The doors on the South side have been removed for work. Note also the volunteers at M Shed have completely repainted the underframe of the wagon.
It’s coming on well. For comparison, here is a photo of the van from last year.
Adjacent to the yard at Whapping Wharf, Bristol City Council have been trialling a cobbled surface design.
Beautiful though they are, old cobblestones can be a hazard and difficult to navigate if you are on a wheelchair or pushing a pram. Instead of replacing the cobbles along this section of path with granite setts in a fan pattern, this method reuses the existing cobbles, sawn in half and relaid to the original pattern.
The council is holding a consultation on this, so the residents and visitors to Bristol can give their opinion on the matter. You can get involved (and read the Council’s reasoning behind the trial) at the following link:
https://www.citizenspace.com/bristol/city-development/sawn-setts-trial-1/consult_view
Here are a couple of photos of the ‘new’ cobbles alongside the old ones
This fantastic photo posted on the magnificent Bristol Railway Archive site shows ex-GWR pannier tank loco No.9769 taking a special train for the Railway Correspondance & Travel Society down the quayside line along Hotwells road in 1959.
This photo is property of The Railway Magazine.
The green bug out on the shed road, rearranging the weedkiller wagon and ready to move Henbury back to the shed.
A few pics of progress on the box van, now with more undercoat applied.
…and a bonus photo showing the progress on the Sugar Quay development.
It’s the second day of the Bristol Harbour Festival, and compared to Saturday’s thunderstorms, the weather is positively delightful.
Peckett ‘Henbury’ comes out of traffic today as her 10-year boiler certificate is due to expire. She’s been a long time stalwart of the Bristol Harbour Railway from the very beginning.
These images are from ‘Henbury’s second to last operating day, and appear here with the kind permission of Juliet Eden. You can see more of Juliet’s fantastic photos on her website: http://julieteden.com/mdashshed
One of the railway’s goods wagons is currently having a bit of TLC. This van has previously been the victim of graffiti tagging, and while the worst was quickly cleaned off, the remnants were still visible.
It’s Bristol Harbour Festival this weekend! The railway will be in operation both days. Various ships are arriving at the docks, including this tugboat.
A little animated gif of Henbury propelling the passenger train past Portbury, on ‘driver for a fiver’ duties, in the yard.
You still have the chance to drive Portbury on the next two operating weekends this year! After that, Henbury’s boiler ticket will expire and she will be withdrawn, with her stablemate taking over passenger duties.
In this photo found on the Bristol Railway Archive, ‘Henbury’ complete with full yellow end and bufferbeam, meets ‘Western Pride’ on Whapping wharf circa 1981.
The diesel loco is standing on what is now the long siding in the yard. This photo also illustrates the industrial backdrop of the early days of the Harbour Railway, quite a contrast to the contemporary view.
The green diesel shunter eases wagons onto the wharf earlier this morning.
A familiar sight has returned to the harbour in the shape of the MV Balmoral, back from dry dock with fresh paint shining in the morning sun.
Bristol Harbour Railway Blog 
