SUBS: Thanks to the majority of our members who have paid. Subs are the income for the first few months of the year and unfortunately, the need for spending doesn't stop.
The following motion was passed at our AGM and it is a change to the Club rules, "If having failed to pay the members subscription three months after the date appointed for the payout thereof, the member's name shall be removed from the Society's register of members and shall cease forthwith to be a member of the Club."
There were two reasons for this amendment.
(1) Three months was considered long enough to pay subs.
(2) Under our new safety scheme, no one can operate our equipment unless they are a Club member.
This amendment means that all subs must be paid by the end of March. This will come into effect next year.
If this newsletter has a red spot on it, your subs are overdue and this is the last newsletter you will receive.
SAFETY SCHEME: This has been accepted by our auditors and sent to Land Transport for assessing. It was sent in to LTSA before the end of March deadline but wasn't able to be assessed in time. LTSA have issued us with an extension to our present rail service licence until the end of June.
A G M: This was held on 23rd March as advertised and attended by 19 members.
No nominations were received for the committee so the old committee was returned en masse.
Bob Mann was elected to be a Life Member in recognition of his leadership over 30 years and his work for the Club. He is our first elected Life Member.
ROTOWARO TERMINUS: Solid Energy - previously known as CoalCorp - had discussed their previous offers to construct our new bottom terminus, with the committee at a special meeting on 12/3/96. A new offer was well discussed at the AGM. Basically Solid Energy will carry out all earthworks, metal the area and supply all ballast required for the terminus. They are also to supply the club with a sum of money and we would use this to shift and relocate Rotowaro Station, put in the necessary facilities and platform and lay all the rails. The sum of money would be a fixed one. The AGM thought the sum of money would not be enough and it was moved that the sum be increased. At the time of writing this newsletter, the sum is still under discussion. The club is busy getting prices for our side of the deal as 90% of the work would have to be done by contractors.
The earthworks for the proposed terminus have already been partly completed and the station will now be on the uphill side of the railway line. This site was our original request but at that stage, the land wasn't available.
To complicate matters, the Government gave most of their land back to Tainui Maoris late last year. A large part of our land is leased from Coalcorp and is some of the land given back. Solid Energy will now lease the land they require from Tainui and in turn sub-lease the land we require to us. The only thing we can be sure about is that the amount paid for the lease will increase.
If you think it all sounds very complicated you should try doing all the wheeling and dealing. I can assure you it takes a lot of keeping up with and a lot of time - time that sometimes means less time at the Junction doing what the club is about.
WATERSYSTEM: After several false starts and many phone calls, we finally got the crack in the tank repaired. Even then, we had to dump about 2000 gallons. The repair was all arranged for a Friday early in March but at the last minute the repairer couldn't come - no problem, he arranged to come on Sunday. As you might expect, it poured with rain as Saturday afternoon/night, the heaviest rain for months and we couldn't catch very much of it. At the time of writing this newsletter we are still about 2000 gallons of water short and open days and charters are due to start that need fairly large quantities of water.
The 2" alkathene line from the fibreglass tank was put in by Richard, Andrew and Terry.
SHANTY: This has now been purchased by the club from Bo. The club intends doing it up to a reasonable standard so it can be used by members much more than in the past. The club owes its thanks to Bo for building it in the first place and allowing us the use of it - even when he and later some of his family lived in it.
CB: Progress on this continues at an astonishing rate. Since last newsletter, the boiler has been given a preliminary hydraulic test. Even fitting the boiler revealed five broken stays. The opportunity was taken with the Peckett in steam, to warm the CB boiler by steam hose, then bring the pressure up to that required for the hydraulic. The broken stays had screws into the tell-tale holes in them to allow us to get full pressure. Near the end of our test, a very fine mist was noticed in the cab and found to be coming from what appeared to be a crack in a plate that forms the backhead and the curve onto the firebox side plates. Close inspection showed a crack about V' long. We arranged for some equipment from the power station so that we could see the crack from inside the boiler. The boiler inspector was also present, checking the Peckett under steam. Perhaps we should not have looked at the cracks from the inside as we saw a crack, longer then expected, and another one radiating off it. We were unable to locate either crack on the outside using dyes so we are now getting more gear from the power station to exactly mark the cracks for repair.
The broken stays have been removed - new ones made from stay steel obtained for the Heisler - and screwed in place ready to be seal welded.
The fusible plug threads in the firebox crown sheet were found to be very bad, so the hole was enlarged and rethreaded using a washout plug tap. Two new fusible plugs have been made and metalled.
Steam and water pipes are also being bent to shape as the old ones had long gone.
