Thursday, 30 June 2011
Progress Thursday 30th June 2011
Wednesday, 29 June 2011
Progress Wednesday 29th June 2011
Tuesday, 28 June 2011
Progress Tuesday 28th June 2011
Sunday, 26 June 2011
Progress Report Sunday the 26th of June 2011
Well, we certainly sweated today. A gratifyingly satisfactory day, with
many passengers on and around the railway and a very cheerful 70 year
old Day with a Driver guest, who must have inspected every corner of our
enterprise. A number of classic Austin Healey cars attracted the
attention of visitors on the dust dock, and their respective drivers and
helpers tried out our railway, many for the first time. I am very
grateful for everyone's hard work in sweltering conditions, the steam
crew in particular have no need to go to weightwatchers, having taken up
the entire mantel of the Ravenstor service on their own. I am also most
grateful to our Southampton Branch for stepping so deftly into the
breach today.
Around the yard, the class 31 received routine maintenance and was
declared operational after its fan replacements. Bramson Enterprises
spread himself over a vast number of tasks from ECS shunting to the
repair of the GatEx Buffet door and the painting of the south end buffer
beam of the BSK. The entire and utter wideway was mowed, as well as the
picnic area. Meanwhile, the Railway's DMU team were celebrating at the
Llandewi Brefi Boxer Shorts Convention, oh, I'm sorry, I'll read that
again... at the Llangollen Railway Railcar Convention and are expected
back in a very soon moment to report on their experiences and ask for
somewhere to keep a Pacer. (...request already refused).
All the best,
Anton
Friday, 24 June 2011
Progress Friday 24 June 2011
Thursday, 23 June 2011
Progress Thursday 23rd June 2011
Classic Vehicle Event
Wednesday, 22 June 2011
Progress Wednesday 22nd June 2011
Derwent Valley Line Leaflet
Tuesday, 21 June 2011
Progress Tuesday 21st June 2011
Monday, 20 June 2011
Progress Monday 20th June 2011
Sunday, 19 June 2011
Progress Report Sunday the 19th of June 2011
Another fine day in the Socialist Republic of Wirksworth. Business was a
twinge better than yesterday due to the absence of rain and it was
almost warm. A Day with a Driver guest was given the grand tour. In the
yard, the DMU team stripped the ceiling of railcar 51505 ready for its
replacement after their holiday next week in Llanddewi Brefi. Meanwhile
the LMS brake van was surrounded by an entire tea break of engineers,
who were knee deep in cladding and paint.
The Duty Conscripts were allocated to scraping (which next week will
become painting) and digging holes. The said holes being for the repair
of the fencing along the school path and for a small but perfectly
formed bit of fence on the edge of the Community Garden. In the process,
the mower was applied to the community garden path which had become
sadly infested with an assortment of weeds.
In the Mess Room, the cupboard kick plates have been repaired, as well
as the vinyl flooring in the kitchen area. A lemon meringue pie was
reported as lost and will soon be featuring in a special episode of
Crimewatch Roadshow, where the entire Passenger Dept ("Extras" Section)
will be performing as a JLS tribute band in the background.
All the best,
Anton
Saturday, 18 June 2011
New Stock List Available for Download
Progress Saturday 18th June 2011
Thursday, 16 June 2011
Progress Thursday 16th June 2011
Wednesday, 15 June 2011
Progress Wednesday 15th June 2011
Tuesday, 14 June 2011
Progress Tuesday 14th June 2011
Monday, 13 June 2011
Progress Monday 13th June 2011
Sunday, 12 June 2011
Progress Sunday the 12th June 2011
Well, for the best part of three months we have had a marquee over the
quad, intended to keep the rain off during the Opening. Naturally it has
barely rained in three months. This morning Rajinder came to pluck it
down, and within 30 minutes of the marquee vanishing up Coldwell Street
in the back of Rajinder's van, the heavens opened and it rained cats and
dogs all day. We were very wet. Very very wet.
However, we strangely took as much as we had yesterday, when the sun
shone and the car park was rammed from end to end. We welcomed a Rolls
Royce meet and they all brought picnics. Given the knee high moisture
bouncing off the picnic area, the picnics were taken in the first class
dining car. A Day with a Driver guest was also present and complimented
us on how friendly all the staff were including the "charming young man
with the hair on the train", and said how much they had enjoyed the day.
The Duty Conscript sloshed around the car park moving a bag of ballast
and dripped gently into a cup of tea at lunchtime. Evans the Pallet made
some useful repairs to the Ravenstor Gate and covered a couple of catch
pits south of Hazelwood to prevent things falling into them. Bramson
Engineering repaired the GLV Buffet Door, and a useful contribution to
profits was made by our cheerful Marxist-Lenninist Booking Hall staff at
Duffield.
I leave you now to steam my socks.
All the best,
Anton
Saturday, 11 June 2011
Progress Saturday 11th June 2011
Thursday, 9 June 2011
Progress Thursday 9th June 2011
Wednesday, 8 June 2011
Progress Wednesday 8th June 2011
Tuesday, 7 June 2011
Progress Tuesday 7th June 2011
Sunday, 5 June 2011
Progress Report Sunday the 5th of June 2011
A pleasant, leisurely kind of day. The passenger service settled, for
the first time this year, into its normal timetable and the railcars
pottered cheerfully up and down the line. A Day with a Driver guest from
Crewe and his group declared themselves well satisfied with our friendly
little railway and hope to visit again.
At Duffield work has been taking place to progress the fitting out of
the Booking Hall and some charming flat-pack furniture has arrived on
the scene. At Wirksworth the Duty Conscript was allocated to the
time-honoured task of moving a pile of Complete Railway Aggregate
Product and this effort will, in due course, result in the tidying up of
Dale Tunnel mouth. A reminder to all concerned that the talking tunnel
is once again operational and should be turned off at the end of the
Booking Hall shift, this is so that we do not keep the neighbours awake
when a cat activates the motion sensor at three in the morning, so that
the dulcet tones of Tony Holmes can be heard throughout Bolehill
reciting the history of Dale Quarry.
Meanwhile around the yard, the steam team were progressing Henry Ellison
and the DMU team were covering the bogies of 50170 and themselves in
black paint from breakfast to teatime.
Connor Kilroy was reported to be exhausted from the consumption of a
giant economy pack of Cadbury's buttons.
Will Booking Hall staff please note that Booking Hall floats at both
Duffield and Wirksworth are now £80 effective immediately, as the 2011
fares structure appears to take all the change. Booking Hall floats
remain in the respective Booking Hall safes and do not get sent back to
Wirksworth.
All the best,
Anton