grinding, brushing, rust treatment and onto primer. Some volunteers almost managed to get more paint on themselves than the van…
There was also maintenance to do on Larry the Loader and John King the tug.
Thanks to Katie and Bob for the photos!

#WhistleUp200

Posted on January 1, 2025 by corwinb

On the 1st January 2025 at 12 noon, whistles across the heritage rail world sounded in celebration of 200 years of train travel.
In 1825, the Stockton and Darlington Railway brought together some new-ish engineering, some novel ideas on funding and some different legal thinking to create something that was far more than the sum of its parts.
With grand plans for railways to link towns and cities, not just mines and rivers. Railway ‘Mania’ was born.
1863 saw the Mayoress, Mrs Sholto Vere Hare lay the first rail for the Bristol Harbour Railway. Originally designed to connect the Floating Harbour to Temple Meads for goods, the line officially opened in 1872. Now, 153 years later the railway is still in use, operated by M Shed’s dedicated volunteer team to provide passenger rides along Bristol’s historic dockside.

With Henbury out on loan and Portbury under overhaul, the honours were done by the trusty compressor with two whistles, the larger of which is from GWR Castle Class No. 7015 Carn Brea Castle.

Henbury off on holiday…

Posted on November 25, 2024 by corwinb

Henbury was loaded up on the quayside today to go away for a stay at the South Devon Railway. Thanks to Chris and Bruce for the pics.

Meanwhile, the Toad brake van springs have been removed for some TLC, the East end ones having sagged a lot in recent years.

Portbury Progress

Posted on November 16, 2024 by corwinb

Now Portbury’s boiler has been detubed, work moves on to the next job. Today we started the process of removing the wheelsets.
First, the eccentric rods were taken off the centre axle.

Then the brake rodding was dropped out and the brake blocks and hangers removed (fronts have been left on for now until we can move the axle due to clearances on the slide bars).

With all the gubbins out of the way, the process of jacking the loco up can start. 2 hydraulic jacks (one at each end) with 4 screw jacks (one on each corner) and plenty of timber packing. By the end of the day, we had nearly lifted the loco enough to drop the axleboxes out of the hornguides.
The weekday team will be picking things up next.

Sulphuric Acid Tanker in for the Winter

Posted on October 29, 2024 by corwinb

The tanker was picked up and turned 90 degrees today to get it into L Shed. The plan is to give the tank a spruce-up as it’s suffered more than the chassis out in the open and the paint is looking rather tatty. The Coles Crane slewed the wagon around by picking up the end and moving it over a piece at a time.
Thanks to Chris E for the photos.