Extra meeting to pack away 4th November 2020
With another lockdown starting tomorrow a few friends gathered on a beautiful crisp and cold Wednesday to help get the railway into its winter state so that signals and signs were not left out. Thanks go to Robin, Peter, Cliff, Jamie, Dave D and Dave MB for their efforts, supplying an account of the day, pictures and June for the teas and cakes.
Peter took down all platform signs and has taken them home as part of his winter refurbishment program. Peter has also taken SY 1BR as the timber it is mounted on has disintegrated.
Pictures also show Leaf clearing carried out by Cliff & Dave MB and others, who beavered on into the dark trying to move the huge piles that had accumulated. More leaves expected to fall.
June, Dave MB and Jamie washed all the signals, those needing identification were lettered & numbered using the Dave MB Dymo Labeller and then all put away with all signals in their respective signal boxes. Righthand picture above shows the small group socially distancing. Peter took the picture using the timer function so was able to get into the frame. All worked hard to get the railway ready for winter.
With these strange times, take care and stay safe.
.Richard Stokes funeral was on 21st October 2020
The picture shows Richard as controller for the day outside Bay Tree box in 2015, He is wearing his signature Network Rail orange coat - rarely was he seen without the coat!
Although Richard attended the railway in the Ballantine-Dykes era, it was after Alan and June took over in 2000 that he came into his own and developed the current more sophisticated signalling we have at present.
In particular, he provided industry standard BR relays and implemented industry standard controls in the signalling. He arranged the donation of the authentic lever frame in Spinney box from the Cockcrow Railway and provided the single line token instruments controlling traffic between Spinney and Old Oak. The setup in Spinney and Old Oak boxes is entirely Richard's creation.
As in the 'real' railway exposure to the elements and the odd dislodged cable create faults. The faults become evident to us ordinary mortals as "it doesn't work" and we have no idea as what to do about it. This was when we particularly appreciated Richard's skill in identifying and rectifying such faults and these skills will be greatly missed.
Richard's loco at the railway was an elegant scale model of a Great Western 4-4-0, 'Brunel'. He bought it and brought it to the railway in 2006.
However operating and maintaining a steam locomotive was not his main joy and he rarely drove the engine. You will find it hard, though not impossible, to find photographs on this website, of Richard driving any locomotive.
Yet Richard was generous in allowing others to drive Brunel and scanning through the site you will find several photographs of other team members driving Richard's loco.
Richard was also active in the Great Cockcrow Railway and indeed created the initial signalling system there.
Of course Richard had a distinguished career in the 'real' railway and below is a copy of an obituary published by a colleague :
Richard was one of the first senior BR managers recruited in 1988 to help start up what was then called European Passenger Services, a section of British Rail. He worked with Malcolm Southgate (deputy Managing Director) to help plan and develop the new Eurostar trains and service patterns through the Channel Tunnel to Paris and Brussels. He used his extensive contacts in SNCF, TML and SNCB to build strong relationships with counterparts across the channel, and helped to bring together the teams needed to design the new fleet of trains and create joint technical standards for this exciting new project. He spent much of his time in those early days travelling, working and staying in France and Belgium.
Richard’s background was as an S&T engineer. He worked on the terrible Hixon level crossing crash enquiry in 1968, and was Asst S & T Engineer at Liverpool Street and the New Works Manager on the SW Division, where he was instrumental in resignalling Brockenhurst box whilst still keeping a near normal service running. Richard subsequently went to the LM Region to work in Management Services before joining Eurostar. As the Eurostar service became established Richard went on to become the Production Manager on the Channel Tunnel Rail Link. After his retirement from CTRL in 2006 Richard worked on a number of projects including at the Ffestiniog and Welsh Highland railways, and working with the European Cab Design Group to establish a standard cab design for all new trains throughout Europe.
17th October 2020
New rules to reduce the spread of the Covid virus now limit the number of people at the railway so it was a select gathering today; Alan A, June, David G, Mick, ant Peter with Dave MB as a late arrival. David G drained down Eileen Grant and Karen while Mick blew down Kate after giving us all a drive between Dingly and Bay Tree.
