We’ve got some fantastic news to share with you all.
We have made the shortlist and we are a finalist in the Midlands Food Drink & Hospitality awards category ‘Afternoon Tea Establishment of the Year’.
We are absolutely overjoyed and are so proud to have reached the final stages along with some other wonderful businesses.
I just want to say a massive thank you firstly to my girls in the tea room who work tirelessly to help our business. Without them we wouldn’t be where we are today.
We can’t thank our customers enough, we have such a wonderful customer base and we thank you for your continued support. Hospitality isn’t an easy business and the last 12 months have been difficult with the rise in the cost of living. This is where we need your help and support, could we kindly ask you to take the time to vote for us? If you use the following link – https://www.mfdhawards.co.uk/vote-now/ and under the first category ‘Afternoon Tea Establishment of the year’ you will see we are number 10. If you could click on this and then enter your details to vote for us we would really appreciate it. It will only take a few minutes of your time, there are lots of categories with some fantastic businesses who would also appreciate your support but you can just vote in the one category if you are short of time.
Please share to help us! We can’t wait to attend the awards ceremony
Update from Museum with regard to the Industrial Railway Society AGM Day. No steam loco but the participants didn’t seem bothered. From the Museum viewpoint the day went well. Adrian Hall did a massive job with the tidy and clean up beforehand, just left Barry Bull to add the finishing touches. One of the Industrial Railway Society members who attended the AGM was David Kitching who had previously supplied details and photographs for some of our display of bricks. I hadn’t realised before that the photos supplied were actually of bricks in our collection photographed on a previous visit David made. Long standing member of both the Industrial Railway Society and Chasewater, Pete Stamper, accepted the loan of nameplate Rother Vale No 7 on behalf of the Museum.
A further search of the Alastair Grieve slide collection has revealed some good quality ones from when Asbestos and the 16 ton GWR brake van went to Bromford Tube Works for the benefit of photographers over a weekend in March 1994 not long before the works closed.
Fifty slides from Alastair’s collection taken during a charter with GWR 813 at Bristol Docks have been presented to Paddy Goss of the 813 Preservation Society.
Port Talbot 0-6-0ST No. 26 (GWR 813)
A welcome visiting loco to Chasewater
This locomotive is a six-coupled 0-6-0ST Saddle Tank No.813 under the Great Western Railway numbering system but was built for the Port Talbot Railway & Docks in 1901. The Port Talbot Railway & Docks Company was formed in 1894 to work the docks of the town. The Railway opened several branches especially those to the Llynfi & Garw valleys. This attracted a heavy coal traffic, which was dealt with at Duffryn Yard.
In 1901 the PTR ordered a number of small 0-6-0 saddle tank locomotives (six in all) from Hudswell Clark of Leeds & was given the works No. 555/01 & on delivery it became PTR No.26. In this guise it was put to work in Duffryn Yard & served in this capacity until 1908 when the PTR was absorbed into the GWR system. However, no changes were made to the loco at this time until the grouping which brought changes to No.26 in that it was first Westernised & given the GWR number 813.
The GWR decided later however that the older absorbed locos should be sold off out of service & No.813 fund itself on that list in 1934. It was sold to a Backworth Colliery, Northumberland where it was again renumbered as No.12 & remained there for the next 33 years. The No.12 did not stay for long though, as when the colliery was absorbed in to the National Coal Board when it was formed in 1947 it became NCB No.11
In 1950 it was fitted with a new boiler & firebox. However the original GWR boiler fittings were retained. As steam working was nearly at an end hastened by the closing of collieries, older locos were withdrawn in the late 1950’s & early 60’s with 813 lasting until the summer of 1967.
The loco was duly discovered by Mr. Paddy Goss & attempts to preserve it were ultimately successful for he was able, after a great struggle to raise funds as is ever the case in the preservation scene, to purchase the loco. The loco arrived at the Severn Valley Railway in November 1967 with sufficient finance available to pay for the removal charges. Since then much loving care & a great deal of money has been spent keeping 813 in its present condition.
Make new friends, learn new skills. Chasewater Railway is run by working members who are all Volunteers. If you find yourself with time on your hands, why not join our friendly team? With hours to suit, as little or as much time as you want to give, can make a real difference. With opportunities to work in different departments; Operations – footplate (steam & diesel) crews, Carriage and Wagon, Museum, Shops, Station Staff, Train Crews (Guard and Travelling Ticket Inspector), Maintenance and Restorations of Rolling Stock, Permanent Way (track), Narrow Gauge, Model Railway and Events. Previous experience is not necessary as full training will be provided, we are always looking to welcome new Volunteers. Whatever your skills and experience, working, retired or studying, there’s something for you at Chasewater Railway
The Museum is open to visitors on most Sundays and at other times by prior arrangement.
The aim is to open on every running day but over the last few years our numbers have diminished due to members sadly passing away and illness.
We are really looking for mature members no longer able. perhaps , to do the heavy lifting associated with railways but still having a lot to offer, with local knowledge and railway matters in general.
There is a fair amount of paperwork involved, our catalogue is kept on a computer database, help would be appreciated.
There is an excellent video about the Chasewater Railway Volunteers in various departments on youtube, unfortunately, I can’t put a llnk on here, the link has been disabled by the video owner.
The Museum has obtained a grant of £3745 to cover electricity costs. This follows an application to ensure the Museum’s fragile collections can receive appropriate environmental control in these difficult times.
The grant is from Arts Council England’s Covid-19 Emergency Response Fund and was only made possible due to public funding from the National Lottery.
Our thanks to the National Lottery and its players.
Chasewater Railway Museum 