16th November
Pack away
It has been almost impossible to get a group photo so the lunchtime stop will have to do. Left to right - Robin and Alan S (both standing) centre line - Heather Peter Dave M Mick Phil righthand side - David D and David G (alleged orange coat). Jamie and Henry had to leave early and I was behind the camera totalling 12 friends today. We must try and get one next year with everyone. Thanks to June for the teas and cakes.
Pack up
That time of year where we wash and store the signals to avoid the winter weather. It also gives us a chance to examine and identify any repairs required. A few signals need some TLC with new aspects and paint whilst some now have rotten stems. I have taken three signals home to make new bases and these are all due for repositioning. It goes without saying the railway was covered in leaves and had to be swept up. Not in camera was Heather who concentrated on Old Oak area. Lefthand picture shows Phil changing a light bulb so the question is - How many people does it take to change a light bulb? This signal fault turned out to be a loose wire but all signals have been checked and new bulbs are required for next year.
Winter projects
Alan S and Dave M started on the level crossing project which involved lifting the rails on the other part of the crossing and will be dug out to have the same treatment as the other line which was last years winter project. Peter continued making and installing stands to hold the electrical sockets for the points and signals.
With signals away or identified for repair attention can be turned to the following:-
- Level crossing
- Spot sleeper replacement
- Trench across the road at the bridge
- New wiring trunking from Baytree
- New design for a water tower at Dingly
- Signal repairs
2nd November Fish and chips plus fireworks
So much to report which means this is a bumper issue. Rain made it a damp start to the day but again it cleared up for a lovely day for our last run of the year ending with the traditional fish and chips and fireworks. Fourteen friends at the railway and were:- Alan June Andrew Hayden and family plus Tim Heather Robin Andy Nick Mick Phil David D David G Dave M Dave MB Peter Jamie and Henry. 10 visitors attended and were from VAMES (Buckinghamshire) and Cockcrow railways with more attending for the Fish and chips and fireworks at the end. Pictures show the amount of leaf clearing required to see the rails and Peter replaced some bolts in the sockets for Old Oak signal number 10 and associated point number 7. Tim became Controller as that is what everyone thought anyway.Thanks to June for the teas and cakes and Phil for photo.
Loco news
Plenty of locomotives on the track today putting the railway under stress and the nine locomotives were:- Scott Line Kate Class 20 Bobside B4 30089 N class 31873 Brunel LMS 7163 and LSWR 101. Andy Richard and Nick brought along many wagons to make interesting train loads. Alan A had to stop at Baytree for a blow up and we did some degraded workings involving wrong direction movements from Dingly to Baytree then crossover to the correct line to continue which worked very well. Baytree signal number 13 does not normally see any use but today it was used many times including movement of freight stock. Jamie had trouble steaming up as he had a broken pipe which he was able to make a temporary repair. As usual once he got out onto the running line we stopped for tea (where have we had a comment like that before!!) Alan A had a SPAD at Dingly and blamed concentrating on Brunel for the reason - no other trains involved.
S & T news
In the signal boxes were:- Old Oak - David D Dingly - Peter Baytree - Phil and Spinney - Robin followed by Andy and Sarah. When testing the signalling in the morning it was noted that Old Oak point number 7 in the yard did not function. Fault quickly identified as Peter had unplugged it for his maintenance work and was still working on it at the time. Patricia visited the railway during the year and snapped up the invitation for another visit and can be seen in Dingly box and riding the railway. David D had to vacate the Old Oak signal box briefly and I took the opportunity to snap a rare event of Dave M operating the token machine under the watchful eye of Robin is this a first - Dave M signalling? Dave M had an incentive to get his locomotive Bobside down to Old Oak ASAP for loading into his van. Andy can be seen in Spinney signal box under the watchful eye from his 'Misses" who knows best. The railway ran at full capacity judging by the look on Robins face and the amount of red track circuit lights illuminated on Spinney track panel - all traffic moved around in a bunch making all the signal boxes very busy.
Visitors
Patricia Mike George Andy and Richard have all been before but we had some newcomers from Cockcrow Railway with their LSWR 0-4-0 tank locomotive number 101. Despite a gallant effort to get up the branch it naturally needed human intervention to get to the top. Andy can be seen driving his N class but unfortunately I was unable to capture Richard at the controls. Andy also brought along his B4 locomotive which was driven by several people and can also be seen flying his drone (left hand picture) which he used to video the railway in operation. Mike and George both drove Scott Line and this has hopefully given them encouragement to continue building the 7 1/4 railway at their home. All enjoyed themselves.
