The Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester (MOSI) hosted a nine-day Transport Festival in August, 2009. As you can see from the rather curious advert above, the Festival intended to show how the "Northwest shaped the modern world". This initiative by Industrial Powerhouse is supported by the European Regional Development Fund which is "investing in englandsnorthwest" (perhaps I start to understand why many young people remain functionally illiterate).
The first seven days of the Festival were sub-titled "Roaring Road Rally" (accounting for some of the non-railway subjects in my pictures). This overlapped with a three day 'Great Garratt Gathering'.
The 'Garratt' types are perhaps the most famous of the locomotives built by Beyer Peacock in their works at Gorton, just a few miles from MOSI.
Garratts, both full-size and scale-models, came together at MOSI as part of the Transport Festival, to celebrate 100 years since this famous locomotive type was first produced at the Gorton Works. The first Garratt was the 'K1' for Tasmania. Repatriated and restored, this centenarian now works on the Welsh Highland Railway but was displayed (in light steam) on a low loader at MOSI, together with 'William Francis' and MOSI's 1930-built Beyer-Garratt, which ran on the South African Railways until 1972. Other visitors were the Gorton-built Lancashire and Yorkshire 'Ironclad' 0-6-0 (from K&WVR) and the former Beyer Peacock Works Shunter (from Foxfield). Both these locomotives were in steam and, in addition to giving passenger rides, operated a demonstration freight train. The visiting Beyer Peacock built 'Hymek' diesel remained static, but did occasionally run-up the engine.
On Thursday 13th August, I took pictures in the morning before taking over the 'Planet' replica on passenger rides in the afternoon.
On Saturday and Sunday 15, 16 Aug, bus trips were run from MOSI to see what remains of Beyer Peacock's Works. I joined a bus trip on Sunday for a walking tour of the former Boiler Shop, before returning to MOSI to drive the diminuitive Beyer Peacock works shunter which was built in 1879.
Originally, this works shunter was a crane engine but she was rebuilt as a conventional outside cylinder 0-4-0ST. During the afternoon, we 'banked' the demonstration freight hauled by the 'Ironclad', took part in a cavalcade of Beyer Peacock engines - Works Shunter, 'Ironclad' and (not in steam) Garratt 'William Francis' and finally rounded off the day 'piloting' the 'Ironclad' on a number of passenger trips.
On the 17th August, as a publicity event, the 'K1' was taken back to her birthplace at Gorton but I wasn't around for that.
