Three
of the KLR's fleet on shed, and in steam, at Clayton West Depot. On the
left is Avonside geared type V engine 0-4+4-0t Owl, then Kitson-Meyer
0-4+4-0t Hawk and finally 2-6-2t Fox. April 11 2004
Kirklees Light Railway
Many thanks to Brian Taylor and Ian Screeton for allowing me access at the KLR and answering my questions and to Ian Screeton for checking these pages for accuracy. That said any errors are my own.
UPDATED AUGUST 15
The Kirklees Light Railway in the county of West Yorkshire in the UK. The line is 15" gauge running along the trackbed of a former standard gauge branchline. A while after the standard gauge was closed and lifted the line's creator Brian Taylor moved in and started to built the KLR, gradually extending it to a station at Shelley less than 100 metres short of the former junction with the mainline.
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Three
of the KLR's fleet on shed, and in steam, at Clayton West Depot. On the
left is Avonside geared type V engine 0-4+4-0t Owl, then Kitson-Meyer
0-4+4-0t Hawk and finally 2-6-2t Fox. April 11 2004 |
Suffering with clinkering problems on this steeply graded line it was decided, in the late 1990's, to start experimenting with a simplified version of the Gas Producer Combustion System (GPCS). GPCS was first successfully used on steam railway locomotives in Argentina under the direction of L.D.Porta on the Rio Turbio to Rio Gallegos 750mm coal line.
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Fox
& Owl double headed at Shelley ready to return to Clayton West. April
11 2004 |
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On the KLR the application of GPCS, under the control of one of the line's two paid employees Ian Screeton, has seen the amount of clinker produced reduced to the point where it is rarely a problem and the production of smoke from loco chimneys is a thing of the past unless a very heavy application of coal is made. |
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To go with the GPCS three of the locomotives have been fitted with Lempor ejectors, and where possible, enhancements to the steam circuits have been made.
The line has applied the internal boiler water treatment system developed by Porta, known as 'Porta Treatment' to their locomotives. This application has already started to show many benefits. The KLR has become the first line in the UK to use 'Porta Treatment'. Hopefully it will be the first of many as word spreads. Click here for details. NEW AUGUST 15
Whilst the locomotives, when built by Brian Taylor, all incorporated some roller bearings their use has gradually been increased as bearings have come up for renewal.
The line has four steam locomotives. Click below for more details of each:
 UPDATED AUGUST 15 |
 UPDATED AUGUST 15 |
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Fox and Owl at the head of the 11am train from Clayton West. April 12 2004
The volunteer run website on the KLR contains much information of the modifications undertaken and the line in general. It can be found here: http://www.friendsofklr.co.uk The official KLR website also contains information on the line and the work carried out. It is at http://www.kirkleeslightrailway.co.uk.
Pages with specific relevance to the modifications are:
News & Ian Screeton's description of the work to date.
More photographs of the KLR can be found here.
There is also an add-on for Microsoft's Train Simulator game dedicated to the KLR. See here.