Dark running
First and last time this year we ran in the dark. Memories discussed about when we used to do this more often but it was good to do. We had blinding headlights on the front of some locomotives whilst Robin and Nick came prepared with modified lamps that fit on steam locomotive lamps. Nick has been programming and using his plastic 3D printer whilst Robin has been adding the LED lamp and battery a great piece of work. Unfortunately no photo of this as it did not come out as clear as I had hoped. Alan A was surprised by how many signal lamps were not illuminated maybe a job to list before we disconnect next time and list for attention during the winter. It was good to see and operate the railway in the dark right hand picture shows the bright head light on the class 20 and tail light. Signals look good too.
Fish and chips and fireworks
After the fish and chips we had the end of season fireworks and this years remit was low noise fireworks with more colour. Fireworks have changed over the years and some were pretty dismal but we managed to have a few impressive ones which hopefully saved the day. Everyone joined in as can be seen and shows the good spirit of the evening and plenty of sparklers for all young and older!!! Thanks to Heather Jamie and Henry for help during the fireworks and for June and Peter for buying them.
Next time
Put signals away and start winter projects and hopefully a group photo as it has been a while since the last one.
12th October
Wet start and left us wondering whether to steam up or stay under cover the loco shed became busy being used to shelter for lunch. Usual tidy up of leaves and signal / point repairs completed between the showers. Luckily the rain stopped at approximately 14.00 and allowed the railway to operate. Eleven friends at the railway and were:- Alan June plus Tim Heather Robin Nick Alan Mick Phil David D Peter Jamie and Henry with one visitor. David D retired early and we wish him well as we do for David G who has made a huge effort to catch COVID (obviously doing the rounds again) Dave MB also not present due to playing with Clan Line (the real one). As mentioned David D left early but did not leave the flap jack and took this home with him inexcusable. We accept his letter of apology. Thanks to June for the teas and cakes Heather for a photograph and Robin who has made a mid week visit to continue preparing the new wiring and will do so again next week.
Loco news
As usual I try to capture everyone but this time I managed to capture locomotives that have not appeared very often this year or friends driving locomotives not normally seen on. Alan A can be seen on Brunel Phil on Scott Line Dave M on L94. Mick's friend Howard had a drive of Kate and can be seen crossing over to the correct running line after starting from the loop. Due to the damp conditions it was difficult to see where you were going with a steam locomotive as shown with Alan S crossing the bridge. At one point he exchanged the token with Peter but neither could see each other through the steam. No carriages today - conditions too wet and damp. Jamie spent a lot of time fitting the lubricator he had repaired at home then steamed up. Once in steam he ventured out to Dingly where we immediately stopped for tea what timing taking over from Dave MB slot!!! Good to see Henry having a drive. Dave M and Nick decided not to run for some reason.
S & T news
In the signal boxes were:- Old Oak - David D then Peter Baytree - Peter then Phil and Spinney - Robin. Dingly - This was unstaffed with trains being signalled to Dingly from Baytree and authorised to pass all Dingly signals. Points were set for the goods line trains turned on the turntable and out via the engine line back to Baytree where they rejoin the signalling. Baytree can then send another train to Dingly if required. This system worked very well. The signal between the two tunnels and SY6 had to be passed at danger as the track circuits in front of them had failed. Another repair job. At the beginning of the day Alan S and Robin managed to get Spinney number 7 point working and Peter put a new bracket at Old Oak number 10 signal which houses the electrical socket. Another job that has materialised is that the signal at the entrance to the Tunnel does not show a red aspect when it should. Deemed not important on the day as obviously drivers should stop and report if unknown to them or just ignore it!!!!
Next time
2nd November for end of season last run and fish and chips.
28th September
After the rain during the week today turned out to be fine but cold when out of the sun. Good start to the day coaches out and trains ready and running when the guests arrived we are back in the swing of it. No volunteers to be controller so it fell to default controller Robin. He had to leave early however the railway ran and packed up without a controller so we seem to get on with the jobs. The two running days we have had in September appear to have made this our busiest month.
