Friday, 31 July 2009
Friday 31st July 2009
Thursday, 30 July 2009
REMINDER: Timetable Alteration Sunday 2nd August 2009
Thursday 30th July 2009 Supplementary
Thursday 30th July 2009
Wednesday, 29 July 2009
Wednesday 29th July 2009
Tuesday, 28 July 2009
Tuesday 28th July 2009
Duffield Report
I am in receipt of the following report from my esteemed colleague the
Station Supervisor at Duffield:
ATB, Anton
DUFFIELD PROGRESS REPORT W/E Sun July 26th
WEDNESDAY EVENING JULY 22nd
As this was the first time back on site for the 'Station Supremeo' since
June 16th, having been working down South at Maidenhead at a friend's
pad. Only a very quick inspection was undertaken after dropping a couple
of items off and it was noticed how fast the unwanted greenery had
started to grow again.
THURSDAY EVENING JULY 23rd
Two and a half hours was spent this evening inspecting all parts of all
four platforms at Duffield and spraying weed killer to all of Platform 3
and most of our part of the 'Down Slow' platform.
SATURDAY JULY 25th
Both members of staff met up and spent a very long 10 hour day doing a
number of tasks. After a 'Fish and Chip' banquet lunch was devoured in
the dining room washed down by copious amounts of orange squash a trip
up to HQ ensued to go and collect the mower and a tin of crimson paint.
Back on home turf at the main line end of our site, while the apprentice
was watering all the flowers, the Senior Management was doing the very
first cut of the new lawn on the Northern end of the 'Down Slow'
platform. It now looks like part of 'Centre Court' at Wimbledon. (The
goat feeding part of Centre Court - ed)
Back at Chapel Street after a litter pick and track inspection was done
from the new speed limit signs approx 20m North of the tunnel right up
to the buffer stop. The next job was to mow and collect all the 'Mare's
Tail' weed we have got in the vicinity of the cabin and other weeds
along the now gentle bank opposite the platform up to the pile of roots,
then give the 'Mare's Tail' a nice drink of weed killer straight after,
hoping that the d*mn stuff will eventually disappear. The site managers
car with trailer behind was then driven down the new landscaped area
opposite platform 3 and all the grass on platform's 3 lawn was cut,
bagged up and taken off site for recycling later.
SUNDAY JULY 26th
After a few menial tasks in the cabin were done, due to the rain. The
mower was taken back up to HQ, where it was established that the Sunday
P Way team had been to Chapel Street earlier measuring up point crossing
timbers.
All the Best-------------Rodders
Monday, 27 July 2009
Monday 27th July 2009
Sunday, 26 July 2009
Progress Report Sunday 26th July
A day of periodic dampness. The full summer season timetable was in
operation for the first time today and business was happily steady with
visitors from as far away as Edinburgh and Norfolk. A day with a driver
proceeded cheerfully on both lines. All public parts of our empire were
open including the narrow gauge.
The weekend p-way team were in attendance and began by measuring and
sorting the crossing timbers by the south weighbridge before despatching
themselves to Duffield for further calculations, allegedly involving the
changing rooms of the Duffield Girls Boarding School, though the
Duffield Station Supervisor merely reported that his lock had been furtled.
A new guard has been passed out as well as a new driver, and a new cadet
inducted. Mr Fergy-Lee has received his guard's epaulettes to go with
the existing Global Marketing Dept official codpiece.
A magistrate of conscripts were allocated the task of moving ballast
from the car park and tidying up in general. In the process some of this
ballast found its way, by the miracle of wheelbarrows, to the shed where
a rather large gap by the track is being filled. Also in the shed, or
near it, the intensive cleaning of the Met Cams continued, with the
emphasis today being on buffer beams.
All the best,
Anton
Saturday, 25 July 2009
Progress Report Saturday 25th July
A gloriously sunny day which brought out a steady stream of passengers
for the Idridgehay service and kept the Booking Hall, EVRA shoppe and
even the narrow gauge occupied today.
