SEASON'S GREETINGS: Trust all Members have enjoyed a safe and happy Christmas and New Year celebrations! Timely greetings to all of the Club's supporters also.
OPEN DAYS: November open day was a reasonable day, but December was much quieter. The run of wet weather continued enabling us to use F 185 on most trains by itself - NO risk of fires as the rain - after very heavy downpours - continued almost to New Year! A few of our new members are helping to ease the load on our regular helpers. TO ALL WHO HAVE HELPED THIS YEAR - Many thanks! For 2001, we had a total of 2100 passengers.
MEMBERS: We are still having new members sign up - a very encouraging sign, as a couple of years ago membership was stagnant or falling. WELCOME to all new members, don't be afraid to ask when you can help, either with the maintenance of our railway OR its operations.
THIS NEWSLETTER marks the start of the new financial year for the Club. Subscriptions are now due and, if unpaid by the end of March, your membership automatically lapses. A subs renewal form is enclosed with this Newsletter. We hope members will pay up as early as possible, as subs are our only finance until we start running again on April 7th. As you will read in the newsletters, there is heaps happening at The Junction at this time of the year, Heaps happening MEANS "Heaps must be spent"!
TRAINING: Andrew recently completed his training to become a driver on the CB. Mathew Swabey is consolidating his training as a shunter on open days. Wayne has also completed the St John Ambulance training programme, and is now employed full time with the local Huntly crew. Well done all of you!
MINES CAR: The overhauled end of the car has all steelwork in place - only a couple of small packers are still needed and a little bit of welding (hint, hint)!
Ian Jenner, Harvey and Wingnut have pulled the very sad head-stocks and rest of the wooden under-frame off the other end. Most of the steelwork at this end has been cleaned and painted by our PD Crews. Several cracked angle irons that hold the 12 X 4 head-stock to the steel main frame have been replaced.
One bogie was swapped with a spare one a month or so ago to enable the bogie that was under the car to be overhauled. Apart from the nests of leaf springs - the bogie is in pretty good order and largely just in need of a "Dulux overhaul" - a clean and paint. All parts have been cleaned and painted (again, mostly by our PD crews during the wet weather!!! The springs have been taken to our spring makers for repair - ALAS, they are too rusty and have to be replaced!! (Our cheque book will have a hemorrhage when the cheque is written out). The springs should be ready sometime during January and the bogie can be put back together. The side of the car is another SAD story. The Pd-er (chippie) has now finished his time, so we are in need to find a member who can do the work. Pretty well all studs, and the top and bottom plates need replacing. The new windows have been made up by Wingnut (including the very narrow outside beading, that had to be 'manufactured' to suit by him at home), with help with painting of frames from Harvey. Twelve are currently completed, and ready to be fitted.
STEAM LOCOS:
PECKETT: During November open day, a team of Richard, Mark Swabey and myself started on this boiler. The funnel was removed, the regulator box in the smoke-box removed. We then decided to see about the steam pipe inside the boiler that takes steam from the top of the dome to the regulator box. The vertical section appears to be cast steel and OK! We cut the pipe out of the smoke-box tube-plate and after releasing the holding bolt in vertical section, the whole lot fell down on top of the tubes. It appears the whole 'dry pipe' was badly holed and rusted away at the cab-end. No wonder the loco primed so easily. That's as far as we've got - so far!!
F 185: This is now being prepared for its annual survey. We will be taking a good look at the regulator valve in the dome as it appears to be passing.
HEISLER: After much 'burning of the midnight oil' by Chris, myself and Teresa, we sent off an application for a substantial grant to overhaul this loco and boiler in time for its CENTENIAL in 2004. It has been indicated that we will receive a grant towards this in the new year from Scottwood Trust. We need major supporters for this project to be completed.
FIREWOOD: We still need offers to cut up firewood for next year. Andrew helped with a start of one of our 'long-term dreams' - to SHIFT the firewood heap so that we don't lose so much - yes, it seems too regularly to get "borrowed" - and not by club members!! The firewood heap will now be between the oil store and the jigger shed. Some ground work was done by Andrew, and some by our PD Crews. PS I hear Andrew bought a (new to him) chainsaw at a garage sale recently, and was GIVEN extras that have been trialled out at the club. We need one of our flat top wagons emptied as soon as possible so we can use the wagon to transport new orders of sleepers up the line. (Yes, MORE money).
TREES: A large heap of sleepers were cut from our pine trees and are presently drying in our car-park area. There is still a large heap of sawdust available for F-R-E-E (how often does that happen) And to think I saw Mary with a rather small bag in the back of their van- (She wouldn't take up my offer of loading more loose sawdust into the back of her van).
TRACKWORK: Our 3rd planned trackwork work-day was much the same as the previous. We spent half the day jacking out a couple of low spots and adding cant to the top-end of the curve on the new formation. The straight that leads out of the curve, needs a bit of work and the bottom-end of the new formation area needs a few kinks taken out, a few low spots jacked out and the cant increased. (We are getting there, but need more hands if we are to have this section available for passenger traffic by APRIL!) The crew at the working-bee were Bruce (on jack hammer), Mark and CJ on jacks, Colin Swabey and Mathew on shovels, and Colin Ewing as "band-master". An excellent day's work (eeerr - half-day's work).
We finally managed to get a couple of PD crews up to do more sleepers and tidy up a previously half finished job. The crew were only available for sleepering for half-a-day, and another time for an hour, BUT, we got 20 new sleepers in in this time. This was during the last week of PD for this year - but hopefully, 2002 will be kind to us with further PD Crews!