Thirteen friends at the railway and were:- Alan June Andrew plus Tim Heather Robin Nick Andy Mick Phil David D David G Dave MB Peter Jamie and Henry with thirteen guests shown on the attendance record. Unfortunately we had three derailments at Dingly and all caused by human error and not checking. The first was when the Spinney wagons were routed into platform 3 instead of platform 1 as it was occupied. The wagons were on the back of coaching stock and the signaller did not realise this. It was decided to hand shunt these after the train from platform 1 had departed and put the wagons in the usual siding. What was forgotten was the spring points with the result on the right - Lessons to learn. Thanks to June for the teas and cakes and it appears that David D and his flap jack has some competition now from Phil and his Eccles cakes.
Loco news
Six locomotives on track today and were:- L94 Scott line Britannia Eileen Grant Class 20 and Spinney electric did a few trips up and down the yard siding. Jamie worked on his locomotive LMS 7163 removing and investigating the faulty lubricator which he has taken home for more work to be done and Kate had a successful boiler test. Dave MB is still working on his 1420 locomotive and can be seen with steam everywhere.
Unusual occurrence Peter was observed driving Eileen under instruction from David G and can be seen crossing the bridge towards Baytree. Last time we used Anthracite which caused a lot of steaming problems today we used coal and the locos steamed a lot better with a fire and not a dull glow. Also minimal clinker at the end of the day.
S & T news
Nick has been working at home wiring up the distant banner repeater SY 17R BR and I think he has been using his 3D printer as I noted a smart electrical connection box mounted on the post. This repeater was previously before the bridge as you traversed up the branch towards Spinney but is now after the bridge as shown in the picture.
In the signal boxes were:- Old Oak - David D then Peter Baytree - Phil Dingly - Andy followed by David G and Spinney - Robin followed by Andy. Picture shows Andy operating Dingly for the first time and checking the points as he selected the routes.
We had a few signalling problems today and were mainly BE number 3 signal and Spinney point number 7 leading to Old Oak both not working. Luckily Andrew was at hand and can be seen solving BE 3 signal which turned out to be caused by a slug and other contaminants in the electrical box once evicted BE 3 worked. Spinney point number 7 leading to Old Oak is a show stopper as all trains use it and the Spinney signaller had to keep leaving the signal box to check the point and nudge into place at times. This will definitely require attention over the winter period if not one of Robins new style point motors could be fitted.
Robin has come up with an idea a new feature which would be unique to the railway a green banner repeater. Get planning and construct one in your spare time think Nick might get a 3D printer job here.
Visitors on Locomotives / trains
These pictures show the railway in good form and everyone enjoying themselves judging by the noise they made whilst travelling along the railway. Looks like Peter had his own private charter and a family train using Scott Line whilst Alan and June's friends travelled behind Britannia and L94. They also drove Spinney electric up and down the loco shed road giving them great pleasure.
14th September
Eleven friends at the railway and were:- Alan June and family plus Tim Heather Robin Jen Nick Andy Alan S David G Dave MB Peter and Jamie joined by fourteen guests so a lot to do. Luckily the weather was excellent. Dave MB was controller last time his first time and did not appoint a controller for today so emails flew around and it was decided that Mick would be controller for today. Just like a scene from 'Vicar of Dibley where they decided on a date in March to finalise a Valentine's Day party'. There was a slight problem - Mick is in Rhodes so all communication would have been via a mobile just not practicable. Luckily the default controller was present and Robin lead the way. As usual the vegetation required pruning there was a Lot of it and David G's driving truck had a broken water pipe. Alan S can be seen handing over the repaired water pipe which he soldered a new end piece. Coaches were extracted from the carriage shed and put to good use throughout the afternoon. All visitors said they had a good day and the pictures below show how they got involved. Thanks to June for the teas and cakes and Dave MB for a picture.
Loco news
Nine locomotives on track today and were:- L94 Scott line Karen Bobside T9 Britannia LMS 7163 Eileen Grant did one lap and then Alan S found the pressure gauge was not working so he returned it to shed and Spinney electric number one which did several trips up and down the loco reception roads. I was busy and did not manage to capture David G running his locomotive or Dave M with his Bobside. Dave MB 1420 made several trips around the railway which shows the work he has put into it to get it running. He still has issues such as air in the gauge glass but like others we always have something to repair clean etc. Also making a rare visit onto the railway was Jamie with his LMS 7163 0-6-0 locomotive which he has been repairing. This is its second run this year hopefully run next time.
