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The Avon Valley Railway Autumn Steam Gala (17/October/2015)
An interesting day out here with the railway having a London-Transport/Metropolitan theme this year.
The finale of the day was a triple-header featuring all three of the London-Transport/Metropolitan liveried locomotives.Here are Metropolitan No-1/L92 and L150 running slowly into Bitton from Avon-Riverside.With the thick cloudbase and the time now past 16:05 lighting was becoming something of a problem.Camera settings of 500sec@F4 using 1600ASA was required to produce this final shot.A good days entertainment at this small but excellent preserved railway.
..17 october 2015..
This is how locomotives looked in the final years of the 19th Century. 'E' Class 0-4-4T Metropolitan No-1 was constructed in Victorian England dated 1898,a far cry from the plastic-pig crap we have to put up with these days! The now superbly restored loco stands at Oldbury Common about to depart for Bitton and Avon-Riverside.
..17 october 2015..
2-6-2 Tanky L150 with Metropolitan No-1 roll into Oldland Common Station with a working from Avon-Riverside.Both engines looking superb in their nicely lined out maroon livery.
..17 october 2015..
No-15 'Earl David' a 1943 built Andrew Barclay 0-6-0ST wearing the livery of the Wemyss Private Railway shakes the autumn leaves off the trees as it pounds up the slight gradient heading towards Oldland Common from Bitton.The very enthusiastic crew were certainly giving this loco a good dose of the regulator here as it passed me.All very noisy and impressive!
..17 october 2015..
Next up heading north towards Oldland Common from Avon-Riverside was this former GWR 0-6-0PT 5786.It was sold to LT way back in 1958 and became L92.In this guise it is seen here today.So this loco is in fact a genuine ex-London Transport machine which worked for that company for over 10 years before retirement into preservation without having to go through the trauma of a long period abandoned in Barry Scrapyard! Here the 1930 built engine heads a pair on Mk-1's going to Oldland Common passing a couple of AVR residents 31130 and the recently restored 0-4-0VBT Sentinal on the left.
..17 october 2015..
This is the locally famous little early Sentinal 0-4-0VBT Locomotive-Works No 7492 that until the mid-1950's from when purchased new in 1928 used to shunt the yards at the Keynsham-Somerdale Fry's Chocolate Factory.That place itself actually closed (Asset stripped) in 2011 by Kraft Foods after it took over Cadbury' who had absorbed Fry's earlier. The loco was thought scrapped but rediscovered in Essex stored in an old overgrown dilapidated nissan hut over 50 years later in 2009.Now here at Bitton just a few miles from Keynsham it is fully restored to working order and just needs the sign-writing to complete the job.
..17 october 2015..
Metropolitan No-1 was only 20 minutes behind L150 and its demonstration freight train as it passes the throat of the yard here at Bitton going to Oldland Common from Avon-Riverside.With a total line length here at the AVR of less than 4 miles plenty of workings were in evidence with something passing in either direction about every 15-20 minutes or so.All very smooth and slick!--a properly high density well run Gala!
..17 october 2015..
Former GWR 2-6-2T 5521 currently operates as London-Transport L150.The loco was never an LT engine but currently wears the livery and ficticious 'L150' identity. It was built in 1927 and after over a million miles in GWR/BR service ended up in Woodhams Yard at Barry in S-Wales.Rescued and restored it has led a fairly active life in preservation ever since.Even going to Poland on several occasions! Here L150/5521 is viewed passing Bitton heading its demonstration freight going to Oldland Common.
..17 october 2015..
Metropolitan No-1 an 'E' Class 0-4-4T heads towards Bitton from Avon- Riverside with a demonstration freight bounds for Oldland Common during the season ending themed 'Gala' featuring all three of the operational ex-London Transport locomotives.This classic victorian 1898 built machine looked and performed superbly throughout the day making many trips up and down the short line here at the Avon Valley Railway.