Well, the first 2 months of this year have already been and gone. I don't know what happens to the days as they seem to pass faster and faster. The summer period is traditionally a quiet time at The Junction - but this time has been strangely so, with no-one (and I mean no-one) at The Junction for 2 1/2 weeks. And each side of that only a few people.
SUBSCRIPTIONS: Thanks to all who have paid their subs. A large number have included a donation. IF the square at the top of this page has a red dot in it, our records show you haven't paid up yet. If you haven't paid by the end of THIS month, your name is automatically removed from our mailing list.
OPEN DAYS: Yes, it is nearly that time again. The first will be on SUNDAY 7TH APRIL and
the second open day on 5th May. Please fill out the attached work notice and return it. We need as many people as possible to help on these days. It is very hard for me to work out who is to do what, if I don't get this information back.
MINES CARRIAGE: This project is pretty quiet at present. Ian came down soon after New Year and took away all the old 12 X 4 head-stocks and framing - and the new timber so that he can cut out and pre-drill all the holes required in the new materials. He hopes to bring it all back and just bolt everything into place - Well, that's the plan!!!!!
We recently had a portable welder and operator at The Junction so he welded new ends on the tie rods that go through from the top to bottom plate of the side.
The springs for the bogies are still not ready. The size of the spring steel is not a normal size now, and the spring-maker ran out part way through the job! More was ordered, someone mucked the order up, so wrong sized steel arrived!! (Where have we heard this type of saga happening before!!)? Hopefully, the right sized steel is shortly to arrive from Australia.
XC WAGON: Wingnut and Harvey (with Teresa dragged into help on a couple of occasions) continue to work on this wagon. So far they have fitted a new bottom angle iron on one side and fitted a new bottom plate, the studs and begun with the placement of the new T & G. Wingnut has drilled and bolted the bottom plate to the angle iron. Another job was the removal of the T & G on the side, so they could start on the timber framing that needed replacing. (This was started on 13th February, when a large part of the timber was 'inspected'. Some of the lower framework was replaced, and a lot of new T & G (stored for many years ) was brought out of storage and stacked either in the wagon or close by. They primed this before getting stuck into the woodworking proper - and now find they are short of T & G timber!! Harvey, as his homer project is making up new vents - there's only twelve!!!! (Although on double checking his MEASURING on prototype #1- has found he was 1" short somewhere!!!) Harvey, welcome aboard, it happens to us all.
STEAM LOCOS: Thanks to help from Richard, Don and Eric, the loco was ready for the boiler inspector on 23/1/02. The loco was passed OK by a new inspector from M & I who does the Hamilton area, but is based in Tauranga. A further burst by Don and Richard saw the loco all back together and lit up on Sunday 3/2. All seems fine, so by the time you read this, the inspector should have been and gone again: The regulator still blows slightly even though it has been lapped in. we are presently looking at getting one of our spare regulators overhauled and then swap over.
A new carrier bar for the fire-bars was made up and fitted. The old one had not been replaced since we have had the loco and was well due for replacement!
PECKETT: Chris received an email from UK that had a specification sheet for a Peckett attached to it. Careful reading of this solved a problem with our Peckett as it showed the dry pipe to be expanded at both ends. We had found the smoke-box-end on our one to be expanded but weren't too sure about the cab end. A good scratch round found the cab end of the dry pipe to be the same, so it was easily cut out.
We can now look at the girder stays and their hangers & pins. Chris has offered to work on this loco. The Committee have approved some money to go towards the boiler work while we look into applying for a grant for the rest of the boiler work.
The manager of an engineering firm visited us to price for a new smoke-box OUCH!! We may only do the basic requirements - instead of the preferred OVERHAUL!. All things take time! AND money!!
CB 117: Richard has decided to go ahead with the re-tubing of this boiler. All new tubes were at The Junction, ordered mid-year. The CB was shunted into the workshop and Richard has the smoke-box off. The ash-pan and drive shaft already off from late January. The old tubes are currently 'neatly stacked' in front of engineering workshop. This engine programme was funded from the generous grant last year from the WHITNEY CHISHOLM Trust.
FIREWOOD: Andrew has cut up some of the wood and has promised to come back and cut up the rest. At least we now have an empty flat-top wagon to put bundles of sleepers on when they arrive. There is still heaps of wood to be cut up -anyone else willing to help?
SAWDUST: We still have a LARGE quantity available - and for FREE!
(CARTOON)
There you go Eric, a REAL ENGINE MAN'S breakfast!
But there are bits of coal and grit in it Mary, did you
actually fry it on the shovel (crunch, crunch, crunch).
NO - I dropped it on the loco-shed floor!
(SPLUTTER, slap, COUGH, slap, SPLUTTER)
TRACKWORK: Our working bee on 27 January was attended by the usual/useful few, however, another section of the track at the top-end of the sand-fill was jacked and packed, and this area is now LARGELY COMPLETED!