Alan ran karen and pottered around as a light locomotive and said he has spent more time on turntables than previous meetings obviously got sent send to end rather than round the loop. Alan A also ran his new Britannia locomotive but as did I he struggled with the coal and to maintain pressure. Interesting fact established that the steam brake does not work when you don't have any steam!!!! And what a way to find out going down the branch. Is anyone else struggling with the coal clinkering?
S & T news
Andy controlled Spinney on his own which is a large task. He added humour by occasionally issuing the single line token in the large carrying pouch which was cumbersome for the driver but a good wind up. Peter can be seen making himself comfortable at Old Oak obviously not expecting too much traffic. Resident Old Oak (David D) and Baytree (Phil) were not present today so we had a change round of signallers. Dingly was unstaffed most of the time (Box closed) so the points were set so drivers entered platform one. Turned and then traversed out to the last set of trailing spring points before returning onto their train. Dingly was operated as 'one train in steam' method of working which worked very well. One issue that can not be explained is that I had the main signal arm at Spinney number 4 however the points were set for the single line branch and not the main!
Visitors on Locomotives / trains
Above pictures show the visitors (all ages) making full use of the railway and enjoying themselves.
Visitors in signalboxes
New recruits..... Good to see the youngsters having a go. Robin and David G can be seen supervising.
Next time
No controller announced yet but next meeting will be 28th September where we have another large number of visitors planned.
6 - 8th September Cockcrow gala
Great Cockcrow held their annual gala and Spinney friends were present. On Friday Tim Heather Dave M and Jamie attended. Tim and Heather ran L94 but gave up mid afternoon after getting too wet in the damp and showery weather however the locomotive did perform well. Dave M did not bother getting his locomotive out of the van. Saturday was better and the photo on the right shows Dave M on his Bobside Robin on the T9 with Jamie and Henry enjoying a dry ride. Photo taken by Nick so five friends on the Saturday. Despite the weather we all had a good time meeting others and socialising. Dave said he ran for approximately five hours which is a good time for our gauge.
31st August June's Birthday and a new Engine
News by DG who
to his shame
failed to take photos - requests are in the text.
Controller was Dave Mb
who managed a difficult day with skill.
New Loco
Alan has bought a new loco and here it is. The model is clearly of the Britania class which was the first design of a main line loco brought out by the newly nationalised British Railways in the 1950s. Perhaps
in the spirit of 'King Jack'
it carries a name and number never carried by a full size loco.
Seen here
lightly loaded with Alan and Andrew at Old Oak
but later it pulled a substantially loaded train with many of the family - photo please anyone?
Thank you Dave M for sending the picture on the left which shows the heavy train the new loco is about to take up the branch from Old Oak. Most of the passengers are Ainslie family.
New Driver
And here she is ! The picture shows Dave M's daughter Elsie driving her diesel loco at Spinney station and is Mum
Jen
really driving loco 'Bobside' behind?
Please come again Elsie & Jen to civilise us very masculine group of 'Friends'.
The other photo shows David D trying his hand at driving Elsie's loco. Great to see you driving David!
London Underground Visitors
Old friend Jason Turvey brought three retired colleagues to join us today.
The photo shows Tim drving Eileen; all the LU visitors got a drive during the afternoon as well as taking over Bay Tree signal box.
We did miss Sean
who usually comes with Jason. Sean is in hospital and we missed you; get well soon and visit us in October when Jason hopes to come again.
Today's Locos
70075 (the new Britania)
Karen
Kate
Eileen (1st time this year)
1420
O8 shunter (Elsie)
Bobside
7163 (Jamie's loco - 1st time this year)
and an 0-4-0 with Nick Smith.
Click this Link for loco running data for the year
The link is to the Friends section and the password is required.
Today's Friends
Alan A
June plus daughters Kathryn
Amanda
Louise
then Andrew
Dave MB
Alan S
Mick
Peter
Robin
Nick
Andy
David D
Dave M and DG
S & T news
No news - It all worked (nearly). Well done Andy
1st time signaller in the hardest box Spinney
David D in Old Oak
Peter in Dingly
and Jason plus LU in Bay Tree.
Cable replacement at Spinney
Some of the team progress this work between official dates. Here I mention Robin
Peter
Dave MB and David D who attended last Thurday to progress the work.
10th August Friends and Families day
The friends and families day was well patronised lovely warm day ideal for a social gathering running trains for guests and ending with a BBQ. David G was controller and came up with a plan / timetable which was emailed to all prior to the day. Nick brought along his T9 which was not on David’s plan. Question is did Nick or anyone else read all or part of the plan!!! Also no timings for stopping for lunch a big flaw as it could have caused delays. However the railway was up and running from approximately 13.30 much to everyone’s surprise and guests had plenty of rides. Thanks to June for the teas cakes and BBQ.
