After approximately a year of service on the BHR (and with the expiry of the boiler ticket imminent), Bagnall ‘Judy’ is off back to her home in Cornwall, and Portbury is back from her extended holiday in Beamish!
Category Archives: Visiting Locomotives
Operating days for 2016, Larry gets a new look
The planned railway operating days are now up on the M Shed website, click here to take a look!
Judy was out on the line today getting warmed up for the first operating weekend of the year – 19/20th March.
Also out in the sun was resident front loader ‘Larry’, looking resplendent in a fresh coat of paint!
TBT – GWR 813 in Bristol
Another Throwback Thursday to 29th July 2001, when GWR 813 was visiting Bristol. This locomotive has just celebrated its centenary, having been built in June 1901.
You can learn more about GWR 813 and if you like, contribute to the upkeep of this lovely locomotive at http://www.gwr813.org/
Credit for these photos goes to K R Bayley, with huge thanks to Nick Baxter for sending them to me.
End of the Season
Well, that’s the end of the 2015 operating season on the BHR. Plenty of exciting updates to come, with the ongoing metrobus and Whapping Wharf/Sugar Quay developments, and M Shed’s own projects.
Here’s a photo of a scene that won’t be repeated again, the old Butterfly Junction halt with ‘Judy’ on the passenger train.
Photo courtesy Tim Symons
TBT – Black 5 on the Bristol Harbour Railway
It’s been a while since the last Throwback Thursday post, so here’s an extra special event from the BHR’s history.
In 1983, for the Bristol Wine Fair, some special trains were run from Bristol Temple Meads on to the harbour line. The motive power was Stanier “Black 5′ No. 5000, part of the National Collection. It is pictured both on the BHR and at Temple Meads in company with ex-GWR ‘King George V’.
I believe that, as with the coal trains, the special ran at high tide to reduce the stress on the riverbank.
These pictures appear here courtesy of Paul and John Stanford, with thanks.
Crane Dance/Heritage Weekend Photos and Videos
What a nice weekend! The weather was good and the crowds turned out to both the Docks Heritage Weekend, and on Saturday evening, the Crane Dance. The dance, featuring live music and choreographed lighting and movement, was devised by Laura Kriefman and was a collaboration between:
M Shed, Underfall Yard, RSVP Bhangra, The Balmoral, Bristol Pilot Gig Club, Bristol Channel Social Rowers, Watershed, Studio 360.
Here’s a few clips:
Jamie Corbin put together this timelapse of the crane dance:
In the daytime, there were dockside loading and unloading demonstrations, actors from the Show of Strength Theatre Company, mosaics, the steam crane in operation, rides on the tug John King, and the chance to drive Judy for £10, and more…
Here’s an example of one of the mosaics made by Mosaic Madness
The steam crane had quite an unusual load…
Henbury was on display in the yard. She is in need of 149 new boiler tubes for her overhaul and any and all donations towards this are very welcome!
This delightful Bristol bus was busy ferrying people between M Shed and Underfall Yard.
Docks Heritage Weekend and Crane Dance
This coming weekend is the excellent Docks Heritage Weekend. Here’s a couple of pics and videos from last years event in case you missed it.
Freshly painted MOGO
Here’s what the Official M Shed Website has to say about the event:
A weekend of activities across two sites exploring the history and working life of the old City Docks.
Stroll around the fantastic Underfall Yard as its restoration programme gets into full swing and take part in activities at M Shed including boat trips, crane visits, have a go experiences and performances.
Events at M Shed
- Mosaic Madness will be helping visitors create mosaics inspired by Bristol’s working docks and the river Avon
- Screenings of historic films about the port
- Dramatic interludes from Show of Strength Theatre Company exploring characters from the dock’s past Saturday and Sunday at 11am, 11.30am, 2pm and 2.30pm
- Visit an electric crane (charges apply)
- Cargo handling demonstrations
- Trips on the tug John King (charges apply)
- Visits to Balmoral, once part of the P & A Campbell fleet
- Visit the Fairbairn steam crane
- Drive a steam locomotive (charges apply)
Events at Underfall Yard
- Demonstrations of traditional skills
- Pop on a hard hat and take a look behind the scenes of the restoration works
- Visit the viewing platform for spectacular harbour views
- Family activities
- Dramatic interludes from Show of Strength Theatre Company exploring stories from the yard’s past, Saturday and Sunday at 12.30pm and 3.30pm
- Guided walks to Brunel’s Other Bridge, Sunday 1pm and 3pm
- Explore reuse and recycling stories from Bristol’s boating communities and make your own floaty boaty (run in partnership with Bristol Green Capital), Sunday 2-4pm
A special event will also be taking place on Saturday evening. This is the Crane Dance performance, devised by Laura Kriefman. Starting at 8pm, this will combine lights, boats, choirs, live bhangra band music, and choreographed synchronised cranes!
This event is completely free and best viewed from the Arnolfini or Lloyds Amphitheatre.
Exciting stuff!
