PhilH
Western Thunderer
A particularly rural scene for a standard gauge industrial railway - Storefield Ironstone Quarry, Northamptonshire.
Rather unusual (perhaps ?) track construction - flat bottom rail spiked on the inside but with cast half chairs (for want of a better description) on the outside secured by two coach screws These 'chairs' are also used on the inside of the check rails. The point beyond is a true three-way rather than the more usual tandem and the two nearest frogs appear to be cast in one piece (would have been worth a close-up photo
).The scene is at Dowlow Quarry south of Buxton alongside the former LNWR Buxton to Ashbourne line, which is behind the wooden fence on the right. This was part of the original route of the Cromford & High Peak Railway. On the left is the quarry loco shed, a curious construction with a concrete side wall up to window level, a brick panel beyond the unusually large window (for a loco shed), then wooden construction above. The slate roof still has the ventilator for the steam locos, the last of which was scrapped in 1959. Build a model like that and nobody would believe it was based on a prototype ! At the time of the visit in July 1967 the locked shed contained two Ruston & Hornsby 88DS 4wDs. Beyond the shed is the quarry office, and beyond that, nearer the track, is the weighbridge cabin. At that date the quarry was still using a remaining section of its internal 2'-3" gauge system.
The same scene 10 years later in August 1977. The track has been relaid with bullhead rail without the three-way point. The loco shed has lost its roof top ventilator and contained one of the Ruston 88DS locos, now reduced to spare with the other being scrapped. The two working locos were stabled outside. Beyond the shed the office has lost its porch and there's a new weighbridge cabin sited further from the track than the old one.
The probable reason for the track relaying - bigger and heavier locomotives. This is Ruston & Hornsby No.461959 of 1961, a Class 200DE diesel electric 200hp and nearly 40 tons in weight, obtained secondhand in 1971. The name HEATHCOTE is from a small village about 5 miles South of Dowlow and this is the third loco at Dowlow to carry that name. The first was an 0‑4‑0ST obtained from the contractor building the LNWR line, which passed close to the village of Heathcote.
Internal rail traffic at the quarry finished in the early 1990s and with it the use of industrial locomotives. Outgoing rail traffic is now loaded by a front end loading shovel in sidings at the end of the BR line with the wagons positioned by main line locomotives.
) when I was possibly less concerned with the details of how things actually worked, but from what I vaguely recall was the only item of rolling stock on a then derelict site. The quarry itself was closed in the early 1950s, although part of the plant remained in use until 1960, and its the location of the infamous 'blue lagoon', very picturesque to look at but fatal if you dip your toe in it (slight exaggeration !). Apparently the local council periodically put black dye in it to deter any would be swimmers.
