East Somerset Rolling Stock - Apr 21

[BikinGlynn]

This selection of rolling stock has clearly lay dormant for a long time, the most interesting of which is the ex military crene at the front of the line.

Easy to find had a really chilled out wander round here with @Down and beyond after some morning underground epicenes.

Thanks to @westernsultan (the master of all things trains) we know a little bit about this unit.
Crane 63063 – built by Grafton 1914 – works number 1540 – built as a steam crane for a ship
missing information including name of ship - believed to have sank, crane removed at some stage
converted from steam to diesel, and mounted for rail use for MOD – no more information
last depot believed to be ammunition site at Bramley with ESR by 1991 at current location by 2013

The rest of the rolling stock are old wooden wagons & flat beds in varying states of decay, I actually fount these more photogenic so heres the rest of the pics

And finally Iv never seen @Down and beyond looking so happy above ground ;-)

Thanks For Looking

 

[J_a_t_33]

This is a rather special little find! Nice one!

 

[BikinGlynn]

This is a rather special little find! Nice one!

Thanks its quiet cool

 

[Natters5]

According to the ESR stock book from 1987 the crane was built in 1943 for the war office its war time exploits are not known but it was at Central Ammunition Depot Bramley (north of Basingstoke) by 1949 and remained there until 1983 when ESR bought it. It was operational there until the early 2000's and I photographed it at the engine shed in 2010 minus its jib which was badly rusted and going to be rebuilt according to the chap that I spoke to but obviously nothing happened. I am disappointed to see so much decay at the line and overgrown track bed. The siding from your pictures was in good condition in 2010 with operation stock on it. I guess having lost funding from David Shephard the place is struggling to keep going.

 

[FunkyMuffin]

This is fabulous! Great photos sir.

 

[night crawler]

I'm amazed there are places that you can still find old rolling stock just left to rot on a disused railway.

 

[Natters5]

The worst of it is that this is not a disused railway, Foster Yeoman have a massive quarry just down the line with a second smaller one mothballed in the other direction. They let David Shepherd have the line to the mothballed one to form the East Somerset Railway which is still active today though not as much as it once was when he was still alive. They only use his smaller loco's as the line wont take the weight of the big ones which they still have but loaned out to other railways. I went there a few times when David was still alive as I knew him from Longmoor days when I was in the Army there plus I lived in Wiltshire then so only an hour or so away. I often wonder what happened to the paintings that hung in the Longmoor Officers Mess as we had 5 or 6 original Cuneo's plus a similar number of Shepherds donated by the artists. They went to the National Army Museum / Imperial War Museum when Longmoor closed as the Army School of Transportation and only a couple came with us to Aldershot.

 

[Dirus_Strictus]

Presumably the stated build date of 1914 for 63063 is a typo, or western sultan got their facts wrong?

 

[DarkHorse]

I would have thought both could be right... Crane originally built in 1914 and mounted on a ship then rail mounted in 1943 having been recovered from a ship that had 'sunk' (but presumably in harbour?) The power unit looks like it might be even younger than 40s though.

 

[Osbo]

This selection of rolling stock has clearly lay dormant for a long time, the most interesting of which is the ex military crene at the front of the line.

Easy to find had a really chilled out wander round here with @Down and beyond after some morning underground epicenes.

Thanks to @westernsultan (the master of all things trains) we know a little bit about this unit.
Crane 63063 – built by Grafton 1914 – works number 1540 – built as a steam crane for a ship
missing information including name of ship - believed to have sank, crane removed at some stage
converted from steam to diesel, and mounted for rail use for MOD – no more information
last depot believed to be ammunition site at Bramley with ESR by 1991 at current location by 2013

The rest of the rolling stock are old wooden wagons & flat beds in varying states of decay, I actually fount these more photogenic so heres the rest of the pics

And finally Iv never seen @Down and beyond looking so happy above ground ;-)

Thanks For Looking

Splendid pictures and an interesting find

 

[cornish_snowdog]

I love the way that the crane's cab has been built using domestic window frames by the look of it.
Great find...

 

[Hayman]

Hullo Natters 5. I was at Longmoor, from 1959 to 1962, first in 53 Rly Depot Sqn, then 8 Rly Sqn. When were you there, and what trade? Does RSM Pickering ring a bell with you? Once a Sapper . . .

​

 

[BikinGlynn]

I love the way that the crane's cab has been built using domestic window frames by the look of it.
Great find...

Yeah I thought that its very odd

 

[BikinGlynn]

According to the ESR stock book from 1987 the crane was built in 1943 for the war office its war time exploits are not known but it was at Central Ammunition Depot Bramley (north of Basingstoke) by 1949 and remained there until 1983 when ESR bought it. It was operational there until the early 2000's and I photographed it at the engine shed in 2010 minus its jib which was badly rusted and going to be rebuilt according to the chap that I spoke to but obviously nothing happened. I am disappointed to see so much decay at the line and overgrown track bed. The siding from your pictures was in good condition in 2010 with operation stock on it. I guess having lost funding from David Shephard the place is struggling to keep going.

Thanks some good info there

 

[BikinGlynn]

Splendid pictures and an interesting find

Thanks

 

[Dirus_Strictus]

I love the way that the crane's cab has been built using domestic window frames by the look of it.
Great find...

The cab is of very late construction and seems to have been done by ESR, post 1983. It certainly does not meet the build requirements for CAD rolling stock - of which I have work experience.

 

[Natters5]

I have pictures of the crane working on the ESR within days of it arriving there and the cab was present then so either it was original or added by the Army in either case I would have expected a more professional job. As you can see from the catalogue extract it would appear to be original.