Ashover Light Railway

The narrow gauge Ashover Light Railway ran from the industrial complex of the Clay Cross Company at Clay Cross to Ashover in Derbyshire. Intended to serve the Company's quarries, the railway also developed a healthy passenger traffic. A stud of ex-World War I Baldwin steam locomotives worked the line.

For more information about the history of the Ashover Light Railway, see the Wikipedia Article.

The line is now long-gone but still inspires enthusiasts, a group of whom have formed the Ashover Light Railway Society. On 9th November 2013 I was invited to a meeting between Henry Frampton-Jones of the Derbyshire Dales Narrow Gauge Railway and Trustees of the Ashover Light Railway Society at their workshops in Sheffield.

Trustees of Ashover Light Railway Society at a meeting with Henry Frampton-Jones in Sheffield. L-R: Henry, Richard, Andrew, Jonathan, Graham.

The Society has acquired a selection of rolling stock, mainly from the Ashover Light Railway and is carrying out an active restoration programme. I was most impressed with the work I saw and my pictures don't really do justice to the high standards achieved.

The restoration of a Ruston diesel shunter is now nearing completion.


Ashover Light Railway Society: Ruston shunter under restoration.

A battery electric Shunter is also well-advanced. I believe that it originally worked in a power station, having been constructed in the power station workshops. The two electric notors are by British Electric Vehicle, often known as 'BEV', which was originally based in Southport.

Underframe for Battery Electric Locomotive (inverted) under restoration. Note the sprockets on the far wheels for chain drive from the two motors. The underframe appears to have been modified from a mining tub wagon.


Ashover Light Railway Society: One of two electric motors for the Electric Locomotive under restoration. Note the sprocket on the end of the armature for chain drive direct to the wheels.

Body for Battery Electric Locomotive under restoration.

A number of items of rolling stock from the Ashover Light Railway have been acquired and restoration is being carried out, as circumstances permit.

Coach Underframe (inverted) under restoration.

Two Coach Underframes awaiting restoration, together with various wheelsets and Timken axleboxes.

The Society is currently completing a detailed catalogue of the timbers from the dismantled 'End of the Rainbow' Restaurant' which originally was a very distinctive feature of the railway at Ashover.

Timbers from the 'End of the Rainbow' Restaurant in store, pending future rebuilding.

However, perhaps the most improbable artefacts held by the Society are the remaining parts of the 'Sentinel' steam locomotive formerly used on the Jaywick Miniature Railway. But that's another story.

To find out more about the Ashover Light Railway Society, refer to their website here.

Books

'The Ashover Light Railway' by K. P. Plant (Locomotion Paper No. 30) published Oakwood Press.

My Pictures

Ashover Light Railway

The Spring Shop

I recently visited a factory in Sheffield which produces coil springs and suspension components for the transport industry.

It was good to see a coil spring machine originally used in the Swindon Railway Works still in use providing springs for today's railway.

Coil-spring manufacturing machine, relocated from Swindon Works.

The spring properties are produced by careful heat treatment of the component as it is passed through a long oven where a series of burners produce the appropriate temperature profile.

One of the Heat treatment ovens for springs.

Production of some parts requires the use of a Shot Peening Booth. Shot peening is a cold working process used to produce a compressive residual stress layer which alters the mechanical properties of the metal by impacting the surface with lead shot, creating plastic deformation.

View inside Shot Peening Booth, showing rotating table, fixture and metal components to be processed.

Lead shot used in the Shot Peening process.

Various Spray Booths are provided for painting finished products.

General view of one end of the Spring Shop. Finished products on the left, work in progress on the right. One of the paint spraying facilities is visible in the background.

Many thanks to Andrew for his courtesy in showing me around the Spring Shop.

My Pictures

The Spring Shop.