© Geoff’s Rail Diaries 2014
It’s a long way to Leighton Buzzard
(to the tune of...). It’s AGM season,
and the IRS has plumped for the
Leighton Buzzard Narrow Gauge
Railway. Appropriately for this year,
the pre-meeting entertainment would
be a special train from Page’s Park to
Stonehenge and back will be hauled
by a WW1 veteran - Baldwin 4-6-0 no.
778 (44656 of 1917).
There’s time to check out the running shed - we’re
not due off until 10.30, and before departure, a couple
of “false starts” provide the photographers with some
amusement. En route, we take advantage of three
photo stops (with a runpast at one of the level
crossings and another false start), and at Stonehenge
works, everything is available for inspection -
countless Motor-Rails and a variety of other motive
power. The 1929 Sentinel “Nutty” is on display beside
the 1901 Freudenstein 0-4-0
“Penlee”. The much travelled
“Peter Pan” is on a low loader
outside the workshop, along
with vertical-boilered “Paddy”.
There are various Rustons,
Listers, Hunslets and other
assorted internal combustion locos - some undergoing
repair and maintenance, others ready for action. Not
forgetting a handful of loco frames scattered about the
site to confound the number crunchers... Then it’s back to our
train to return to Page’s Park, for lunch and the real purpose (or
was it?) of the visit.
We’ve been to Buzzrail before, but not for a good
while. It’s a great little line, and we’ve been very well
catered for. Must come again before too long...
Links:
•
Buzzrail LBNGR website
•
Industrial Railway Society