During 2001 the following materials were put into our track:-
160 X square sleepers, 251 X 1/2 round sleepers and 35 long point sleepers!!
As well as 30 odd fish plate bolts were cut out and replaced, and ballast work!
Xc WAGON: Wingnut 'decided' to give this wagon a "tidy-up" so it could be emptied and all our track gear transferred into it - so our XP Wagon (THE track-wagon) could be given an overhaul. (Do you want to GUESS what happens next?) Sounds easy - we thought- BUT WAIT, there's more!! We noticed that the door sill on one side had 'partly' fallen down on the Xc wagon. The wood was rotten and a weld in the steel cap had broken. He got Harvey to help and have now ended up having to completely replace the bottom angle iron of the framework and the bottom plate. That's for starters!! - as all sides seem to be in much the 'same' condition. Wingnut really wishes he hadn't looked at the Xc wagon but Harvey was heard to say that "they may as well overhaul both wagons!!" (Harvey is still very new at this!! He can be forgiven for not knowing better YET!) The Xc wagon has just been used as a store wagon since it arrived at The Junction many, many years ago.
WORKSHOP: Mike continues with his work on the sliding doors. He has made (and is presently fitting) extra supports for the rail that will support the doors. Chris arranged a lathe for us from 'Genesis Power Station' at Waikaremoana. Not too much has been said about the transport of this lathe to The Junction - but it arrived on one of Warwick Johnson's trucks, fitted with a Hi-ab (swing boom).
The lathe arrived early on our December open day, and with a special round-up of members to help, was sitting on planks and rollers in our workshop by about 0930. Thanks to Sean, Andrew, Ian, Mike, Warrick and his helper for helping me get this out of the way by the time the track-inspection was duly undertaken. Thanks to all for covering all quarters that day. (Of course, the rain set in again - H-E-A-V-Y, but the BBQ's carried on under rec-room shelter).
The opportunity was also taken to unload a shaper that had been stored for many, many years in the Xc wagon. The shaper was also placed on planks and rollers and transferred to the workshop area.
THANKS to Chris for his 'input' into acquiring the lathe, Genesis for the donation and to Warwick and his various 'helpers' he organised throughout the country for its delivery to finally arrive at The Junction. We now find that the lathe's tools had been separated from it before it was given to the Club. Someone MAY have spares available!!
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING:
THIS WILL BE HELD ON SATURDAY 2ND MARCH 2002 beginning at 6pm.
It will be preceded with a social meal at 5pm: please mark this on your calendars NOW!!!
FORMAL NOTICE of The Meeting will be sent out soon. PLEASE mark this important date on your calendar and make sure YOU attend. The success of a club largely reflects the effort put in by The Committee. For this to happen, a committee needs people on it who are PREPARED to put a lit bit (in most cases, a LOT) of extra, into the Club. A member MUST have been in the club for 12 months before being eligible for a committee post.
GLENBROOK VINTAGE RAILWAY - SILVER JUBILEE:
A 'Festival of Steam' will be held at GVR form Thursday 28 March to Monday 1st April (Easter 2002). There will be LOTS of visiting locos and all sorts of other events at Glenbrook that week. It will be an event well worth attending: B.T.C. had originally hoped to take F185 AND CB 117 to Glenbrook. After the Peckett broke down, I was not prepared to send F185, have it back and all ready for our first open day the following weekend. We had quotes for transport (and sponsorship if needed), extra insurance to cover the transport and extra boiler insurance while off our railway site - and in the end had to make the decision that the CB wouldn't go. I can assure you, that we did this very reluctantly. Thanks to those outside organisations that were prepared to support us with this invitation.
SHANTY: One of our PD Crews had enough 'strong bods' in it and a bit of spare time, to put the rails under the shanty ready to be fitted onto the foundation blocks. The rails are 70lb per yard and 8 1/2 yards long -rather heavy AND awkward. To be able to slide them under the shanty 3 people had to be partly in the gully behind the shanty and hold the rails at head-height. The placing of the 5 rails took about 3/4 hour! Richard has since partly jacked up the shanty and changed two of the rails - NOT an easy job by yourself (and rather time consuming)! The old rails are certainly in bad shape. (The jacking of the shanty, has now meant the windows are 'jammed' shut-ooops). The porch rebuild programme can now be looked at!
SCRAP STEEL AREA: This will now be next to the new firewood pile. The ground has been levelled, metalled and one old mine skip is sitting in place and getting filled with scrap. The whole area looks tidy (at present)!
WORKING BEES: We intend carrying on with our present 'idea' of a working bee on the fourth Sunday of the month - starting at 10 am: Our Committee Meetings usually start about 1pm so even in the morning a reasonable amount of work can be done. If enough members are present, the work can carry on in the afternoon without those on the committee continuing. The NEXT ones will be JANUARY 27TH AND FEBRUARY 24TH (More dates for calendars) There is, of course, nothing to stop any member coming at other times. If we get enough help - we would like to have the track across the new formation finished by APRIL!!
Trev arranged our annual top-up of diesel for our diesel locos.
Richard and Andrew spent 1/2 a day weed-spraying the whole of the line. They got a good result, but the long period of wet AND hot weather has meant that weeds are starting to grow again! Before the sprayer could be used, Richard spent a lot of time overhauling the gear. He even had to call on Colin Ewing for ANOTHER motor.
END-OF-YEAR SOCIAL: "The Girls" won the Bettison Trophy, and Mary accepted this on behalf of all the girls who participated in the 'ownership' of this foul-up day!! Hopefully the photo will show the 'expression of acceptance'. The BBQ tea was rounded off with TEAM MEDALS - presented to all Members present. (although Eric was heard to note that his was smaller than the rest - this was to be recitified).