Twelve friends at the railway and were:- Alan June and whole family plus Tim Heather Robin Nick Andy David D David G Dave MB Peter Mick Phil and Jamie joined by sixteen guests. Mike H was invited but was unfortunately unavailable. Usual start to the day tidying the railway and picture shows Andy putting the ash bin to another use - note that he is sitting down again. Coaches were pulled out and given a wipe over as some have not been used for a while. I have attached many pictures as there was a lot to record and tried to capture guests having a go.
Loco news
Eight locomotives out on track today and were:- L94 Scott Line King Jack Southern T9 number 117 Jesse class 20 Kate and 1420. Dave MB had a false start with his 1420 as the 'O' ring around the water gauge glass broke and created a steam leak. Locomotive had to be steamed down for repair then he thought the lubricator was not working but the oil box emptied so it must have been going somewhere. Pictures show the railway was busy and according to David G plan the Spinney loop was NOT to be used..... Just as well we did not read the fine detail as it was needed.
S & T news
Two signalling faults became apparent soon after starting one easily rectified by plugging it in!!!! (Above left hand picture) and the other will need investigating as both aspects illuminated when the tunnel exit signal (SY 1) showed a green aspect so you did not get to see this very often. However with the atmosphere of steam and tunnel it made an interesting picture. Left hand picture shows the new SY 10 signal which has now been wired after being relocated on the right hand side for easier signal sighting.
In the signal boxes were the usual crew and were:- Spinney - Robin Baytree - Phil Dingly - Peter and Old Oak - David D.
David D invited some guests (Patricia Mike and George) who when they turned up were known by a lot of us including myself as I had recently been to a meeting where Mike was present small world. David D had to have a small break and Jamie stepped in and pictured operating Old Oak in his absence. Typical you can be operating the signal box all day and pop out for five minutes and the stand in gets all the credit.... Unfortunately I was unable to get a picture of Peter at Dingly. Patricia can be seen operating Old Oak and also tried Dingly. Patricia in her past has been a professional signaller for the main line railway so understood signalling aspects. Robin also had a helping hand from Mike who has been before and picked up the ropes very easily.
BBQ
A large turnout with twenty two friends and families plus Alan and June whole family. So many that I was unable to capture everyone in one picture but I believe there were over 30 people present. Good food as usual and June was certainly busy with so many of us.
Additional day 14th August
Peter David D Dave MB and Robin had an additional working day to try and progress the Spinney signalling rewiring project. This involved laying cables fitting plugs and sockets to signals connecting up and testing the wiring. By the end of the day signals 15 17 and 18 were working from the box using the new wiring. The wiring for 10 and 16 were tested ok outside the box but there is some issue inside the box to be followed up. Cables to 17R and 18R are now laid in but need to be connected up next time.
27th July
Nine friends made it to the railway today and were:- Alan June plus Tim Robin Peter David D Dave MB Phil Alan S Mick David G and one visitor who said he had a good time. Apologies from Heather who is ill (Speedy recovery required) and Jamie and Henry who are in Sweden (lame excuse). David G Peter and June were observed pruning back some vegetation which had grown over the track. With this weather it grows so fast. Alan S applied some TLC to Spinney point number 7 as it was sticking and tripping the Spinney signal box circuit breaker. After maintenance no further issues were experienced with the point. Mick Peter and Tim oiled the coaching stock as these will be used extensively at the next meeting which is friends and families day. All coaches were run and tested today a bit of forward planning!!! Thanks to June for the teas and cakes. We managed to get back to our old times and first train departed Old Oak at 13.22. I would like to add that it was me and all achieved without Heather!!!! Living dangerously and I was controller. On the controller front not much to report other than today was a practice day for friends and families and we can run trains at 13.22 as recently this has slipped to 14.00 which eats into the running day so the visitors next time should be OK for train rides. The day ended approximately 17.30 with an offer of a BBQ however no takers unfortunately especially as the weather was excellent very warm ideal BBQ weather.
