Threlkeld steams ahead with extension
VINTAGEmachinery, including flagship BagnallNo. 2135 of 1926 Sir Tom, has been pressed into serviceatLakeland’s ThrelkeldQuarry andMiningMuseum to help build the 2ft- gauge line’snew quarter- mile extension.
Work on the horseshoe curve restarted following the easing of some of the Covid- 19 restrictions.
It has taken around 1800 tons of material to construct the curve using some of the museum’s trademark machinery. It is estimated that around 3000 tons of material has been used to build the extension, making use of the recent good weather.
Sir Tom was steamed on June 3 for footplate crew familiarisation and to check maintenance carried out over the winter period was satisfactory.
Its resteaming also provided the opportunity to assess how the railway could operate as and when restrictions are eased further.
Since then, two further steamings have taken place in order to collect data using alternative fuels.
Sir Tom was named after Sir Tom Callender of British Insulated Callender Cables, and worked at the firm’s base in Kent until 1968.
After lying idle for 33 years, it arrived at Threlkeld in 2001, and was rebuilt by Ian Hartland. It is used to haul passenger trains from the middle quarry into the inner quarry.
The dry spell at the end of
May providedawindow to start repainting the coaching stock, with four being completed over three weeks. The remaining two carriages were expected to be painted by the end of June.
The annual steam gala event, which takes place over the last weekend in July, has been cancelled because of the pandemic, but is planned to return next year.