On the last day, M Shed’s waterborne fleet (Mayflower, John King and Pyronaut) went out on a cruise around the harbour, followed by all 3 and Portbury sounding off to say goodbye to a BIM/M Shed volunteer who sadly passed away this year.
Photo courtesy Rob Skuse
On the Friday before, Portbury and one of the electric cranes were used to deliver a model ship to the SS Great Britain.
After the preservation project at Radstock closed, and before she was brought to L Shed for restoration, Portbury was stored in a warehouse at Avonmouth Docks. Some restoration work had been undertaken at Radstock, and the loco was re-assembled before delivery back to Avonmouth. It was to be another 10 years until she returned to steam.
The photographs on this page (Unless otherwise stated) were taken by Kevin Hughes and purchased from the Rail Correspondance and Travel Society’s website. They appear here for research purposes only and may not be used for profit or gain without permission.
At the Foxfield Railway’s 2008 gala, Portbury paid a visit and was given the chance to attack the famous 1-in-19 to 1-in-26 Foxfield Bank, the climb away from Foxfield Colliery itself.
Youtube user ‘Pennysteam’ was there to capture the event (If you like railway videos, be sure to subscribe to pennysteam as their footage is spectacular)
Part 1:
Part 2, Portbury ascends the gradient again at around 5.20:
With just 3 operating weekends left in the season, here are a few photos from today’s workings. The weather was good for the most part, with only one trainload of passengers getting the full ‘goods’ experience during a heavy shower!
Coming off the pit with steam to spare
There was a march organised for Saturday evening to raise awareness for cancer on the dockside
Ominous clouds
Newly-repainted Thekla in the distance
Raising steam at M Shed
The day’s work done
Note the new sleepers installed when this section of track was relaid
Coaling up
Larry empties the last of the coal into 34’s bunker
Creeping back to the shed
Ready for another day
Here’s a bonus .gif of Portbury heading to the shed after a hard day’s work.
It’s the 11th July 1993. ‘Portbury’, resplendent in blue, is being prepared for the day’s work. Note the industrial buildings behind, now the site of apartments.
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Photo courtesy Gillet’s Crossing/Wikipedia Commons
Make sure to get your hands on a copy of this month’s Heritage Railway Magazine! The BHR has a feature from Juliet Eden, who took the fantastic photos showing both Portbury and Henbury in service.
Following up from the story of Portbury in Preservation, here are a few highlights from Henbury’s career after being withdrawn from Avonmouth shed in the 1960s.
Henbury was rebuilt with the 5 year old boiler from a sister engine, and in after a spell in store, in 1972 she was located at Radstock engine shed with No.242 and Portbury.
‘Henbury’s classmate, Peckett S12 ‘Clifton’ on shed at Avonmouth, (Photo copyright Geoff Plumb, used here with permission)
Henbury under restoration at Radstock in 1972 – note the striped bufferbeam typical of Avonmouth locos
She was put to work hauling brake van specials from Radstock Station to Writhlington – a distance of approximately 1.5 miles.
At this time she wore a partly lined out green livery (lining on the cabside and front of the saddletank only), lighter than the shade she had when withdrawn, with red buffer beams.
Henbury working on passenger trains at Radstock
As mentioned before, the Radstock operation finished in 1975 and Henbury was homeless for a short while, until in 1978, the Bristol Industrial Museum opened.
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Henbury outside M Shed, before it opened as Bristol Industrial Museum, December 1975
Henbury was present at the opening ceremony of the museum, and was immediately put to work pulling passenger trains on the quayside.
At this time, coal trains from the main line would regularly travel down to Whapping Wharf sidings, either trip worked a BR loco, or thereafter by the Western Fuel Company’s Hudswell Clark shunter.
It was in 1981 that the diesel loco required repairs, the Western Fuel Co. turned to the nearby museum for assistance, and Henbury was pressed into service to keep coal coming in to Bristol, thereby becoming the first preserved steam loco to haul scheduled goods trains for British Rail.
Repainted with a yellow bunker, running plate and WESTERN FUEL CO. lettering on the tank sides, she pulled full wagons from Ashton Meadows to Whapping Wharf, and empties back, for two weeks.
On shuttle runs, 27/09/1981
At the old passenger halt, 27/09/1981
In Western Fuel Co. markings, ready to pull coal trains, 27/09/1981
The above photographs are copyright John Chalcraft and can be purchased from Railphotoprints
At the Wapping Wharf sidings, Fuel Co. compound to the right
Approaching the site of the current SS Great Britain Halt
On shuttle runs showing the yellow bunker
The above photos are copyright flickr user Emmdee
Sharing the line with an unusual stablemate
At the site of SS GB Halt
Above photos are copyright Robert Tarling
Henbury has hauled thousands of passengers over the years. In the 1990s her livery was altered again, the lining more closely resembles that which she wore at Avonmouth, but extending over the saddle tank as well as the cab.
Here she is pulling BR Mk1 carriages at the Festival of the Sea in 1996, before the main line link was severed.
Henbury in ex-works condition, 1996
Rob Skuse on the M Shed working exhibits page compiled a little selection of Henbury’s exploits over the past 10 years. These pictures are all copyright Rob Skuse.
Receiving some attention in the old workshops
With the refurbishment of M Shed under way, the power supply to the cranes was cut off. Henbury stepped in to help once more, and with the help of some chains, dragged the cranes into position
Ready to go
At the ‘Gromits Unleashed’ launch in 2013 with Aardman’s Nick Park.
On winter holiday at Midsomer Norton
Ready to attack the incline
In July 2014, she was withdrawn once more, and will be dismantled to allow her boiler to be inspected.
Photo courtesy of Juliet Eden
A few snaps from the weekend’s operations. Really nice to have all three steam exhibits in operation. Lots of happy, friendly passengers, the sun shone, and steam was in the air.
Way back in 2001, the previously-mothballed rail link to Portbury had been renovated and was due for re-opening. The opportunity was taken to run a special 3-coach train hauled by the museum’s own loco ‘Portbury’ from Parson Street Station (Where the Portishead branch leaves the Great Western Main Line) to the new terminal at Portbury dock.
A full write-up of this historic event written by Paul Stanford can be read on the Avon Valley Railway’s website here:
http://semaphore.avonvalleyrailway.org/html/avonside.html
Here are two videos on YouTube documenting the event, one taken from the leading carriage of the special train.
Never camera shy, the railway’s operational steam fleet made a cameo appearance on Channel 5’s ‘Emergency Bikers’ programme last week.
Bristol Harbour Railway Blog 