Other work achieved was to replace the rotting wood supporting the ash pit line and all water was drained from the loco watering system.
Weather overcast, mild and calm so quite pleasant.
5th September 2020
Thirteen friends in attendance and were:- Alan and June plus Tim, Heather, Alan S, David G, Adrian, Dave MB, Cliff, Robin, Peter, Jamie, Henry, Paul and Dave H. A warm day beginning with the usual site clearance with leaf blower, more soil transferred to the back of the new carriage shed (more required). Peter continued with installing the buffer stop at the Dingly loco ash road and the signalling was checked by Adrian. We had lunch then Cliff arrived (Normally the other way round) and by four o-clock we managed to get all up and running. Thanks to Jamie for some pictures and to June for the teas and cakes.
Dave MB steamed his 1420 locomotive but it developed a steam leak and could not run. My L94 locomotive suffered a fault as I had an oil leak in the cab and when I tightened the nut the pipe fractured so that did not run either.
Paul and Dave H steamed the 1470 as can be seen in the picture but they still think the timing can be improved. Pictures also show Alan S with his locomotive Karen and Scott Line being driven by Henry.
Clan Line also ran a full circuit today and Cliff said he was getting used to the new boiler as it primes a bit more than the old one did before. This will settle down as the locomotive gets used.
In the signal boxes today were:-Old Oak - Jamie Dingly - Peter Baytree - Robin and Spinney - Adrian. Adrian and Alan A worked in Spinney in the morning to resolve the communication fault with Baytree. The fault was traced to a power supply issue and now the bells work in Baytree. Dingly still has an issue with number 12 signal which cannot be cleared.
At the end of the day we discussed that at the next meeting we could run a bit later into the evening and darkness showing off the signal lamps. David G inspected the Baytree signals and said 50%. I asked if 50% were working or 50% were not working David started a reply........
22nd August 2020
Eleven friends in attendance and were:- Alan and June plus Tim Heather Alan S Mick David G Dave MB Cliff Robin Peter Paul and Dave H. Bob emailed to state he was feeling a bit under the weather whilst Richard is in hospital Cliff kindly bought a card for us to scribble in some with oily fingers suggested a finger print instead of name. Apart from a small shower at lunchtime the weather was warm and humid at times and made a pleasant day with Robin as default controller which seems to have been passed onto me for next time. Maybe someone who has not done it before can try a go after that whilst it is relatively quiet. Day began with usual tidy up however the turntable at Dingly was somehow missed and was full of leaves. Heather cleaned all the signal boxes and windows shined. Other projects included Peter who can be seen in the right hand picture adding more buffer stops this time strengthened with screws rather than relying on glue. Back filling behind the new carriage shed continued and more earth required next time as the new soil will have sunk. Due to track expansion the lighter of the two bridges was difficult to insert and this will receive attention from Robin's angle grinder next time. Thanks to Dave MB for the picture and June for the teas and cakes.
Left hand picture shows the 1470 locomotive on the rolling road where Paul and Dave H tested the loco and now say it will run next time. Right hand picture shows David G running his locomotive up and down the siding In-between trains as he was the Baytree signaller at the time. David G was approximately 8 feet from the buffer stops when he explained to Alan S what he was doing and proceeded to demonstrated this. However he had inadvertently left the reverser in reverse opened the regulator and shot backwards into the new buffer stop. We can only assume he was testing Peter's handy work and they passed the test. Dave MB also steamed his 1420 locomotive but had a problem with the lubricator so has gone home with more work to do on it. Steam locomotives are constant maintenance with my locomotive I have stripped back to the frames to rebuild.
Locomotives on track today were Scott Line Kate and Eileen Grant. Clan Line 1420 and 1470 were steamed or partially steamed but did not leave the locomotive yard. Mick ran with the Spinney freight wagons and enjoyed shunting the brake van and wagons at Dingly and Old Oak which also gave the signaller something to do. In the signal boxes were:- Spinney - Robin Baytree - David G. / Alan A Dingly - Peter / Cliff Old Oak - Heather / Tim. A few teething problems with track circuits at Dingly but somehow that disappeared and led to a good days running. A few signals and a banner repeater stuck in the off position and these will be looked at next time. Thanks to Robin for his telephone guidance and patience on how to use the token instrument.
