The Austerity Steam Loco, Part 1

[@PrinceStreet]

Wonderful film. Thank you for this. I’m looking forward to the next instalment.

[@KyleTheDalek]

Love the J94, it’s actually my favourite steam loco. with the Andrew Barclay 0-4-0 2nd. And I love them in the N.C.B green. Can’t wait for the next part!

[@ianhooper6830]

Thoroughly enjoyed that. Thanks so much for uploading.

[@ianclarke5273]

My friend & I would get rides on the engines at Bickershaw during the 1970s. We'd hop on at Abram Sidings where there was a small shunters cabin.I remember, Respite, Spitfire and Hurricane - not Fred so much. It was always a great sight to see and hear them sometimes triple heading to Abram from the pit. Our favourite driver was a fella we called "Fester" - we never knew his real name but he looked like Uncle Fester from the TV show, "The Munsters" .. he only had 2 fingers on one hand - he told us he lost the other 2 when somebody accidently shut the firehole on them...ouch! Occasionally, we would get brakevan rides... then you'd realise how rough the shunting could be!..we were tossed around inside the van like we were in a washing machine! Many years later, I married the niece of one the drivers on the Walkden system - the late Fred Talbot. I often walk part of the line from Astley... some of the track is still there if look hard enough. A fantastic archive Jonathan - thanks for making them available.

[@GandyDancerProductions]

Hi Ian, thanks for the comment. I visited Bickershaw many times also and shot many photos there and rode with the engine men. More films to come so stay tuned.

[@ticklishhoneybee9754]

Aesthetically speaking I prefer the Hunslet 50550, the precursor to the austerity. But its nice to see how much love these old workhorses still get.

[@davidtaylor6124]

Interesting info about the tubes taking extra air into the firebox. I wonder how that is different to just leaving the firebox door open a crack.

[@GandyDancerProductions]

Good question, I think these tubes pre-date the ideas by Porta for a Gas Producer firebox. They distributed air to the front of the firebox where as the door lets it in only at the back, so there's a better burn and less smoke. I'm not sure how successful they were but I know Fred got a full Gas Producer system with direct larger air hole in the side of its firebox.

[@NJPurling]

If the firebox door is open it is cold air hitting the tubeplate, whereas with the Walkden tubes the air gets preheated to some degree.

[@davldcooksey4137]

Bickershaw I've worked there, in fact I was part of the team that converted the loco shed in to a work shop for the fitters who worked on the washery, and we put a over head Crain in, witch came from another local pit, and if my memory serves me right there were still one maybe two steam locomotives there, witch must of been round about the late 70s early 80s, but they did go some where a week after we started on the shed conversion, your bringing back some lost memories 😳,👍👍.

[@GandyDancerProductions]

Hi David, I spent many visits at the engine shed during steam days at Bickershaw in the 1970's. Interesting to hear a bit more of its history after steam finished. Looking at Google Maps today it's hard to believe anything industrial was ever there like a large colliery complex.

[@davldcooksey4137]

Gandy Dancer Productions Yes that's true, only Astley Green has the last headgear in Lancashire , and what I have seen on KZbin it's doing quite well, every year there's a little bit more going on, Thanks again for the reply, 👍.

[@Steven_Rowe]

Russell thanks for another great video. i loved tour Astley green vids you took. Industrial railways are exciting and i loved the J94s. Hornsey depot 34b had them along with J50s. Its nice to know they are loved and preserved. Im currently building an O gauge N2

[@m18tankdestroyer43]

Wonderful video and wonderful locomotive!

[@boxcarwillies1603]

I would love to see an austerity here in the states

[@TERRYBIGGENDEN]

I'm having another look at alll your clips. Your photography is wonderful-so atmospheric. The Austerities are remarkable little engines. Just one thing though-the ones with the strange inverted flower pot chimney are absolutely marred by them, I wonder why they were so fitted? Was there r technical reason? ,

[@GandyDancerProductions]

Hi Terry, the ones with the flower pot chimney had Lempor exhausts fitter. They were designed by Livio Dante Porta an Argentinian genius steam designer to make the locos more efficient and reduce the smoke. The chimney cowling was made out of fiberglass though I don't know why they made it so ugly.

[@TERRYBIGGENDEN]

@@GandyDancerProductions Thank you for that reply. I think I may have heard something like that a long time ago. I:m certainly familiar with Porta's name and some of his work, but wasn't sure about the Austerities. I hope your live steam engines are doing well. :-)

[@jodywales6760]

Thank you. This is so cool.

[@Beaula2]

Thank you for your excellent content, glad youre able to continue to document and enjoy steam. Weird question. Right down the street from me is a RV Park called "Gandy Dancer" and they use cabooses for an office and shower buildings, and boxcars for laundry facilities... What dose "Gandy Dancer" Mean?

[@GandyDancerProductions]

Gandy Dancers was the name for the track men or section men who maintained the the rails. So called because of the tools they used, made by a company in Chicago call Gandy and their singing to create a rhythm in the gang when moving the heavy rails into aligning.

[@Beaula2]

@@GandyDancerProductions Thanks for getting back to me!

[@chrisrobinson560]

There was a similar small loco that had a name on it similar to the one in the video was in Booths scrap yard at chequerbent was next to the fence adjacent to the footpath . Can't for life of me remember the name. I expect it was from Gibfield yard at Atherton .

[@GandyDancerProductions]

Hi Chris, I've seen pictures of it but never saw it working nor where it was from.

