SUBS:
Many thanks to those who have paid up and especially those who included a donation. All donations over $5 can be claimed off your income tax at the end of March. The committee are pleased with the rate of renewals so far. If you still have to pay - time is running out so how about putting your pen to a cheque!
PROJECTS FOR 1996
In last newsletter, I mentioned projects we proposed to attempt during the year. No one has sent any comments or suggestions so everyone must be happy - or are you!
The telephone cables for the Glen Afton-Pukemiro area are laid beside our railway from Rotowaro to Glen Afton and bypass the Junction by following the track behind the water tanks. The cables have been lifted and laid across the hill to allow work on this access road. They must not be touched or damaged. When the road work has been completed, they will be buried under the new road.
We now have the basis for two smoke shoots for our loco shed and hope to get them installed during the year. We need a large quantity of light gauge large diameter piping. If anyone knows of some they think might do - let's know. I can supply the diameters needed.
Eric donated three vacuum cleaners - two for use when lighting up the locos. We now need some suitable piping that can withstand a certain amount of heat. 1 am told that two vacuum cleaners are good but the other not so good.
WATER SYSTEM
Late in December it became obvious that the water level in our 5000 gI tank was slowly going down with no water from it being used. A steady leak was found between the tank and the outlet valve but the way the plumbing was set up, the only way to empty this tank was also to empty the 2000 gl tank. The necessary plumbing changes were made late in January but a 2" alkathene line from the 5000 gl still needs organising. Richard, Terry and myself did the job so far. Once empty, the leak can be repaired. Until it is repaired and the 5000 gl tank full again, please DON'T WASTE WATER. The creek can be very cold when used as a bath!
CB
Richard has spent a lot of time working on this since last newsletter. The rear bogie is now coupled up to the engine via the new drive shafts. Terry spent four days turning the new bearings for the front bogie. These have been fitted and the bogie is in place. The loco is on its own bogies for the first time in many years. The water side tanks have been completed. The steel for these was purchased many years ago when. the overhaul of this loco was first started and has been stored at Bob's place for a number or years. Work is progressing on getting the exhaust steam line from the engine to the smokebox sorted out. Richard is also sorting out the necessary vavles and fittings for the boiler. The boiler inspector did some thickness checks of the boiler steel late in January and found the plates in good order. We can now go ahead and finish getting the boiler ready for a hydraulic test. While the boiler inspector was getting readv for the thickness checks. the CB was shunted around by F185 - wonder when the last time an F shunted a CB?
F 185
This was in steam late in January for a steam test with the boiler inspector. He passed it and steaming of this loco is now officially OK. The triple valve on the air brake system has been dismantled, cleaned, re-assemble and tested. The brakes now work well but haven't been tested on a train yet. New angle iron braces from the cow-catcher to the main frame have been made. So far one has been fitted and the other should be fitted soon. Robin Russell sent this cutting of a loco overhaul on the Ffestiniog Railway seems we are not alone!
Once the cab was on, our problems began.
In her last couple of seasons in traffic the saddle tank had been getting a bit ropey. A couple of cracks had been treated variously with sticky tape and latterly a patch - Lifting it off had been the final straw, there was no Way we could put it back on for another 10 years. Drawings were made as the loco had been dis mantled and a local firm was given the job to make a new one. This was all excellent job and a perfect copy apart from the length breadth, radius, hole for the dome and cut-outs for the sand pipes.
Initially we did not appreciate how much of a problem this was going to be, it just appeared that die extra length was between the cab end and die dome and that we would have to adjust it. The Pontification Department arrived at this point and spent much time trying to apportion blame and suggesting brilliant schemes for its correction. The best has to be recessing the cab front by two inches! Meanwhile we adjusted the size of the hole by Oxy-acerylene and welder.
As re-erection continued it came home to us just how much of a problem this tank was going to cause. Absolutely everything else on the loco was affected by it. The sand pots were now too wide and the wrong profile, the sand pipes didn't fit, the vacuum pipe didn't fit and when it was on it fouled the valve spindle gland. The brass dome didn't blend to the tank radius and all the, lubrication didn't fit, All this cost us -about three Mouths ill our fight timescale Oil reflection we would have been better off starting again with the tank: instead we had to aim to get it to look the best we could- At this stage visitors to the Works ~% ere impressed by our working drawings, a full set of Blanche postcards from the shop! The final straw was when oil fitting the filler lid, we found the lid hit the dome. The struggle of the saddle tank has been recorded for posterity in a song entitled The Draughtsman came to call, normally only sung after a protracted meeting in our registered otfice.
