It’s been a very busy few months here, it seems a long time ago that I sat writing the last news page, outlining who did what in the office and workshop whilst mentioning that what I really needed was at least one more pair of hands to help run the place.

 Somewhat to my surprise (given the slightly oblique reference that passed as  a job advertisement), I was inundated (well, twelve replies actually) with  people who imagined that a life of tea, the Archers and playing with steam engines sounded like a better job than sitting in an office. Many thanks to all those who replied, in the end it was Steve, the first chap to contact me, who is now on the receiving end of daily doses of Brookfield.

 He joined us in May and has fast made himself indispensable in the workshop, bringing standards of neat-and-tidydom hitherto unknown to the place. A model engineer from his early years (and he’s only a month or two younger than me, which means that early years were a while ago now), he has a super 5 inch gauge GWR Hall (seen here running at his club track) which is kept in immaculate condition.

Our new 7 1/4 inch gauge locomotive “Stafford” is now taking up increasing amounts of time and space in the workshop – we’re overdue for a move into bigger premises to accommodate a larger machine shop and assembly area. 

The first engine up and running has been in constant use as a development hack-come-demonstrator – it’s been run around the club track for more laps than my bottom cares to remember while we fiddle and tweak, change things, run it again, change them again… Suffice to say that Geoff and I were quietly pleased with the performance first time it ran earlier in the year, it’s a quiet, powerful engine that does the job it was designed for with performance to spare - there's a clip of "No.1" running around at the club track here.

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The first batch of four engines will be completed shortly, the first of a batch of twelve boilers for the next build start arriving in October - the workshop floor is currently knee-deep in steel for valve gear and motion work.

Sam and I spent a super day at the fifteen inch gauge Windmill Farm Railway earlier in the week, playing with ex-Fairbourne engine “Sian”. We set off on Wednesday evening to drive up to Southport, then started bright and early Thursday morning after the obligatory size large engineman's breakfast. With the engine pushed out and the fire lit, there was an hour and a half to potter about with an oil can, cup of tea at hand, getting ready for the day’s work. First train out was at 11, it worked steadily throughout the day hauling visitors to the Farm Park up and down the half mile track they have there. A large engine, even by 15 inch gauge standards, it is comfortable, if a little snug, for two men in the cab side by side (and David and I both fit fairly firmly into the “XL” category), for Sam there was just about enough room to have a walk round on the footplate.

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 When not riding up and down the line, either in the train or on the engine, I spent several happy hours poking around the sheds. There is plenty to see – the sheds contain no less than four of the Barlow “A4” steam outline locomotives, “Bonny Dundee” from Ravenglass, the Class 20 Little Giant “Red Dragon” and a convincing looking battery-electric Black 5 – both built by Austin Moss -  and “Katie”, sister engine to “Sian”, currently awaiting a new boiler.  An Exmoor Steam 2-6-2 “St Christopher” is built to the same sort of scale as “Sian” and is in regular use each weekend.

 We ended the day cleaning down the engine and filling up the boiler ready for the next outing. Sam swept the tubes and ashed out the firebox then, after a quick cleanup, we repaired to the nearest hostelry for steak and kidney pudding that came close to defeating the boy (which takes some doing, given the unfillability of a fourteen year old). A steady drive home across the Pennines and a quick run down the A1 saw us home before 11.

 We had a great day – Sam’s started designing himself a 15 inch gauge engine  the next morning (however much I tell him about the difficulties of accomodating 150 foot radius curves in the garden). Our thanks to David who organised the whole thing and Austin, whose railway it is, for the use of his facilities, his hospitality and interesting company. I would recommend a day out at Windmill Farm to anybody, there is a great deal of historical 15 inch gauge equipment there, in addition to the interesting locomotives and rolling stock.

One other quick recommendation if you’re in our area – Dogdyke Pumping Station is a remote cottage with brick engine shed next door, housing a Bradley & Craven external-condenser beam engine installed in 1856 which has been there ever since, which pumped water out of the Fens until the 1940s when it was replaced with a magnificent 7XRH Ruston & Hornsby diesel installed in the shed next door - still part of the Water Authority’s strategic standby and maintained in absolutely immaculate order by some very talented volunteers. Well worth a visit, it's open once a month, their website gives the steaming dates.

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3rd August 2009

News Archive

April 2009 - The new engine "Stafford", Alexandra Palace Show, a backyard foundry
December 2008 - Self-storage, annealing copper, Tinkerbell stone train in the snow
November 2008 - Rutland Railway Museum, Caradoc converted to a VBT locomotive, LittleLEC
August 2008 - Harrogate Show pictures, Martin's new engine shed, lethal steam seat warmer
March 2008 - New machining centre, solid modelling software, fixing the roof
December 2007- new lathe delivered, 7 1/4 inch progress in Dumfries, visting an interesting engineer 
 September 2007 - Holiday in North Wales, new machinery for the workshop
June 2007 - Station Road Steam at Harrogate Show, herd of Tinkerbells, Martin's railway
March 2007 - Building a garden railway competition, A Workshop in Herefordshire
January 2007 - Miniature lathes and photography, Midlands Exhibition, Churnet Valley Railway, testing small boilers
October 2006 - Updates on part-built and projects
July 2006 - Evergreens Miniature Railway, local 10 1/4 line, collecting the Pacific from Cleethorpes
April 2006 - Progress in the workshop, visit to the National Railway Museum, visit to Woody Bay
January 2006 - Moving to new units, grit-blasting my hands, shiny Romulus
October 2005 - Stamford SME, Sam starts the restoration of "Pendle Witch", Casterton Working Weekend
August 2005 - New workshop, Thurston Pacific back from Cleethorpes
May 2005 - Berkely Light Railway, dodgy boiler certificates, full-size ploughing engines at auction
January 2005 - digging
October 2004 - initial planning for the garden railway
July 2004 - Fowler ploughing engines in Yorkshire
May 2004 - Moving the workshop, a 9 1/2 inch gauge garden railway
Apr 2004 - Holiday in Shropshire & The Severn Valley Railway, LNER liveried Black 5
Feb 2004 - Refacing a Tangye slide valve, new acquisition 10 ton Aveling roller
2004 - 12 1/4 inch gauge Pacific