On another note David G was entertainments officer today and provided us with amusing situations. Firstly he ate three bites out of a sandwich before realising it was not the cheese sandwich he had prepared earlier. It belonged to Mick who naturally refused to eat the remainder and he had ham sandwiches. Then David forgot to attach the coupling (see below). He also started from Old Oak and proceeded to the signal box to collect the token but did not have the starting signal. They say things come in threes... or just 'David's fault'.
Loco news
Six locomotives on track today and were:- L94 Karen 1420 Kate Class 20 and Royal Scot. I have included pictures of friends and visitor that are not normally seen on locomotives. Dave MB thought his 1420 lubricator was not working however the oil level has dropped which is a good sign.
Unfortunate
David G handed Kate over to Mick and stated everything was good to go!!! Unfortunately David G forgot a piece of metal called a coupling and Mick subsequently drove off without the coaches..... Righthand shows another breakaway where the braked coach when buffered up to the locomotive the screw coupling rode over the hook. A bit of oil and TLC required on the coupling and problem will be solved.
S & T news
Since last running day Alan A looked at 002 which was very reluctant. The solenoid had gummed up so Alan A found some new solenoids and changed over. The old solenoid was put to one side for the ultrasonic cleaner. Alan also stated he would check the volts drop in the infrastructure. Phil at Baytree stated that his signal number 1 was sticking and when he left the signal box to inform the driver the bells from the block instruments always seemed to sound call attention. Just cannot be in two places at once. In the signal boxes were:- Old Oak - David D followed by Peter Baytree - Phil Dingly - David G and Spinney - Robin. Dingly was unmanned for a while whilst David G drove Kate and the Dingly station area became train man operated.
Next time
For friends and families day David G has been press ganged into being controller. I do not know why this role is not liked it can be pretty straight forward with the signallers doing their signal box checks and water is plumbed in and working. Most other items look after themselves. We are expecting quite a few visitors. Robin says he will visit mid week next week so as to sort out any signalling issues. Thank you Robin.
12th & 13th July - Echills Wood Railway
Echills Wood Railway hold a standard gauge event and this year Tim Heather (Saturday) Robin Nick and Mick (Friday) visited and enjoyed driving around their track and their hospitality. They were all very helpful and organised and nothing was a problem. It has been 14 years since I last drove on their railway and it was interesting to see new point motors mounted clear of the ground on posts and swing nose points. A very good social gathering.
6th July - Freight Day
Two firsts first run of the year and as far as I can remember first time we have run solely freight wagons and so many. An estimate was approximately 30 wagons in total. Weather not as forecast and we were subjected to some heavy showers however the signallers were unaffected. Fourteen friends made it to the railway today and were:- Alan June and family plus Tim Heather Robin Nick Peter David D Dave M Dave MB Phil Alan S Mick Andy Jamie and Henry and three visitors who said they have had a good time. Thanks to Heather for photos for this news and June and family for the teas cakes and parasol for shelter. Apologies of absence from David G as he is on a cultural visit to Stratford will he want to return!!! As it was our first run no one had been selected as controller so this task fell to Robin the default controller. The day ended approximately 18.00 as we had a lot of loading to do.
Robin
It has to be mentioned that we may have been later in the year if it had not been for Robin attending several times during the previous weeks to get the wiring up to a condition where we could run trains with some signals. As we started running:-
- Spinney distant signals 17R and 18R are disconnected and therefore at caution permanently. Nick has attached wires to shunt signal 10 and this was delivered today but I do not know if it has been electrically attached to the Signalbox. Everything still on old wiring except signals 6 and 6R which have been switched to the new. Three of the four main line side boxes are in place and most of the connections to signals and track circuits are ready need to be tested and then switched over to the new with point 7 to be the last to transfer.
- At Baytree up distant on the DD gantry (BE11) not working and not indicating in signal box either. Point 14 working and can be used but not detecting in reverse and signal 8 does not require line clear from Dingly Dell.
- Dingly Dell point 23 with the new point motor will need a temporary battery to make it work properly which Robin will fit next time still investigating the box wiring. Signal DD7 is stiff and will not come off even though solenoid energised at c 15V. Will come off if tapped. Needs further investigation.
Start of the day
Plenty to do in the morning Nick placed the Spinney number 10 position light signal in position however it requires to be electrically connected. The unloading ramp was heavily used today and with the wet weather and extra growth pruning was required so that we could use the loading ramp line without pushing through branches. There are still many plants growing over the railway. At Spinney the wooden supporting wall had started to lean into the railway and the picture shows the team installing metal spikes to hold the wall back. We also had a water issue where the water tank was found to be empty despite all the rain we have had where is it going...... A hose pipe from the sump was set up and water pumped to the tank although this took most of the day. Water was available from the Old Oak platform water point but not until it had been switched on which was not as easy as it should have been as scaffold tower parts have been placed in front of to the switch. The right hand picture shows the stop for tea and cake and the damp conditions after one of the showers.