The next working bee on Sunday 24/3 will continue with this work on the sand-fill. Work now needed is at the lower end of this area where a couple of bad low spots need lifting and packing, the cant on the curves checked and a couple of sharp kinks pulled out. We will need a driver for the digger on this day!
Our PD Crews have spent two days so far replacing sleepers in 'fern cutting', just above Downer's Xing. The track in this area was track-sets from the 'Mine's Railway to the Carbo Works', and some of the treated pine sleepers need replacing/ The railway to the carbo works was done up in the 60's, so the sleepers have lasted their expected 40-odd years!
So far, we have replaced 43 sleepers in this area with about the same number still to do.
We are also replacing fish-plate bolts or the spring washers, if the joints are loose, while in the area.
WORKSHOP: The portable welder was used to weld some angle braces onto the steel beam for the mezzanine floor. Rather an awkward job, as the braces had to be held in place by a rope, held by me, leaning over the mezzanine floor, while the welder worked off a ladder held the brace in place AND tacked it with the other hand.
Mike has continued to battle with the workshop doors and FINALLY got one up onto the runner on 10/2, only to find that the hangers for the doors foul on the bolts holding runner to the posts!!
(Looks like some modifications may be necessary)!
GANTRY CRANE: The second most important job when we had the portable welder at The Junction, was to weld the cross beam of this gantry to one of the support legs. This took about 3/4 hour and now means that the gantry can be used - finally.
At the same stage this year, we need to re-sleeper a couple of tracksets under the gantry. The siding down to the gantry was done last year.
GVR SILVER JUBILEE: Don't forget this is on over Easter. Leaflets showing what's on and when, are available in the shanty.
SAFETY REFRESHER COURSE: This will be held on Sunday April 28th at 10.00am:
It is IMPORTANT that ALL members who have any part in the operating side of our railway attend this course.
LOCO SHED: Richard has done some more on a project he started a long time ago - improve the lighting so that you don't need miners helmet with its small light. The old spot-lights were better than nothing, and all we could afford at the time! Richard has put up some ordinary light fittings, angled towards the centre of one track through the shed. These fittings so far are on the outside and centre posts of the shed, and light up where our locos are normally parked. So far, half the shed has been done like this.
GENERAL GROUNDS: The whole of our yard - including the station building and surrounds, needs a good tidy and clean up before our running season starts. Any offers??
One PD Crew have started tidying up the long grass at the bottom of the driveway, but why leave everything hoping that they will do it all. Teresa has spent some time washing down the station window sills, toilet block and the doing up the entrance garden (and managed to use some of the saw-dust pile - no, not in the toilet block). Jan was to spruce up the hand-rails etc, as there was to be a wedding party on-site for wedding photos on Saturday 23rd February.
CHARTER TRIPS: We already - (to date, mid February) - have BOOKINGS for three trips - all for parties of rail fans from UK visiting NZ. The first will probably be over by the time you receive this newsletter, as it is for the afternoon of our AGM. The second is for later in March and the 3rd mid-May. As they are all for Saturdays, we will need OTHER members who can help!
We also had a request for one in mid-February - we got asked the day BEFORE the hoped-for trip! So - NO TRIP!!
Since starting this newsletter about 3 days ago, a couple of important things have happened at The Junction:
ELECTRICAL SUPPLY: On 13/2, another piece of Bob Wiseman's long planned (often changed), re-planed etc. etc. electrical supply/re-hash jigsaw was put in place. Last year we received a grant from Trust Waikato 2001, towards the upgrade of our badly needed electrical supply, and run some cables into the workshop. There is still electrical work to do, but - we could only arrange the basics with the funds available. Thanks to Warrick Johnson for his donated components.
The most important part is now in place. Our electrical supply for the whole of The Junction now comes off the pole beside the water-tanks above the loco-shed - rather than the pole near Trev & Maxine's house. This alteration means that the meter box is on the pole at the water tanks - NOT INSIDE THE HALL, and the whole supply is fed from the switchboard about half-way along the wall of the loco shed - beside the roller door!! (Say that again, fast!) From there, it uses our existing cables to the hall and to the station: Hopefully !! this will get rid of the large voltage drop under the old set-up. If you've ever been in the loco shed or station with the lights on and larger water pumps start up, you'll know what I mean.
This part of the job was done under contract with Bob as the goffa!
Wingnut was heard to ask Bob if he could make use a 160 amp circuit breaker for the job - while the pole fuses are 30 amps!!!
WATER WAGON: This was given its annual going over which as an extra had to include a 2-year overhaul of its Westinghouse brake system. Wingnut assisted and the job took about 2 hours.
LAST OF NATIVE MILLING: A report was posted on rail site last week about the last of Crown land West Coast rimu being milled. - the era of native timber milling ended 21 February 2002. The remaining mills, (only seven of the original 100 or so during the last 137 years, are still operating) are now surviving on only exotic timber - pine trees.
'Forever Beech' company is logging trees from privately owned forests in the upper Buller and Murchison areas.