In the engineerium the principal activity was the total cleansing of the
Met cam set, that mainly involved the senior staff in being up to their
elbows in the toilet, which has been restored to working order after
having been "guard flushable" since the frost got the pipes. The guard
flushable mechanism involving, chiefly, a bucket.
The swine flu pandemic strangely not having reached our volunteers, due
either to (a) soaking one's underpants in creosote, or (b) not reading
the newspapers any more, a number of other tasks were achieved. These
included a great deal of painting, vis: The completion of the black
frilly bits on the Wash Green gates; the final completion of the
weighbridge, as indicated by the ceremonial fitting of its door sign,
and work at Idridgehay by the Demon Welsh Painting Division on the
crossing gates. In addition the pair of JCB weights "donated" some time
ago, which have migrated around the yard several times, were recently
found a final home by Mr Tarry and have, of course, therefore been
painted. Finally, our esteemed staff at Duffield, now returned from
commanding the fleet at Maidenhead, have commenced weedkilling, grass
cutting and possibly wheelbarrow repairing today.
Many thanks to all,
Mike Evans,
via Anton
Friday, 24 July 2009
Friday 24th July 2009
Thursday, 23 July 2009
Thurs 23rd July
After spending a fortnight on a nice remote Greek Island, with no
railway within a hundred miles, it was back to the grind today. 282
emails waiting to be attended to.
However, a big shunt occured to refresh the Museum line and rearrange
stock in the yartd. It was also a time to say a fond farewell to the
two Trams that have been lurking here for many years.
Concrete sleepers were loaded onto two flat wagons ready for taking to
Postern Lodge. A sttart was also made of rearranging bags of ballast
that were in the Car Park. Many of the bags had broken and stone had
been spilling out over the last couple of months.
In the Maintenance dept work continued on the fitting of the electric
starter to Tommy.
The VCT continued working from Hazlewood towards Duffield and achieved
a 4 fire day, with much precut material disposed of.
The Booking Hall was kept fairly busy with a steady stream of
visitors, most of whom had very deep pockets!
Just a reminder that the relay at Postern Lodge (Travis Folly) starts
on Monday with the main work being on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday
next week.
Phil
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Wednesday, 22 July 2009
Wednesday 22nd July 2009
Tuesday, 21 July 2009
Tuesday 21st July 2009
Monday, 20 July 2009
Monday 20th July 2009
Timetable Alteration
Sunday, 19 July 2009
Progress Sunday 19th July 2009
You wouldn't have really noticed it was July if you were looking at the weather today. Admitedley there were one or two brighter spells but they were intermingled with torrential downpours. Still, it doesn't stop our relentless team slaving away in flooded marshes.
The passenger service did reasonably well today with visitors also using the buffet car and EVRA shop. Also riding today was another "Day with the Driver" experience and our guest today seemed to thoroughly enjoy himself. He was treated to the usual, including lunch and a special trip to Idridgehay before lunch which was also opened up as an additional public service train which proved to be popular.
At first light (well about midday) the relatively new Sunday P-Way Gang departed for the Chateaux Shottle with and extension task in mind. Progress was apparently good dispite the weather.
The Dream Steam Team worked away all day down at the back of the shed whilst at the front of the shed the Class 119 team continued their work on this unit which has been slightly lacking in recent weeks due to holidays, event days and the like. Today, both engines were painted up in the dazzling metallic blue paint and the wheelsets received a coat of black underframe slop after being needle gunned. Whilst this was drying there was even time to paint an air filter, so that is now ready to be fitted to an engine. Both exhausts had some grease applied to the joints so that they can be removed next week for welding. Just a day can make such a difference to progress.