Freight trains
I have included these pictures to highlight the number of freight wagons on the railway today with most of them delivered to Spinney cleverly packed into vans with very little spare space. Six locomotives on track today and were:- L94 Bobside Karen 1420 Q1 33029 and Jessie named Edith. Spinney electric number 1 was observed moving up and down the engine shed road. Amongst the wagons were three cattle wagons one of which had a bluetooth speaker and regularly played cows mooing and later in the day popular songs were heard - interesting.
Two pictures showing freight trains at Baytree.
Good pictures showing the length some of the freight trains David D said that 'at one time we had a train too long to fit between the turntable and the bay points occupying the TC and completely locking up the whole railway'.
S & T news
In the signal boxes were:- Old Oak - David D Baytree - Phil Dingly - Peter and Spinney - Robin. Old Oak and Dingly were very busy with shunting movements as each freight train had to shunt the brake van to the rear of the train. There were problems several places around the railway but at least we did get a day’s running most serious from the point of view of Old Oak was the inability to communicate with Spinney box as the single line instrument gong was not working. To add to that the telephone was not working either so Robin and David D had to use modern technology called a mobile phone to get trains up from Old Oak and that did delay some trains. Is there delay repay??? Phil reports that The detection on 14 points must have been doing something as BE15 and 16 were working ok. BE1 would not clear of its own accord all day and needed a nudge to clear it and we could not get ‘line clear’ from Dingly on the down line but as mentioned previously BE8 was able to be cleared. David D had problems with number 8 point not moving at the beginning of the day but after a bit of ‘persuasion’ got it going. Signal OO2 the outer by the shed persistently failed to move though the electrics worked correctly. Once it unstuck it worked sometimes. Problem is it cannot be seen from OO box without walking half way up the line.
Next time
Tim has been given the role of Controller for next time.
15th June: Wet
The weather forecast accurately predicted heavy showers; June sent an email excusing anyone who thought that staying at home in the dry was the best option.
However Peter
Phil and David G did attend. Peter worked through a list of jobs in connection with the Spinney re-wiring
Phil tested the signalling at Dingly and found issues with block while Alan A and David G attempted to fix a reluctant signal 8 at Bay Tree.
June provided warm
jam doughnuts mid afternoon - the highlight of the day!
Hopefully we can run trains next time.
1st June Maintenance continues
Six months into the year and it is still cold did we miss summer? Never known a year like this for delays to running trains railway still not ready due to signalling issues. Another good turnout today totalling 13 and were Alan June plus Tim Heather Dave M Andy Alan S Mick Peter Robin Nick Jamie Henry David D and Dave MB. Peter was otherwise engaged in the morning and when he arrived we stopped for lunch. Robin has been coming during the week to try and get these faults rectified. Thanks to Jamie for his picture contributions and June for the teas and cakes.
David D managed to clean Spinney platforms with his pressure washer which completes all the stations a lot of dirt and grime has been removed. Heather can be seen collecting foliage and not on camera was Henry removing more moss from the cutting walls between the tunnels. Right hand picture shows Andy demonstrating how to remove an air lock in the water system after showing everyone pictures of me performing the task in 2022 it was now pay back time of capturing Andy avoiding swallowing the water.
S & T news
At Old Oak I cut away part of a sleeper at number 8 point as this was fouling the detection system and Peter filled the unused holes in the point mechanism so that the wrong hole could not be used if taken apart again. Peter also post creted in a new signal connector for Dingly signal number 8. Nick and Robin spent all day on wiring the new point mechanism on Dingly number 23 point what should have only taken a morning was unfinished at the end of the day. However the point detectors were fitted once an angle grinder could be found to cut some aluminium plate. Helpful as we are we all said we had the required equipment at home (not much use). Nick continued to give demonstrations using a portable battery. Alan S can be seen adjusting Spinney 9B points as the detection was out no toads this week. Three onlookers wondering what Alan is doing. Took this picture as it was not staged and amusing maybe we needed more people to watch work being completed. Alan S had also made tubing plugs on his plastic 3D printer and these were fitted to the tube ends which run under the level crossing. Ballast was then used to in fill the holes and look as if nothing has been done.
