Axe in revenue service at Woody Bay, March 1st 2009

The 11:30 steaming up the 1 in 50 towards the station with a train full of passengers on the first day of service.

Axe in steam at Woody Bay, Armistice Day , 11/11/08

Steaming past the newly installed advertising boards on the Down Platform during the Armistice Day commemoration and dedication. More pictures of the event can be found here.

Although Axe is now complete the appeal is still open.

Although this has been a high-quality restoration programme there are still one or two outstanding items so your donations are still be welcome however, with your help, the end is in sight.

Donor Incentives

We welcome donations of any size and will show our appreciation to everybody who can give at least £25 to the Axe appeal.

For gifts of £25 or more: a handsome certificate.
For gifts of £1000  A special edition signed Eric Leslie print.
For gifts of £2500: the above plus the opportunity to drive Axe under supervision up the railway from Killington Lane.

If you would like to be a part of this project please send a donation payable to the Lynton & Barnstaple Railway Trust to Jon Pain, 26 Oaklands, Bideford, North Devon, EX39 3HW or use our online donation facility.

A 93-year Journey…

                    From this (1915)…

                
                                            … 1983 …

                         
                                                     … 2006 …

                                   
                                                          … October 2008 …

                                            
                                                                     … 10/11.2008 …

                                                       
                                                             … 11th November, 2008 … to this!!

Why Axe is so important

Since the railway re-opened at Woody Bay in 2004, we have had to hire in steam engines. There is a long-term project to build a replica of one of the original L&B Manning Wardle 2-6-2Ts, but in the meantime the Railway needs a smaller steam locomotive of its own.

A Brief History of Axe

Kerr, Stuart & Co Ltd built No. 2451 - the loco now known as Axe - at Stoke-on-Trent in 1915. A side and well tank locomotive, it was one of the seventy 60cm gauge "Joffre" Class engines - named after the French First World War commander - that the French government ordered for service on the Western Front.

After the war, 2451 stayed in France, working in the quarrying industry. In about 1956, 2451, along with four sister locos, was found by British enthusiasts, lying derelict at Rinxent, about 12 miles from Calais, having gone out of service almost ten years earlier.

In 1974, all five locos - believed to be the only survivors of the class - were repatriated to England. No 2405 went to the West Lancashire Light Railway near Southport.The others - including 2451 - ended up at the Penyrorsedd Quarry Museum in North Wales, in 1976, and then, in 1978, to Blaenau Ffestiniog. Nos. 2442, 3010 and 3014 were cosmetically restored, but 2451 remained unpainted.

2442 is at the Tefi Valley Railway in South Wales, 3010 is at Dereham in Norfolk,3014 is now at Apedale, Staffordshire.  No 2405 is currently being restored to original condition, and due toreturn to steam during 2009.

No 2451 was purchased by the Lynton & Barnstaple Railway in 1983. Following the original L&BR’s policy of naming its locos after three-letter Devon rivers, No 2451 was christened Axe.

Members laboured to restore the engine for several years before it was eventually transfered to the Gartell Light Railway at Templecombe in Somerset to complete the work professionally.

‘Axe’ - Vital Statistics

Length: 15’ 6 1/8"
Height: 8’ 6 1/4"
Width: 5’ 3 3/4"
Tractive Effort: 3,862 lb
Gauge: 1’ 11 5/8" (600 mm)
Cylinders: 8 1/2" dia. x 11" stroke
Valve Gear: Walshaerts
Wheel Dia.: 1’ 11 5/8"
Wheelbase: 4’ 7 1/8"
Water Capacity: Well and Side Tanks: 264 gallons
Coal Capacity: 10 cwt
Weight: (empty) 8T 4 cwt
Weight: (working order) 10T 8 cwt

View all the Axe Project News