Mountsorrel Granite Company’s sidings, 1970s

The photographs on this page were taken at the Mountsorrel Granite Company’s sidings on the east side of the Midland Main Line at Barrow-upon-Soar, where the branch from the granite quarry emerged.

There was a convenient bridle crossing (since closed) which gave a good vantage point for watching the activities here, though with the sidings being to the south photographs were often taken into the sun.  On this day, 2/6/76, after some time photographing trains on the main line, 0-4-0 diesel shunter ‘Bunty’ appeared with a few full wagons of granite chippings that it had brought from the quarry at Mountsorrel.  Shortly, a train with empty wagons arrived from the south and after they had been shunted into the sidings ‘Bunty’ returned to the quarry with a cut of the newly arrived empty wagons.

According to the Northampton & Lamport Railway website, ‘Bunty’ was donated to the NLR by Redland Aggregates Ltd. in 1986.  It was originally built by John Fowler of Leeds in 1950, and was extensively rebuilt by Thomas Hill in 1964, including being fitted with Hydraulic transmission.

88px-CC-BY-SA_icon.svgThe photographs in these railway photograph galleries are available for use under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International license.  Attribution should include a link to www.nigeltout.com.

Fowler/Thomas Hill 0-4-0 diesel locomotive shunting wagons of granite chippings at the Mountsorrel sidings, Leicestershire


1-of-6) Fowler/Thomas Hill 0-4-0 diesel locomotive ‘Bunty’ is just arriving at the Mountsorrel Granite Company's sidings at Barrow-upon-Soar, Leicestershire, with wagons of granite chippings from the quarry, 2/6/76.  These wagons were added to a train of full wagons already present.

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Fowler/Thomas Hill 0-4-0 diesel locomotive shunting wagons of granite chippings at the Mountsorrel sidings, Leicestershire


2-of-6) A close up of Fowler/Thomas Hill 0-4-0 diesel locomotive ‘Bunty’ shunting wagons of granite at the Mountsorrel Granite Company's sidings at Barrow-upon-Soar, Leicestershire, 15/6/87.

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Class 20 locomotives & Fowler/Thomas Hill 0-4-0 diesel locomotive shunting wagons of granite chippings at the Mountsorrel sidings, Leicestershire


3-of-6) Class 20 Bo-Bo diesel locomotives nos. 20185 & 20050 have arrived with a train of empty wagons.  After depositing the empties in an obscured siding on the left, the locomotives are now backing up the full wagons which they will take out.  ‘Bunty’ is waiting for this operation to be completed.

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Class 20 locomotives & Fowler/Thomas Hill 0-4-0 diesel locomotive shunting wagons of granite chippings at the Mountsorrel sidings, Leicestershire


4-of-6) 20185 & 20050 have pushed the full wagons further down the siding, allowing ‘Bunty’ to retrieve a cut of the newly arrived empty wagons.  The empties will then be propelled down the branch line, second track from the right, and on to the quarry at Mountsorrel.

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Fowler/Thomas Hill 0-4-0 diesel locomotive propelling empty wagons from Mountsorrel sidings to the quarry, Leicestershire


5-of-6) 'Bunty' propelling empty wagons from the Mountsorrel Granite Company's sidings at Barrow-upon-Soar to the quarry at Mountsorrel.

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Fowler/Thomas Hill 0-4-0 diesel locomotive propelling empty wagons from Mountsorrel sidings to the quarry, Leicestershire


6-of-6) 'Bunty' squeezes through the undergrowth while propelling empty wagons from the Mountsorrel Granite Company's sidings at Barrow-upon-Soar to the quarry at Mountsorrel.

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Mountsorrel Sidings 1970s