All in all a very good day,
John Ball via Leigh
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Saturday, 18 July 2009
Report Sat 18.7.2009
Friday, 17 July 2009
Friday 17th July 2009
Thursday, 16 July 2009
Thursday 16th July 2009
Wednesday, 15 July 2009
Wednesday 15th July 2009
Tuesday, 14 July 2009
Tuesday 14th July 2009
Monday, 13 July 2009
Monday 13th July 2009
Sunday, 12 July 2009
Progress Report Sunday 12th July 2009
A very happy day was had by all at the railway today. No cases of Swine
Fever we found to be affecting local journalists, and no MPs were found
to be claiming for 376 returns to Ravenstor. We were rather busier than
yesterday and the public pottered around the railway cheerfully, as well
as visiting the hanging gardens of Wasser for the Open Gardens weekend,
a success by all accounts, though we were initially taken by surprise,
for which the Passenger Manager has been duly whipped to within an inch
of his life. In between the whipping we dealt with a Day with a Driver
and a number of other tasks.
Our own cadets, in between gate duties, did a great deal of weeding,
which included the pulling of Ragwort from embankments all around the
station, yard and nearby areas, a weed which has been taken to the fire
site to be burned. The Nursery Path fence has been repaired as wear,
tear and wood rot had got to a section of it. A new combination locked
was fitted to the South Weighbridge. The wideway adjacent the incline
line has been mowed, or more accurately 2/3 of it has been mowed and a
mower appointed to complete it next week. A temporary banner has been
fixed to the Wash Green fence in order to catch the many hundreds of
visitors who approach the town from the Malt Shovel. Half the decals
have been applied to Tommy, the other half being strangely non stick.
Ravenstor Station has been inspected and a bench at that fine station
faulted for attention. A failed door on Iris has been remedied. The
class 117 has received further paint to its roof, in near perfect
painting conditions. Mr Lidgett had beans and pork sausages for his lunch.
All the best,
Anton
Saturday, 11 July 2009
Progress Saturday 11th July 2009
Day one of two of our July Family Event Days saw a moderate amount of people visiting to travel to both Idridgehay and Ravenstor. The buffet car, EVRA shop and booking hall managing to relieve them of some of their hard-earned cash in the process. Also at the station, there was a fun and games stall as well as a magician who had luckily managed to magic some nice pleasant weather.
Everybody today was tied up in running the event day and therefore there was little other progress. A short report that doesn't reflect the hard work and effort put in by all concerned.
Many thanks,
Mike Evans via Leigh
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Friday, 10 July 2009
Friday 10th July 2009
Thursday, 9 July 2009
Thursday 9th July 2009
Wednesday, 8 July 2009
Wednesday 8th July 2009
Tuesday, 7 July 2009
Tuesday 7th July 2009
Monday, 6 July 2009
Monday 6th July 2009
Friday, 3 July 2009
Friday 3rd July 2009
Thursday, 2 July 2009
Tuesday 2nd July 2009
Wednesday, 1 July 2009
Wed 1st July
Another scorcher, saw the Works train away, but we needed to pinch the
Booking Hall Attendant to act as works train guard, as most of the rest
of the staff went to Shottle. The road works are causing a bit of
bother in that respect. However, once a crew was mustered, some broken
concrete bits were loaded as well as some point rodding. Theses were
dropped off in appropriate places. The bits of concrete were dropped
off at the erosion site wher a lone chap was manfully wielding a shovel
(naturally he was called Doug). The team then continued to Duffield
where more scrap material was recovered. A load of logs were gathered
on the return journey.
A visiting Footpaths Officer had a whole line tour to have a look at
our needs, this was very usefull. This required the Landrover to
'overtake' the works train at Shottle and again at Duffield where the
siding was once again used.
Back at base there was more activity around No 3, as well as continued
painting of Tommy's cab, and Faraday had more green paint applied. The
new container also had some green paint slapped on. More S&T work was
carried out on the frame for Duffield North.
The works train will be required again tomorrow and a crew, especially
a guard will be needed to depart from Wirksworth around 0915.
Phil
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