Print

 

One of the favourite locos for visitors to the Bluebell Railway in Sussex is Captain Baxter, an 0-4-0 tank locomotive of diminutive size. The locomotive was originally used by Dorking Greystone Lime Works. Numbered 3 and called Captain Baxter, the little tank loco was built in 1877 by Fletcher Jennings & Co. at their Lowca Works in Whitehaven.

The loco was joined the Bluebell Railway in 1960, was restored for 1982, and has been fully overhauled in 2005, and it is now capable of hauling small passenger trains. A wonderful little chunk of the past.

I find it hard to believe, but I took this photo back in the spring of 1989 when I had two weeks off between jobs! The film used was Fujichrome Velvia, a wonderful transparency film, which shows incredible detail, even if you view the image below full size, it is still reduced 40% from the original. Taken with my wonderful Pentax SP1000 using an unbeatable Helios 58mm lens from a Zenit TTL.

0-4-0 tank loco Captain Baxter at the Bluebell Railway in 1989

Captain Baxter at the Bluebell Railway in 1989

Category: Boats, Planes and Trains