[@chrisrobinson560]

@@GandyDancerProductions I had a pic of it taken in late 90s but it's got lost , saw another today on display outside NRM museum just outside Wakefield

[@railway187]

Super interesting 👍

[@philipm1009]

Great video

[@tonyromano6220]

1964? Amazing!

[@tomward3656]

Was hurricane in ncb green or maroon. I have 2 models, ROBERT from bold colliery & hurricane from bickershaw colliery.

[@GandyDancerProductions]

Hi Tom, Hurricane was green at Bickershaw with orangy yellow pin stripe.

[@tomward3656]

Thank you.

[@officialmcdeath]

Were fireless locomotives ever considered seriously as a means of prolonging steam usage? \m/

[@GandyDancerProductions]

Hi, I don't think that happened in the UK but in Germany and other European countries they lasted until quite recently where there was a main steam boiler in the works for them to fill up from.

[@jackswan3420]

They work in industrial settings well thus are still used in them today in some places. But on the main line they have serious limitations. For example a tramway in Louisiana used fireless locomotives, but replaced them with electric ones as the loads got bigger and the lined got longer. Beyond a certain point they become unviable as they need to be refueled constantly and miscalculating how much steam they need can be potentially life-threatening.

[@doedante99]

Mr. Guilbert, I am a content creator and big fan of your videos. The content I produce requires locomotive sounds, and one of my current projects is of the Hunslet Austerity, and I was wondering if I could use the sounds from some of your videos. All I'd need is a chuff, idle and whistle loop. If you're alright with me using some sounds from these videos, please reply to my comment.

[@GandyDancerProductions]

Hi Dank_London, you have my permission to use the sound effects of the Austerities, but please don't use the video.

[@doedante99]

Thank you! Will credit you ;)

[@peterflitcroft9756]

Another great video. Have you got any shots of the headgear at Astley Green. The museum are trying to raise funds to get it repaired as a memorial to all the miners.

[@GandyDancerProductions]

Hi Peter, I filmed at Astley Green Museum in May last year to include in upcoming films in my Astley Green series. I had heard they were trying to raise money to maintain the head gear and will certainly mention its importance. I sneaked into the big winding engine house when it was still a working colliery and the engineman gave me a tour of the engine in stream and doing the job it was designed for.

[@peterflitcroft9756]

Gandy Dancer Productions Have just found out there is going to be a steam event in May at Astley Green in association with the Lancashire Traction engine club.

[@GandyDancerProductions]

Thanks for the info Peter, If I'm around Manchester in May I'll definitely check it out.

[@revoltingrails61]

Hello, I was wondering if I could use some sound clips from this video? Credit will be given of course.

[@GandyDancerProductions]

Hi, you can use some of my sound as long as you don't use the picture.

[@revoltingrails61]

Ok, thank you!

[@magicguystudios7940]

Wow working there must have been der-tee dirty

[@m18tankdestroyer43]

Thank you!🙂

[@GandyDancerProductions]

Hi M18 Tank destroyer, thanks for your comment and glad you enjoy the films.

[@dossiecolvin4664]

75 116 c1 features

[@thomaswykes3647]

My dad drove one of these at Coventry pit

[@GandyDancerProductions]

Hi Thomas, your dad must have had a blast.

[@nabil944]

I love these engines, but the only way I know the difference between a this and a J94 is that the J94 isn’t a industrial engine.

[@henryhild7404]

How fast can they go ?

[@GandyDancerProductions]

Hi Henry, for a little tank engine, pretty fast, at about 40 mile per hour but they normally hustled around the collieries at about 20 mph.

[@henryhild7404]

Gandy Dancer Productions do you know what they do with carriages on a heritage railway

[@GandyDancerProductions]

@@henryhild7404 They refurbish them and put them behind the loco so the passengers can enjoy a run along the railway and spend some money.

[@henryhild7404]

Gandy Dancer Productions no sorry I should of been more clear. Do they still hover around 20 mph on heritage railways with carriages

[@GandyDancerProductions]

@@henryhild7404 Secondary railways, like preserved lines, by law can't go more than 20 mph.

[@NJPurling]

One day, when the railway was not operating I managed to get permission to explore the dead locomotives in a siding at Embsay. That included an example of the Hunslet 50550 class the Austerity was based upon. The design brief was for a locomotive that would survive on the minimum of maintenance. No surprise that the NCB liked them. A locomotive you can thrash all day long & it just comes back for more. I don't think the 'Walkden Method' of firing a locomotive would go down well with the environmental snowflakes today. Do we care? Like Hell we do!

[@inkyscrolls5193]

As someone from the E&BAR, I can inform you that "Embsay" is pronounced "Emsee", not "Embassy". =D

[@GandyDancerProductions]

Thanks for the correction, someone else pointed it out too. Unfortunately I can't correct the video once it's up on KZbin.

[@inkyscrolls5193]

Nay worries - everyone does it who isn't used to it. =) Thank you for this series of videos, I've watched all of them now and it was highly enjoyable!

[@dossiecolvin4664]

This time all help 91 90

[@dossiecolvin4664]

Ths time racing car war 02 & 20

[@dossiecolvin4664]

Racing railway museum

[@dossiecolvin4664]

War 2

[@dossiecolvin4664]

190 70 22 82 120 116 02 04 0n railroad 91 the big city engine

[@dossiecolvin4664]

Come on too cars racing

[@MrPete1x]

More talking heads than glimpses of loco's