Colliery Line industrial gala
A windy Chase
© Geoff’s Rail Diaries 2017
Geoff’s Rail Diaries
19 March 2017
That’s ‘Chase’ as in Chasewater, whose railway styles
itself ‘The Colliery Line’. There was a stiff breeze
across the heathland, making it feel cold. We’ll eat our
lunch in the car, then take a ride. A train had left
shortly before we arrived - plenty of time...
...to have a look at a couple of newcomers. One of
them had trundled along by the signalbox, brakevan in
tow, as we lunched, but they stubbornly refused to move
when I was out with the camera. I’m referring to the pair of
ancient Motor-Rails, BR-liveried and numbered 15097 and
15099. There were a three similar machines in early BR days,
ex-LNER, designated class Y11 - but they were all scrapped in
the 1950s.
Out on the ‘main line’ were more familiar machines. D3429
took turns on the 3-coach passenger with Barclay
‘Rosyth No 1’; the Hunslet 0-4-0 diesel 6678 (1968)
hauled the coal train, and (star attractions for my wife)
the diminutive but dynamic duo ‘Teddy’ and ‘Colin
McAndrew’.
We headed out to Chasewater Heaths behind Rosyth No
1 - we could take a few photos there and return in the
brakevan with Colin and Teddy. Perhaps when we get
back to Brownhills West, we can take a walk around the lake
and see some of the afternoon’s later workings. Perhaps not -
it’s starting to rain (at least it started when we were at BHW,
not out on the heath...). It’s not a day for photography
anyway (if it had been, I might have visited the Severn Valley
for their gala). We’ll head for home.
Link: Chasewater Railway
