Due to the current heatwave, Plimsoll Bridge (at the Cumberland Basin end of the Harbour) ran into difficulties. The swinging section of the bridge had expanded in the heat and couldn’t close! Avon Fire and Rescue were called out to hose down the upper surface of the bridge, while the Harbour Master put in a call to M Shed, who scrambled a crew to get the 92-year old Fire Float ‘Pyronaut’ in to spray the underside with water. It was ‘Pyronaut’s first shout in 54 years! Thanks to David Stagg for these photos:
As previously mentioned on this blog, in 1981, the Western Fuel Co.’s diesel shunter Western Pride was in need of an overhaul. This locomotive was used to shunt wagons on the dockside and into the WFC compound, as well as trip workings along the New Cut to Ashton Meadows sidings, from where a BR loco would take the wagons onto the main line.
So it was that Henbury was hired as the first preserved steam loco to pull scheduled goods trains for British Railways (BR having stopped using steam traction in 1968). She crept onto the Western Fuel Co.’s site at 7am on Monday 28th September 1981 and worked for the next three weeks hauling coal trains of up to 450 tons.
This cinefilm was captured by Bob Edwardes and appears here with permission.
Points of particular interest include running on the main line to Bristol Bath Road engine shed to use the turntable (creating quite a contrast to the BR Blue mainline diesels at Bristol Temple Meads!) and double heading with the PBA Rolls-Royce Sentinel No. 41 (10220) that took over duties from Henbury.
Taking loaded wagons up to the Wharf (John Stanford)
October 1981, in between shunting moves (John Stanford)
Will Stratford has put together two videos from the Docks Heritage Weekend – the first includes some unusual angles not often seen, courtesy of a cleverly-mounted GoPro.
The second features a fluffy pink horse going for a ride around the docks!
Bristol Harbour Railway Blog 