PECKETT
This is presently in pieces for annual boiler survey. The boiler and fittings were passed by the boiler inspector late in January so work is now concentrating on putting it all together again.
SAFETY SCHEME
The draft sections of this have been completed and sent to our auditors for checking, alteration, approval or throwing out - whichever they decide.
TREES
The worst thing about wattle trees is that they become very unstable as they grow. Their root system doesn't support a large tree. Three fell down at the top end of the yard and were cut up by Terry. A few more were in danger of falling across the driveway to the Junction and were removed by Trev and Terry. The area at the lower end of the yard had a large plantation of younger wattles growing on the hillside to Jim Fowlie's boundary. Bob 'pruned' these before they also fell over and has so far dealt to about half the plantation. They are all being cut into lengths for light-up wood.
The opportunity was taken early in January to use a mobile crane that happened to be 'holidaying' fairly near the Junction.
Three turnouts were laid out ready to be overhauled. Once overhauled they will be put in to give us some much needed new siding space. One is to go into rotten row at the top end of the yard at the Junction to give us another storage siding. The other two will go into the main line near the sand fill to give us access to large storage areas for storing rails etc. Is anyone prepared to undertake the overhaul of these points? They are laid out approximately where they are required.
The crane was also used to shift some other stuff out of the,way. Thanks Bruce, Trev and Terry for the worthwhile days.
SHOP
Towards the end of our opendays, our "sausage burner'? noticed that there were some screwdriver marks on the window frames in the front of the shop. Ian is making plywood shutters that can be slid across the windows when the shop is not in use.
P D GANG
The gang returned rather unexpectedly on their first day back at'work'. One of the jobs arranged late last year was to put a new roof on a narrow bodied car of Erics. The old roof was very rotten and had been covered with black plastic for some years. One of the gang was a chippie so the opportunity is being taken to use his skills. All materials are being supplied by Eric. The old roof was completely removed in one day and revealed the need to replace virtually all the curved ribs. These will be replaced with plywood bolted to the curved steel ribs. The chippie is very keen to make a good job of it. The rest of the gang spent the day replacing 10 long sleepers under the turnout from the main line to the loop at the bottom end of the yard at the Junction.
THAMES BRANCH
Another visit has been made to Morrinsville and a 'ute' load of good screw spikes and spring plates retrieved. All screw spikes put into our new square -4eEpeis are new - or new to us - so a constant supply is needed. Each of the long sleepers put in by the PD gang has 8 screw spikes and spring plates.
DS
Mike continues to battle with this. One axle box didn't want to fit when the loco was lowered onto its wheels. We expected it to shave some of the brass off as the loco came down but that didn't happen so Mike is now having to jack the axle box free.
OPEN DAYS
Yes it is nearly that time again. Our first open days coincide with Easter so we have decided to operate. from 12 noon to 4.00pm on the Saturday and a normal openday on the Sunday. There will be a B.B.Q and film evening at the end of the operating day on Easter Saturday
APRIL 6th EASTER SATURDAY (BBQ)
APRIL 7th EASTER SUNDAY
MAY 5th
WORKING BEES
The next ones will be held on - MARCH 23rd & 24th
APRIL 27th & 28th
MAY 25th & 26th
GLEN AFTON
The article on Glen Afton is taken from the latest edition of the NZ Model Railway Journal and is reproduced with their permission. A future article will on NZ Co-op Dairy's sidings and ropeways.
Also planned is an article on Rotowaro and Renown. The top photo on p. 3 of the article was taken - according to locals - in either 1931 or 1933. They date the photo from the houses and empty sections. The spot of Jan and my house is easy to pick out although I don't think the house was quite there then. The main method of transport even until the late 60's was by train.
CHARTER TRIPS
We have already had 2 enquiries for charter trips. Hopefully this is an omen of things to come.
CORRECT USE OF OIL
One of the side effects of our safety scheme has been the need to find out exactly what oil should be used in our locos, motors, compressors etc. The number of different oils required is beyond what we expected and will mean we must purchase some of the different types this year. To make things easier for all, the latest list of what goes into what is nailed to the inside of the oil store door. Just because it looks like oil and feels like oil doesn't mean it can be used for everything.
As oil is purchased, the containers are being marked. Most of the more common oils are already in the oil store. If you put any old oil into something and the item of plant suffers damage from the incorrect oil type - you might end up paying for the repairs as well as actually doing the work.
IF IN DOUBT, ASK!
STOP PRESS: DON'T FORGET AGM ON 23rd March 1996 at 1.00 pm