A plethora of Pecketts

Over the last couple of months I haven't had much opportunity to get to preserved lines due to the extremely wet drought we have been experiencing.

Many of the lines I have visited have been the smaller ones who run "Industrials". For me I love to see these locos running and are just as interesting as the big main line steam engines, but most of the locos I have been seeing are Pecketts

The first I visited was the Chinnor & Princes Risborough Line, they dont have any steam of their own but do hire in a different loco every year.

This years loco was Peckett 1859 'Sir Gomer'.

I have a bit of a personal attachment with this loco as I remember seeing it run at Mountain Ash colliery  when I was a kid in the 1970's.

Also I was involved in the restoration of it at Cardiff before the then owning group then moved to Barry.

  

Another line I visited was the Bristol Harbour Railway, I was so impressed at my visit in the winter when nothing was running (see previous blog) I had to go back on an operating day.

Sadly the drought conditions ment I got drenched but the  dockside cranes made a brilliant backdrop for steam.

This line may only have one locomotive Peckett 1940, as it is a council run attraction but it is well worth a visit especially if your thinking about modelling an industrial railway.

Another place which had Pecketts was the National Railway Museum

The first running was 'Teddy' No 2012 this is claimed to be the smallest standard gauge steam loco

The second Peckett at the event was 2150 also known as the 'Mardy Monster'.

This is the largest and most powerful saddle tank locomotive in the UK.

I remember seeing this loco dumped at Maerdy Colliery in the 70's (also not two spellings of Maerdy, on the loco it's spelt the english way), back then the loco was in a condition where it could have come out of Woodhams so it's good too see it up and running.

For more of my pics of these lines and other events I went to where there are no Pecketts have a look at my Flickr site

http://www.flickr.com/photos/chris_adams/