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Open day at Statfold Barn

June 3rd saw an ‘O&K Day’ at Graham Lee’s Statfold Barn Railway. The event was to commemorate O&K 614 ‘Pakis Baru no.1’ freshly restored having been imported from the far east. Also operating were new-build quarry Hunslet ‘Statfold’ returned from a visit to the Lynton & Branstaple Railway, ‘Trangkil No.4’ (the last steam loco built by Hunslets in 1971), former gas works Peckett ‘Harrogate’ and visiting O&K ‘Montalban’ from the West Lancs railway. On the 2ft railway in the garden a 1958 Simplex (Charles(?)) operated a single coach on the circuit around the lake. The steep gradients on parts of the line gave a good opportunity for the locos to show what they were capable of and the operating day ended with Montalban and PB1 double heading one of the trains back to the station.

Tours were available around the oil works (the farm presses high quality plant oils for the cosmetics trade) and the workshops were open as was the Hunslet museum with displays of plates and details of the history of the company and another shed containing four more locos awaiting restoration. Inside the workshops were the power bogies of the 0-4-4-0 compound Mallet currently being done up and scheduled for return to service next year. Other items of interest were a steam roller and traction engine in steam and the unique triple and dual gauge trackwork in the shed and yard.

Posted by Andy C on