Docks Heritage Weekend and Crane Dance

Posted on October 1, 2015 by corwinb

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!

Judy in steam this weekend

Posted on September 25, 2015 by corwinb

The weather forecast for this weekend is a good’un!

Bagnall ‘Judy’ will be on duty pulling passenger trains, so don’t miss out on some September sunshine!

Harbour Festival 2015 Photos

Posted on July 31, 2015 by corwinb

‘Teddy’ and ‘Judy’ are working again this weekend – Teddy is glimpsed here shunting on the quayside earlier today.

Steve Cockram took these great photos of the Harbour Festival weekend which not only show the attractions on show, but also showcase a lot of M Shed’s Bristol-built displays. He’s kindly given permission to reproduce the photos here, you can also check out his facebook page for more!

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Bristol Harbour Festival

Posted on July 17, 2015 by corwinb

It’s Bristol Harbour Festival this weekend, plenty to see and do in the city centre, including steam train rides!

Here’s a photo of ‘Teddy’ and ‘Judy’ with fires lit, taken this morning.

Bank Holiday Weekend Services

Posted on May 22, 2015 by corwinb

Steam trains will be in operation this coming Saturday, Sunday and Bank Holiday Monday. Kilmersdon will be doing the honours, seen here looking very smart.

Note: I do apologise for previously publishing inaccurate information regarding operating days this year, this was a mistake which has now been corrected by linking through to the official M Shed page. Please note that this is an unofficial blog site maintained by a volunteer, and that the best place for information on opening times and events is the M Shed website.

Steam Trains this Bank Holiday Weekend

Posted on May 1, 2015 by corwinb

Kilmersdon sits outside the shed, a warming fire having been lit ready for services this weekend.

Spring Sunshine

Posted on April 28, 2015 by corwinb

A pic from yesterday shows the Balmoral has departed the quayside, and the MOGO is back out, work on the roof now completed.

‘Kilmersdon’ at work

Posted on April 4, 2015 by corwinb

Blue skies and blue locomotive today, as Peckett 0-4-0ST ‘Kilmersdon’ is at work on passenger trains for the first services of 2015. The SS Great Britain and New Cut branches are in operation, come down to the docks for a ride!

Steam trains running this Easter Weekend!

Posted on April 2, 2015 by corwinb

It’s the first BHR operating weekend of the year, with 3 days of steam-hauled train rides planned.

Saturday 4th April

Sunday 5th April

Monday 6th April.

Visiting Bristol-built Peckett 0-4-0st ‘Kilmersdon’ will be providing motive power.

Kilmersdon working a charter train at the BHR in the 1990s (Author unknown)

(Geof Sheppard, C/O Wikipedia)

‘Kilmersdon’ was built by Peckett in 1929 and numbered 1788. It worked at the NCB’s Kilmersdon Colliery in Somerset and now belongs to the Somerset and Dorset Railway Trust.

She has previously visited the BHR and worked photo charters, and was a former stablemate of ‘Portbury’ and ‘Henbury’ at Radstock.

Photos from Xmas Steam-Up!

Posted on January 17, 2015 by corwinb

The Xmas steam up event was a success, with all tickets selling out. Rich Skuse and Zoe Robinson were among the lucky people to try their hand at driving ‘Portbury’ and the Steam Crane.

Rich has kindly allowed these photos to be reproduced here!