Browsed by
Tag: engine

Simplex shunting a wagon
💰 Fundraising Appeal for Motor Rail 21282 ?>

💰 Fundraising Appeal for Motor Rail 21282

? Update (as of 4th July 2019): Money raised so far is  £690.00  with thanks to everyone who donated (including a very generous donation from a local business owner). Please keep donating if you are able to do so. Further funds will be used to purchase new traction batteries for the WR8 battery-electric locomotive

We have now had a quote from a supplier for parts required to get our Motor Rail diesel locomotive back into working order following the theft of several engine components during a break-in back in March 2019.

This leaves us with the sum of just over £500 to raise in order to get 21282 running again. The locomotive has been a valuable workhorse for many years, and had the honour of hauling the first train when the Lea Bailey Light Railway Society first started work on the site in 2012.

Volunteers are working hard and investing their own time and money to improve the security of our storage facilities to avoid any repeat visits from thieves and vandals.

Donations

Click the Donate button below and use your PayPal account or credit/debit card.




If more money is raised than is needed to purchase the replacement engine parts for 21282, we will put any additional funds towards a full service and repaint of the locomotive once it is running. We are also aiming to purchase a set of traction batteries for the Wingrove & Rogers WR8 battery-electric locomotive owned by the Society.

Disclaimer: Whilst the Lea Bailey Light Railway Society is a not-for-profit organisation, we are not a Registered Charity in the United Kingdom. Your donation will be used at the discretion of the Society’s officers to further the aims of our projects.

WR5 hauling logs
📝 Details of items stolen ?>

📝 Details of items stolen

Originally published on our Facebook Page on 7th April 2019

Following an inspection of our shed at Lea Bailey, here’s a list of all the items that were stolen during the recent break-in

  • Rockers, rocker covers and air filter from Deutz engine.
  • Battery & leads, coupling pins & chains, several D-shackles from Simplex locomotive.
  • Rockers, rocker covers, exhaust manifold, crankcase covers from Lister JK6 engine. Head bolts undone in an attempt to steal heads.
  • Large bench vice
  • Metal bucket containing a set of Hudson axle boxes
  • A pair of curved-spoke axles & wheels in 2′ gauge
  • Metal Tirfor winch with steel cable
  • Battery box lid and controller cover from blue 2′ gauge Wingrove & Rogers WR5 battery-electric locomotive
  • Battery box lid from white 18″ gauge Wingrove & Rogers WR5 battery-electric locomotive
  • Plastic tub containing several large bolts
  • 14 black steel fencing pins
  • A total of 7 commercial-grade 12volt lead-acid batteries (including the one stolen from the Simplex)
  • Also the radiator of the Hydrovane compressor was deliberately punctured with a sharp object to render it inoperable.

 

If you know any information about these items or who took them please e-mail us web@lblr.fod.uk or report anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 Crime Reference Number is CR/008853/19

Simplex with tipper wagon
👮‍ Theft of Engine Parts ?>

👮‍ Theft of Engine Parts

Originally published on our Facebook Page on 26th March 2019

Volunteers at a heritage mine railway on the Gloucestershire-Herefordshire border have been left without motive power after thieves broke in and stole parts from two diesel engines.

Lea Bailey Light Railway Society operates the mine and associated railway system at Bailey Level in the Forest of Dean which is also home to several small independent iron and coal mines known as Freemines, operated under an ancient right granted by King Edward I.

A Lister JK6 coupled to a generator set which was stored awaiting restoration has been stripped of several parts but the real blow was the removal of the rocker covers and rockers from the 3-cylinder Deutz engine fitted to Motor Rail locomotive № 21282.

This 58-year old locomotive is known affectionately as “The Simplex” — a nickname derived from its patented two-speed gearbox design — and has been an indispensible workhorse since it arrived at Lea Bailey in 2012.

Wagons containing minerals and waste materials are moved by hand on the underground section of the railway, but a powerful locomotive is needed to shunt heavy loads including the two-ton Eimco 12B rocker shovel loader which is a popular exhibit at the Society’s open days.

Volunteers now have a race against time to source replacement parts to get № 21282 back into working order for the next Open Weekend on 18th & 19th May. Other items that have been taken include the starter battery & leads, coupling pins & chains, air filter, and a number of D-shackles.

Anyone with information is asked to contact web@lblr.fod.uk or report to Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.