Avon Valley foursome

The Avon Valley Railway brought together four very different industrial locomotives for its gala event on October 15/16. Visiting Kent and East Sussex Railway-based Manning Wardle 0-6-0ST Charwelton and Bristol Harbour Railway Avonside 0-6-0ST Portbury joined Hunslet ‘Austerity’ 0-6-0ST WD No. 132 ‘Sapper’ and Polish ‘TKh’ Class 0-6-0T No. 4015 ‘Karel’. The eclectic mix of industrial machines provided a rare chance to see British locomotives ordered for service during two world wars. Portbury was ordered by the War Office in 1916 for the Inland Waterways and Docks Board, while ‘Sapper’ was built for the War Department in 1944.

PHILIP S. CASS as well as working singly and in pairs on trains during the event, all four locomotives were brought together to quadruple head. The foursome are at avon Riverside on Saturday october 15.