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SORRY, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry! 18/04/10
Here's an attempt to put all the news together that's been piling up over the past few months (I can't believe it's been
that long!). The accompanying photos will follow shortly. So, in no particular order:
Slough goes on holiday
Slough travelled a lot further than she has for a very long time, and is off on holiday to Scunthorpe. "It's always sunny in
Scunny". Allegedly! The loco is going on loan for restoration and running, and may well come back at some point during that
time. The deal represents the best outcome for the loco whose restoration was not going to be coming along any time soon with
us. We look forward to seeing the results over the coming years. At the end of the loan, Slough will return to Embsay. The
pictures show Slough's first trip under Holywell Bridge, through Stoneacre and being loaded at Priors' Lane. But how long
will it be until she reaches Bolton Abbey?? (We were, admittedly, tempted to take her there en-route, but resisted!)
Shark Attack!!
Not connected to Slough holidaying in Scunthorpe, but rather the LMS Shark brakevan which is undergoing a thorough rebuild.
This vehicle is owned by the NRM and is on loan to us. The opportunity has been taken to fully overhaul the vehicle, carrying
out frame repairs / replacement where necessary and complete re-planking. One side and an end were tackled after Christmas,
and the other side, which required all-new framework, has been tackled in the last couple of weeks. The final end (including
sections of uprights) should be tackled soon.
New Arrival (LMS BTK No.5757 of 1935)
A small group of members have purchased LMS BTK (Brake Third Corridor) No.5757 from members at Llangollen for restoration to
run as part of a dedicated LMS set of carriages at Embsay. The coach includes four third-class compartments, a central toilet
(which will be adapted for disabled access) and a large brake area (which may include a bar as well as wheelchair seating).
Plans are still coming together for the exact details - we have basically got a blank canvas! The vehicle saw service last in
converted departmental form, complete with a shower! There are sections of wooden framework to replace, windows to put back
in, doors to unblock etc., but it seems a relatively straight-forward job.
It's a bit big!!
The S&T department's new bracket signal for Embsay was planted recently. Seeing it hanging from the crane proved how tall
it really is, which should aid the sighting. A big thankyou goes out to all those who assisted in planting it - particularly,
Tony, Dave and Chris. The castings are in the process of being attached, but it cannot be commissioned until the track
circuit has been altered to suit, as the new location is closer towards the point ends. And the track circuit needs to be
extended into the slip as well... Our new recruit, Richard, has been working on wiriing up and fitting out the track circuit
feed cabinet in anticipation.
On a much less pleasant note, we have had the base castings from the Stanlow and Thornton frame stolen, along with an air dolly.
This will hit several future projects hard. The Police are investigating.
Other Departmental news
The Carriage and Wagon department have been working on several coaches, including YDR No.6, the BSOT, which has had a wheelset
swap and further attention to the bogies. The opportunity was also taken to repaint the wheelchair saloon and repair the
ceilings. Newly overhauled vacuum cylinders are being fitted to carriages in a rolling programme of maintenance. On the wagon
front, the Irelands' boxvan restoration continues with new spring hangers made and fitted, together with replacement springs.
The new doors should be arriving shortly, and the end really is in sight for this project.
Diesel and Plant have been busy with the Class 14, No.38 to replace the starter motor that
'disintegrated' as well as fit a new exhaust system. Work is now about complete, and the loco can hopefully enter traffic
properly.
Folwer H.W.Robinson is now stripped down and the chassis will be shotblasted before things get bolted
back on. Ruston 887 is still undergoing a repaint (the temperatures have been too low to do much of
late). Hudswell Clarke No.36 is doing well, but will be coming back in for some remedial work that has
come to light during the running in. This is not expected to take too long.
P-Way spent time preparing for a relaying job at Holywell that sadly had to be postponed. They have laid out several lengths
of sleepers at Bolton Abbey ready for the siding to be extended that will form platform 3.
An appeal for stamps and postcards to help raise funds for building the other platform at Bolton Abbey station has been
launched, so please start saving them NOW! Further details of the project will appear on a separate page shortly.
Loco updates
Cumbria, an Austerity owned by the Furness Railway Trust, is currently based on the Railway - visiting for a one year period.
A number of niggles have been attended to by both their group and our members, with the loco performing over Easter. Efforts
to improve loco cleanliness and presentation have been brought into place, and with Dafield's repaint looming, we should have
a very attractive fleet of engines once more. Headed by...
Beatrice continues to make progress, albeit slowly. The tank has had repairs carried out to replace a
section behind where the nameplate sits, which had suffered extensive corrosion. A new piece of steel was rolled to the correct
radius and welded in. However, a new tank will be needed before long. The rest of the loco is looking very complete now, and
once the tank is finished...
Illingworth has had work on the motion completed, but is being delayed by the boiler which still
requires some further work. This will then be craned back into the frames, allowing the new cab (which is of rivetted
construction) to be assembled. This loco is not far off now, either.
Warspite's 'new' boiler (formerly on Harry) is being worked on one day a week with the aim of getting this
loco running soon too.
22 has seen further progress, with the boiler being prepared for going away for some of the work to be
carried out by a contractor as a couple of previous repairs are needing further attention. The chassis is in a rolling state
with the slidebars set up and cab sections also fitted.
There is very little to report on Primrose or Annie as those involved have been
helping on other projects. Hopefully both locos will see further work soon.
The spare Austerity boiler has been sold back to its previous owner who has already taken it off site for overhaul.
Volunteering
A successful Open Day for new volunteers was held in March, with several new recruits being welcomed to the Railway. Their
assistance is greatly appreciated. However, if anyone else is interested in becoming involved, you can get in touch at any
time!
Tidying
Ryan and Mark in particular have continued to work away on fencing off the car park from the engineering workshops, replacing
temporary barriers with a wooden fence. A lot of other efforts have come together to improve the general appearance of the
stations. Ryan, Robert and Danny have continued to improve the members mess facilities, with the 'lounge' also providing meeting
and classroom facilities for MICs and such like.
Balmoral news
Work has progressed well on Balmoral. The end that had been chipboard has been replaced with one from Dunrobin. Once the screws
were UNDONE (they actually came out very easily), the end from the other coach simply slotted into position! Repairs have
been carried out to the rot present in this and the sections that had been removed to make a window. All the areas of floor
that had been cut away have also been replaced, and the missing section of side is being remedied, again with the components
from the second coach. It looks slightly less of a daunting project now!
If it moves, salute it; if it stands still, paint it!
Our Bolton Abbey station painters, Pete and Millie have been putting in a lot of time to sprucing up the interior of the
station. So far the toilets, booking hall and refreshment rooms have seen their magic touch. Next on the hit list is the
ticket office and hopefully the exterior over Summer. If we actually have a Summer without rain! Their efforts have been
greatly appreciated!
Older news articles can now be found on the Archived News pages.
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