Some work was carried out on the engine unit so that it could be run under steam. The engine was run for about an hour the same day as the boiler crack was inspected again using a hose from the Peckett. The engine was a bit stiff in one spot and slightly out in the timing but at least it runs after 35 years of sitting idle. Bo did a lot of work on the engine many years ago and had test run it
A Giant tea party
1887, the year of Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee. Swindon's part in the loyal celebration of the Jubilee took the form of a huge fete and tea in the New Swindon Park. Some 15,000 people were expected to attend, and the problem arose as to how to make the vast quantity of tea that the multitude was expected to imbibe. Clearly it was a task calling for a supreme feat of organization and in Swindon what body was more fitted to under it than the Locomotive Department of the G.W.R.? And under it they did in a way that for sheer originality eclipses some achievements of the great Brunel himself. They boiled the tea in old locomotive tenders! After some intensive scouring out, three or four tenders were put into a siding near to the park. and filled with cold water; then cases of tea were emptied into -the tanks. An old locomotive had been stationed alongside, and from this a flexible pipe was connected to each of the tenders in turn, and live steam blown in to boil the water. The tenders had previously been fitted with taps, and from these relay after relay of tea urns were replenished.
cuppa's REAM/ LADS
PECKETT: This was passed in steam on 23/3/96. After survey, four mudhole doors had new door joints fitted and no matter how much they were tightened, wouldn't stop leaking. Following a complaint to the suppliers, we have found out that asbestos is no longer used for these door joints - instead ?glass' is used, presumably fibreglass. The suppliers now admit that the newer door joints don't stand the pressure used in our boiler and we are having to get a different type made in Australia.
TEA TIME! The following is from Auckland Model Engineers Newsletter. Perhaps we could use the water tanks on our Heisler or CB for a similar job. This would even give us a spare lady in the shop on open days!
P D GANG: They have been back at the Junction a lot lately. A couple are cutting out and bolting new ribs on to the roof of Eric's carriage. The rest spent one day cleaning up around our track store hut and shifting everything away to our track parts store near the trap points. A surprising amount of stuff was consigned to the scrap heap but as the supervisor put it 'We just seem to be shifting scrap from one heap to two heaps!'
DS: Mike and Ian (Wingnut) managed to get the jammed axle box free by brute strength. The gentle method had not worked so, using the old engineers saying 'if it doesn't work, get a bigger hammer', out came a sledge hammer and at last the axle box came loose. The tight spots have how been grounded off, the oil box welding finished and it should all be ready to go back into place.
OPEN DAYS: The next will be Saturday 1st June - 12.30 to 3.30
Sunday 2nd June - 10.30 to 3.30
Sunday 7th July - 10.30 to 3.30
Please fill out the attached work notices and return them.
WORKING BEES: There has been a lot of familiar faces missing from the Junction this summer. As you can see from these newsletters, there is more work than ever to do The next ones are -
May 25 & 26th
June 22nd & 23rd
July 27 & 28th
CHARTER TRIPS: By the time you receive this Newsletter, we will have had two charter trips.
Another is planned for Sunday 19th May for members of Railway Enthusiasts Society. We will need a few hands that day to help in the shop and run the trains. Any offers?
FARES: For the first time in many years we are increasing our fares.
They are now - Open days - Adults $6
Child $3
Under 5 years - free
Charter trips remain at $150 minimum.
We are finding our fixed costs - insurances, lease, boiler inspection in particular, are increasing tremendously and we hope by the fare increases to maintain the amount of money spent on restoration. The cost of maintaining our track and operating vehicles must be our first priority and only then can we spend money on improvements and restoration.
Bruce has 'wrecked' one end of the car van. The framework around the end was very rotten and must be replaced. There is a lot more woodwork to do on this vehicle. Bob spent a couple of wet days fitting a new sliding door to the outside of the guards compartment. The other one will be replaced as soon as time permits.
A lot of painting is needed on this - some of which can be done now. Where are you Carol?
Barry Brickell has had a book written about him as part of a series "NZ Lives The people who shaped the Nation". It is largely a history of his pioneering work as an early full time potter. Very closely woven with his pioneering is his railways.
The book is available from -
Exisle Publishing Ltd.
P 0 Box 8077
Auckland
The price - $24.95 plus $2.00 post and packing.
Our shop now has the shutters on the outside and these must be fitted after the shop has been in use. All work done by 'Wingnut'
F 185: Work has continued on this as time permits. The second brace for the cowcatcher is in place. Pipework is being threaded for part of the air brake system. The rear windows in the cab have been fitted.
We have recently taken delivery of approximately 400 meters of 4x1 T & G timber to be used on the outside of our white box wagons. The money to purchase the timber came from last years Trustbank grant.
Jan & I paid a very interesting visit to a vintage machinery display in Morrinsville at the end of March. Two traction engines were in steam, one operating a mill threshing oats.
Amongst the line-up of stationary engines banging away were two vertical steam engines used to drive milking sheds.
Some of our members were there too, including one in off-white overalls who told me to keep my hands in my pockets.
The display of tractors was massive - all in all a very good display.
We have decided to switch from acetylene to propane gas cutting. We have purchased new leads and cutting tips so as soon as the acetylene bottle is empty we will be on propane. It is much cheaper than acetylene.
Colin and Terry have sprayed the line from Rotowaro end almost to Glen Afton. I don't know what brand he used, but within a couple of days, the growth was starting to look unhealthy.
JUNE OPEN DAYS: Remember we are running on both Saturday and Sunday. There will be a B B Q Tea (B.Y.O. everything) followed by a Film Evening on Saturday 2nd June.
It was great to start the year off with a BBQ and film evening on Easter Saturday after a successful running afternoon. These social evenings are a grand way for members to get to know one another.