Joy Brice's funeral was on 13th August 2020
David Grant writes :
I attended Joy's funeral today; one of only 17 people allowed to attend because of the Covid infection.
Joy was a part of the Railway from the start - a co-hostess with Joseph and Mary. She was very much involved and could often be found cleaning the carriages or polishing in the signal boxes and
of course
delivering the Spinney Tea and Cakes. She once confided in me that when Joseph had a private single handed run
it was her job to 'pull number 4 in Bay Tree' in order that Joseph could return to base.
Hugh BD gave a touching and revealing tribute. Joy was employed by the BD family
at the Spinney
almost immediately after she qualified as a nanny. There she looked after Thomas
Jodie and Hugh
staying on when they went to boarding school in order to welcome them home for the holidays. Staying on again to welcome their children in their turn for Joy was by now very much part of the BD family. Latterly Joy stayed to care for both Joseph and Mary in their later years by now a loyal friend. After Mary died Joy continued to be part of the BD family spending each Christmas with Hugh and his family. She will indeed be very much missed.
It was my privilege to represent the Spinney Light Railway Team. Had circumstances been different I know many more of the team would have been present.
I will bring a copy of the Order of Service to our next meeting.
Below are links to the texts of the two tributes to Joy which were read out:
by Stephen Brice
her nephew
by Hugh Ballantine-Dykes
1st August 2020
Not as hot as yesterday but still hot and muggy. The heat may be the cause of some of the issues mentioned in this news. 12 friends to assist Alan A and June were:- Tim, Heather, David D, Mick, Jamie, Henry, Cliff, Robin, Adrian, Peter, Dave H and Paul. Site clearance as usual and Henry can be seen clearing between the two tunnels. Adrian tested the signalling Mick checked points whilst Robin repaired the buckled track (see below). The remaining concrete panels arrived during the week and these can be seen being moved to Old Oak. They were too heavy to carry and are of a different design. These have been inserted and now require the ground level to be raised and back filled. Thanks to Jamie for additional photos Adrian for signalling information and June for the teas and cakes.
Alan A has purchased a gravel cleaner which he has used on one of their paths with a successful result. As it did a good job on the path it can be seen in action cleaning the ballast. The edging has now been replaced with the metal edging seen in the picture.
Mick adjusted and checked several points for faults and general maintenance. Picture on the left shows Dave H and Robin watching from a distance. Robin stated we couldn't get any nearer and help due to rules so we could only watch. Right hand picture shows Robin making a well calculated precision adjustment to the previously buckled track (gave it a kick). A small section of rail had to be cut out to allow the track to be straightened.
Clan line has recently been refurbished and Cliff steamed her for the first time. Unfortunately Cliff set a new personal best and a possible record for the Spinney as he derailed four times in one circuit record or not..... The front pony will need looking at as it may be restricting movement. 1470 also steamed but had difficulty in running and holding pressure and spent most of the time running up and down the loco shed road. Paul plans to test it further using a rolling road. As can be seen in the picture Scott Line and Mick's class 20 also ran.
We also had operating incidents which include the bridge on the approach to Baytree became a problem and caused the passenger coaches seen in the picture to derail. Further investigation next time. We had to stop for a while whilst we removed a frightened bird from the second tunnel. With a little prompting we managed to turn it around and it walked back to the tunnel mouth before flying off. Henry had a full day and covered many firsts - first person to complete a circuit derail and assist a failed train between the two tunnels (Clan Line needed man power to re rail).
