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News Update 12th February 2022

DATE POSTED: 12 Feb 2022

In case you are thinking that we’ve all grabbed our picks and shovels then gone off down the line to move muck! ….we haven’t! Some of us are still grinding and hammering away at wagons and locos.

The Brake Van is having new thick steel floor panels drilled out and fitted.

All the handrails and metal fittings have been de-rusted, treated and are being painted. Work on the hardwood frame will start shortly.

 

Our 1936 Scammell station delivery lorry has been out for a drive around the car park. We’ve had to replace an intermittent (fairly new) coil, faulty (sticking) dynamo regulator and a dodgy carb. It’s starting, charging and running smoothly now.

Gearbox (crash box) is stiff and the doors (which were rebuilt) need to be fitted. ….but we’re getting there!

Hopefully, it will be at the summer steam fairs and vintage car rallies.

The Dogfish (ballast spreader) has been repaired and painted. Both the Dogfish and the Lo-Mac low loader will shortly be needed for track building work and have been fully inspected. The Lo-Mac has a few bearing problems and both wagons need to have their vacuum brakes checked.

These wagons will also be needed for driver training (shunting heavy wagons).

The General Utility Van (the big green coach in the siding) is having part of the internal wooden cladding removed, this is to allow access to the rusty holes in the sides. These will be welded up and filled. For those of us who worked on the Mk1 coach, it’s deja vu.

One of the side doors has been freed up (it was welded shut). It can now be unlocked and used as a fire escape.

Work continues elsewhere on the station: fitting and wiring old street lamps, loco driver training, first aid training, gardens being pruned and tidied,rule books and safety manuals being issued, electrical (safety) PAT testing completed plus a whole load of behind the scenes activities.

Ashdown, our Hudswell loco is being made ready for shunting and passenger work. The wagons all have their hand brakes fitted with padlocks, to avoid unauthorised movement

It may be cold and wet, but work at the station goes on.