Loco news
Three locomotives in steam and were:- 1420 Kate Jessie number 3 whilst Dave M unloaded Bobside he did not steam it. Driving Jessie appears unorthodox lying on a flat wagon and leaning over the coal wagon. Not sure if this is comfortable or not. Dave MB steamed his 1420 and initially had problems with his injector but picture shows he was happy and made several trips around the railway. With virtually no signals driving was done cautiously being prepared to stop in the distance you can see to be clear. It also appears that we have run out of coal so we are chipping in to buy a ton for when we start running and estimate it should last a couple of years. Also we ran out of water two commodities which are necessities for a steam locomotive apparently. The water shortage was caused by a dislodged pipe and therefore after all the rain we have had has not been collected. Dare I say we need it to rain or is it going to rain anyway to fill the water system.
Re-railing exercises
Kate 2 Jessie 3 that ends today's score. Kate derailed and was put down to miss placed ballast and continued without incident however whilst Jessie remained on the track the flat wagon didn't and despite investigation continued to cause problems. None the less it did provide good rerailing training and how to do it safely without damaging the locomotive and using leverage.
18th May Over running engineering works continues
Good weather allowing us to progress but we are still not there yet for full running. Another good turnout today totalling 12 and were Alan June plus Tim Heather Dave M Alan S Phil Peter Robin Nick Jamie Henry and David D (AM shift) and Dave MB (PM shift). Left hand picture shows Robin and David D in conversation. Thanks to Jamie and Phil for their picture contributions and June for the teas and cakes.
Work continued with tidying the railway the rewiring project and finishing the level crossing until the next winter maintenance programme. There appears to be more work required before we can run successfully.
Rewiring project
Peter and Phil can be seen repairing the Old Oak point number 8 which was mentioned in the last news. This is their first attempt at repairing a point motor and with a little help they have learnt how they function what to touch and what not to touch. A new stainless bolt was put through the bearing as the old one was a make shift with round end and two filed flats for a spanner. Proper bolt head now allowing for socket or spanner. Peter can be seen again in the right hand picture fitting the new signal with its connector whilst Alan A can be seen continuing with his wiring this time he is out of the Spinney signal box and wiring up the new location boxes which have been mounted on the new concrete posts we have put in. Alan was seen at all three today and hopefully these can be tested soon.
Robin visited the Echills Wood Railway last year and enquired about their point mechanism. Subsequently Robin has purchased one and made a control box which Nick is screwing to Dingly signal box brick wall. Nick always had an audience and Dave MB missed the demonstration and will have to wait until the next meeting where I am sure there will be many more demonstrations I forget how many times he removed the control box cover and replaced just to show point operation using a battery. Dave M can be seen supporting the Dingly signal box while Nick fitted the new box. Next time the detection switches will be fitted but in the meantime Robin has taken them home to fit longer cables. David G was not with us today so he can view next time suggestions were made that this new point mechanism is David G proof but we will see.
Testing
Left hand picture shows me testing the track circuits and hauling Dave M loco Bobside up to the loco shed and is the first train movement of the 2024 season. This involved unusual moves traversing points and wrong direction moves due to line blocked for wiring which made it interesting. Heather can be seen reversing over the points at Baytree with Robin looking on. Both Robin and Phil operated the signal boxes to observe track circuits and signal operation. Unfortunately we have a track circuit permanently showing lit in the second tunnel and at Spinney the platform track circuit did not illuminate with Scott Line standing on it. Some signals require investigation as either stiff or do not work. Whilst investigating Spinney points 9A and 9B Toads were found again under the cover of 9B. Photo shows the baby toad with its head precariously under the mechanism and had the point worked would have harmed it. The mother toad was at the back and I saw leaves move under the point mechanism so assume there is one adult and two baby toads. We will have to check that point motor before we use it just in case they are in a dangerous position.
Heather cleared moss from the platforms and sat down to save her back whilst Jamie and Henry scraped the walls in the cutting between the two tunnels there is a lot of moss this year.
Level crossing
As the rail height across the level crossing has been raised the track leading away from it has required lifting levelling and ballasting. Picture shows Dave M acting as a tamper machine whist Alan S looks on and checks. This side is now finished and the other side will be looked at in the next maintenance programme. The other line has some temporary wooden boards which lie in the four foot and must be removed before we run trains.