Subscriptions: If you receive this newsletter, you must have paid up. The renewal rate this year has been very good - many thanks. We have also got some new members - we hope you will all join in the clubs activities and so help the clubs progress.
Open Days: The two extra open days at Easter were again very quiet and the weather seems to often keep our passengers away.
May open day was fine very early, clouded over to drizzle for a while and then cleared up to be a very fine day. Our passengers seemed to come from all over the countryside and just kept coming. Most had heard of our open day on the local radio stations or had seen it advertised in the local papers. We had to use 2 carriages for most trains and at times could have done with a third.
The day went extremely well. We didn't exactly need Armourguard to take the days takings home but Teresa had a big smile on her face!
Pukemiro Pickings: TR 217 - or the continuing story. We got the rubber drive from the front of the motor repaired and Mike coupled everything up, started the motor and waited for air pressure to build up - and waited, and waited. A quick look showed the rubber drive had failed again. This time it wasn't worth considering getting the rubber drive repaired again but rather looking for other ways of getting the air compressor and fan to be driven. Mike is now fitting an electrically driven fan and is looking around for motor driven compressors to fit like the original. Keep at it Mike - you must win sometime!
Trackwork: The new point and trackwork by the station platform at the Junction has settled in well and only a couple of places will need re-packing at some stage.
The P.D. gang were out last week and spent a day replacing sleepers towards the Rotowaro end of the line.
Trees: Although very necessary for light up wood they can be a pain when they fall down. Recently after some strong winds, several came down across the backshunt at the top end of the Junction yard. In the end 6 needed removing. The job has been partly completed by Bob and Mike.
Mike has also attacked the remains of the wattles that were on the back road opposite the station. The rest of the trees are only twigs and not much use. The P.D. gang were used to pick up some wattle already cut up and stacked at the bottom end of the Junction yard by the stop block. All the cut up wood was stacked on our wood wagon and we now have nearly a full wagon of wood, plus the stack near Trevor and Maxiine's driveway.
C.B:
Richard has been flat out on this. The rear water tank/bunlker has been completed, undercoated and put back on the underframe. The cab has been attacked with rust killer, all rusted panel steel cut out and the various sections of it re-assembled with new bolts. While sanding down the cab in the area of the makers plate - he came across some finger prints etched into the steel that belong to some bloke called Trev who lives at the Northern end of Hamilton. Richard was also heard to turn down the offer of 4 litres of top coat for the cab - just because the colour was purple.
No. 3 Car: The painting of this car is nearing completion, It would be complete and at least another car painted if paint brushes could be tied to the painters tongues! We have received many good comments about the appearance of our 2 good carriages.
F 185:
Work has continued on this. The fitting for the steam pipe to the air compressor has been turned and fitted into place - thanks Trev for getting the threads cut. A check of the valve chests was made before the covers were bolted on - just as well as a large bolt was found behind a slide valve. This would almost certainly have jammed the valve and damaged the valve and valve face. One of the valve rods was found to be bent inside the valve chest. This was removed, straightened and refitted.
Both connecting rods from the cylinders are in place so the next job is to set the valves. Both injectors and the sanding gear can now be operated from the cab. A lot of the operating rods had to be altered because of the slightly wider water tank. The new floor sections for the smokebox are being made. One has been fitted and the other two cut out of plate.
Colin Ewing and Bob have spent another day weedspraying towards the Glen Afton end of the line. Bob Wiseman did some more work on the lighting system for the rest of the lights in the loco shelter. This time he did not change coats! The lights make a big difference when lighting up early in the morning.
Working Bees:
These are still held on the 4th weekend of EVERY month. The next ones are 22nd - 23rd July, 26th - 27th August and 23rd - 24th September.
There is always lots of work to do and some interesting members to meet. Most Sundays during the month, someone is at the Junction working.
Open Days: The next open days will be on August 6th and September 3rd. We need a good turnout of members to help on open days - without you we can't run. It is important that the work notices are returned to give me an idea of who will be able to help - last time only 1 reply was received. Come on members, be fair. There is a lot of behind the scenes work that goes on to organise an open day and your cooperation helps.
The following article was sent in by Tony Hinton from an English railway magazine. Seems we are not the only railway short of workers:
Pioneer Chasewater line 'runs on just 15 volunteers'
A SERIOUS depletion in volunteer numbers at the pioneering Chasewater Light Railway, has left the Walsall, West Midlands line struggling to get its new Causeway extension open by the target date of Saturday May 27.
Unable to muster much more than 15 working members at one time - about half the number it was able to call on two years ago - maintenance of the recently laid Norton Lakeside extension to Railway Inspectorate requirements has fallen behind schedule, and to complete a new three-coach platform the railway has had to hire professional bricklayers.
Formed in 1959 as the Railway Preservation Society and effectively the founders of the Association of Railway Preservation Societies, Chasewater's nucleus of volunteers has never exceeded 50 - but numbers have dwindled significantly in recent times through family and work commitments of members, ill health and 'natural wastage.'
Explains Chasewater Light Railway & Museum Co. spokesman Keith Day: "At times the track gang has been just two people. Getting the track up to standard for the opening is a priority - but if we get, say 10 volunteers this weekend to work on the track, it means there will be nobody to work on carriage restoration or loco maintenance.
"The same. people have to do a host of jobs, and that only makes the problem worse. Things don't happen fast enough members become fed up or disillusioned, attitudes change and people leave or come to work on the railway less often. We badly need more members!'
Efforts to get the extension up and running have been set back by a Railway Inspectorate insistence that the level of the trackbed over a distance of an eighth of a mile be raised by about a foot, to eliminate a 'dip' in the line, and by problems in packing and tamping the 'black ash' ballast with a hired tamping machine.
Hawthorn Leslie 0-4-0ST Asbestos (ex-Turners Asbestos Cement Co, Trafford Park), stands by to haul the inaugural passenger train to Norton Lakeside, provisionally on May 27, with the prospect that if work on Sentinel 4-wheeled vertical boiler engine No. 9632 is completed early enough, the railway will be able to turn out two working steam locomotives for the first time since 1989.
By contemporary standards, Chasewater is still a small preservation venture. The operating line from Brownhills West to Norton Lakeside is a modest 1 1/4 miles, with minimal 'under-cover' accommodation for an extensive locomotive and rolling stock collection. Could you give some of your time or skills to the Chasewater Light Railway? Contact the railway at Brownhills West station (01543-452623), or call Managing Director Steve Organ on 0121-384-5061.
We have received some replies about what you would like for our 30th anniversary at Labour weekend. Unless more replies are received, we will find it hard to decide exactly what you - the members - really want. To all who have replied - many thanks.
Safety & Shunting School: This will be held at 2 pm on Saturday August 5th in the shop at the Junction. It is important that members who run our open days attend to keep their shunting signals etc up to date. I also hope to have draft sections of our proposed Safety Scheme available for discussion.
After the shunting school, it is proposed to hold a BBQ tea followed by a film evening. The tea will be a usual bring your own and everything will be put on the table.
Stop Press: 30th Anniversary: All who have replied so far are in favour of a dinner. This will held on Saturday night and we are looking at holding the dinner at the 'Blue Rooms' at Glen Afton. At this stage we are not sure what the dinner will be but it certainly won't be baked beans on toast!