Signal boxes controlled by:- Spinney - Adrian Baytree - Robin Old Oak - David D and Dingly - Peter. Adrian reports - Dingly signals 12 and 15 wouldn't clear but 17 could (they're the three 'Line Clear' dependent ones). Baytree point 14 needed freeing up because the blades had become wedged under the track screws! Spinney plunger to Baytree bell didn't work (OK the other way round). Old Oak starter signals 11/12 wouldn't clear (unless David Daines had better luck with them during the afternoon). Finally the SPT between the tunnels works very well (nice to know considering that we rarely need to use it - which we did today when Clan Line took a different route to the one intended)! David D reported loss of detection on 7B points which turned out to be the. Blade had not fully travelled and therefore doing its job. Possibly linked to the hot weather.
I am ending this news with a classic quote made by Robin at the end of the day 'Since David D said he would not be coming we have seen more of him....' Just as well we do see David.
18th July 2020 - Small gathering after lock down
A small gathering today with the intention of clearing the railway and making it ready for use. Southern Fed guidelines were checked and hand sanitising and washing hands recommended more often. First on the agenda was to catch up with other people's news as we had not seen each other for months - Good to catch up. Jamie arrived at 5 past Cliff-0-clock and was put out that Cliff had beaten him. The rest of the time was spent clearing the railway from months of debris vegetation which had grown erecting the last post on the retaining wall behind the carriage shed and checking the signalling.
Pictures above show Alan A, Andrew and Hayden erecting edging with supervision from their dog. Andrew spent a lot of time cutting the wood with a chainsaw reusing the wood from the felled trees and slowly the pick axe disappeared under a pile of saw dust. Andrew also removed a tree from where Alan S and myself are erecting the Berlin Wall. Alan A has removed the cobbled stone edging along the branch and replaced it with the metal strips which can be seen in the picture on the right. Paul moved and stacked the stones up at the drive.
Peter has erected a weathervane on top of the new carriage shed as can be seen on the left. It is with great regret that I became the first person to damage the new carriage shed doors. I pushed a wagon back into the shed and it hit the corner of the wooden door removing a strip of wood. This is now undergoing repairs. When using these doors in the future please check the doors will not foul or swing back in the wind. Catches will be fitted later.
New wooden edging was delivered during the week and this all had to be moved to its intended location which is the edging for the branch line that is in a cutting. This was moved quickly like a stream of ants moving stuff. Left hand picture shows Dave H practicing throwing the javelin whilst the right hand picture shows Dave MB wondering whether he has actually brought a piece down.
A very hot and muggy day and with some trees now removed this has exposed some track to sunlight where normally it would have been in the shade from the trees. Picture shows the loco / shed road looking towards Dingly and two lines have expanded in the heat this will need attentions before running trains. One of the loco roads by the traverser has also expanded. Richard checked track circuits and reported that all were working. However, it was noted that the wagons housed in the tunnel were not activating the track circuits probably due to lack of movement and rusty wheels. Mick and David G checked all the point machines and found that several points had stopped working. One or two points would have worked if detritus had been cleared before moving levers! Some points were found with hot stalled motors. Please switch off the box if points stall with no S & T available. All points are now working. We missed Bob - There are Track Circuit issues still to fix at Dingly. Spinney platform signal number 13 had a broken rod between the signal arm and the solenoid which last year had a very temporary connector which needed replacing. Alan S cut and threaded the old rod at home and Alan A made an extension piece with tapped ends to bridge the gap All went together well and signal works well.
15th June 2020 - Still in lock down
During our time away in lockdown Alan A has been working on the railway and the pictures show the hard work. The branch line to Old Oak has received attention with new edging to separate the grass from the ballast and with the major project the carriage shed it can be seen that the shed has now received doors treated and now looks the part.
The left hand picture shows Cliff admiring his Clan Line which returned to Spinney recently after a major overhaul - just don't know when it will be steamed. Dave MB was on hand to assist Cliff with unloading and getting the loco up to the loco shed. The right hand picture shows the state of my L94 with the cylinders removed and pretty much everything else. With the help from Alan S the cylinder ports have been surface ground to eliminate the corrosion accumulated over the last 25 years. Cylinders are now waiting to be reattached to the loco when I finish other jobs.
Thanks to Dave MB for the pictures.