It was snowing last time I sat down to write some news, today has what passes for summer happening outside our workshop door, so I thought I'd better write some (brief) notes, just so you know we're still here.

The main goings on in the workshop the last few months (indeed pretty much the only thing going on in my life at the moment, as Mrs P has texted me on one or two occasions recently) is Stafford production. I fondly imagined that the batch we were working on in February would last us for this year, so that we could get on with one or two other ideas we have in development. As it is, all those engines are now all sold, the workshop is now busy making parts for the next batch. 

Latest Staffords for delivery - more pictures here

Ben, who joined us as an apprentice in April, is fast learning the ropes - the machining centre has never been as busy! On holiday at the moment, he left his bench covered in hornblocks and crosshead blanks before jetting off to foreign (and hopefully warmer than Lincolnshire) parts. Seems very quiet here this week without the background noise of the milling machine.

I had two engines to collect from Norfolk recently - not an area I get to regularly, largely because it's a three day trip from Lincoln, over mainly dirt roads once you get East of Kings Lynn. Having got all the way in the trusty Transit and with an overnight stop in prospect, I added in a couple of railway visits before heading home.

First stop was the North Norfolk Railway - parked up at Holt, a very picturesque place and home to the local model engineers' track (unfortunately not in use on the day I was there). Waited patiently for the first train to come in, which arrived hauled behind a Class 20 diesel.

North Norfolk Railway

I also had a brief stop over at the Bure Valley Railway - a 15 inch gauge line at Wroxham. "Wroxham Broad" was running around in the station yard, an engine built by Trevor Guest (the chap who built our 10 1/4 inch gauge Black 5), originally started as a steam locomotive then converted to petrol-hydraulic steam outline part-way through the build when the order was cancelled. It was named after his daughter and ran around for many years in this form before being converted to the steam engine it had started out to be by Winson Engineering.

Bure Valley Railway

Possibly as a result of its difficult gestation, the engine is an odd-looking thing, with huge slabby tanks and rather odd proportions - however, it seems to do the job required on this busy railway throughout the season.

Only the briefest of reports this month - there are still five Staffords in the workshop pending delivery - but after that we have two or three other interesting projects to get stuck into, of which more next time.

July 29th 2011

News Archive

Feb 2010 - Alexandra Palace Show report, the new office
Nov 2010 - Stafford production, toxic discussion forums, 7 1/4 inch gauge AGM, steam indicator
January 2010 - Midlands Model Engineer Exhibition, Fire at the local gas depot, blown fusible plug
August 2009 - Steve joins us, Stafford running at EMR, Windmill Farm Railway, Dogdyke Pumping Station 
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