Hi All
Those of you on the North Wales trip (for those that weren't, you missed a fantastic weekend) may remember I mentioned organising a visit to the great engines at Kempton Park.
It's just down the road from me so I've been before and it's pretty cool. The site holds one of the world's largest operating steam engines (the largest operating triple expansion engine in fact) and it is well worth a visit for anyone with an interest in engineering. In fact the building that houses the engine is worth a look in its own right.
There are some more details here http://www.kemptonsteam.org/ and here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kempton_Park_Steam_Engines
The site is also home to the Metropolitan Water Board Railway Society (which I joined last year while intoxicated on coal smoke) who are attempting to rebuild the narrow gauge railway that used to bring the coal to the Great Engines from a wharf on the Thames at Hampton. Thames Water own the route of the line and asked the society to demonstrate that they were serious before leasing them the land. So the society has built a narrow gauge steam railway from scratch in a field next to the Great Engines to show they are serious. More details here http://www.hamptonkemptonrailway.org.uk/ and here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metropolitan_Water_Board_Railway.
Entry to the Great Engines is £7 per head and the railway people are raising funds by charging a couple of quid for rides on the train.
No need for an early start for this one. So I suggest we meet, as we have done before, at Bell Weir Close just off J13 of the M25 (postcode TW19 6HF) at 10:15 for a 10:30 departure on the 17th November. We can either grab a sandwich at the engines for lunch or push off to a Thames-side pub.
If you are interested, please drop me a line.
Cheers
James
Those of you on the North Wales trip (for those that weren't, you missed a fantastic weekend) may remember I mentioned organising a visit to the great engines at Kempton Park.
It's just down the road from me so I've been before and it's pretty cool. The site holds one of the world's largest operating steam engines (the largest operating triple expansion engine in fact) and it is well worth a visit for anyone with an interest in engineering. In fact the building that houses the engine is worth a look in its own right.
There are some more details here http://www.kemptonsteam.org/ and here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kempton_Park_Steam_Engines
The site is also home to the Metropolitan Water Board Railway Society (which I joined last year while intoxicated on coal smoke) who are attempting to rebuild the narrow gauge railway that used to bring the coal to the Great Engines from a wharf on the Thames at Hampton. Thames Water own the route of the line and asked the society to demonstrate that they were serious before leasing them the land. So the society has built a narrow gauge steam railway from scratch in a field next to the Great Engines to show they are serious. More details here http://www.hamptonkemptonrailway.org.uk/ and here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metropolitan_Water_Board_Railway.
Entry to the Great Engines is £7 per head and the railway people are raising funds by charging a couple of quid for rides on the train.
No need for an early start for this one. So I suggest we meet, as we have done before, at Bell Weir Close just off J13 of the M25 (postcode TW19 6HF) at 10:15 for a 10:30 departure on the 17th November. We can either grab a sandwich at the engines for lunch or push off to a Thames-side pub.
If you are interested, please drop me a line.
Cheers
James
