Corby Ironstone Quarry Heritage in Miniature
In preparation for new displays at the Museum during 2020 RbR volunteer modellers have been busy at home with models to mark the 40th anniversary of the closure of Corby steelworks and its associated ironstone quarries. To supplement a display of written information and photographs a revised OO scale diorama model will help museum visitors get a good impression of the scale of ironstone quarry operations at Corby. The new displays open at Easter Sunday and Monday.
A model of a Ruston Bucyrus 110 RB high lift face shovel has been made from a modified Langley kit but also using information from a 110 -RB High Lift cab preserved at the Museum.
A Heljan class 14 has been also been modified to represent S & L Minerals loco 67. This loco (originally BR D9541) was purchased by BSC and sent to Harlaxton Quarry and numbered No.27. At Harlaxton the central roof profile was lowered so that the loco would pass under a low overbridge on the quarry railway. Having worked the last train when Harlaxton closed in 1974 the loco was transferred to Corby where it joined other Class 14 locos working on the minerals lines. Loco 67 was scrapped at Corby in 1982.
To complete the quarry scene a rake of S&L 30 internal ironstone wagons has also been made.
Corby quarries were noteworthy for having some of the largest quarry draglines in the UK. Whilst most were built new for Stewarts and Lloyds one W1400 walking dragline named Sundew was acquired second hand by BSC from the closed Exton Park ironstone quarries in Rutland. This machine achieved fame when it walking 13 miles from Rutland to its new quarry home near Harringworth to become part of Corby quarries operations. New signs have been added to the museum’s model to reflect its changed BSC ownership.
To see these models together in a scale diorama why not visit the museum during 2020 -just go to our ‘What’s on and Events’ page for full details.