Wednesday, 29 February 2012
Progress Wednesday 29th February 2012
Tuesday, 28 February 2012
Progress Tuesday 28th February 2012
Sunday, 26 February 2012
Progress Report Sunday the 26th of February 2012
A very pleasant sunny early Spring day in Wirksworth, with quite a large
number of casual visitors to keep the Booking Hall entertained, or more
specifically to get in the way of the annual pre-season painting and ask
questions while you are up a ladder. However, about 3/4 of the Booking
Hall is completed, having used several kilos of filler before the
application of primer and two top coats, in an attempt to preserve this
fine portable building for posterity. The embankment gardens also
received attention, as did the bookshop. Outside, several choice winter
potholes were filled in Station Approach so as not to damage the
suspension of the station bike.
The yard this week deposited itself into platform 1, with railcar 51505,
which had emerged briefly from the DMU team's closet, complete with a
new ceiling, correct period lights and other restored features, parked
in the platform: Its seats are being extracted to be re-covered in
original moquette, a process which will take several weeks. In so far as
the seats have never been out of this unit since it was called into
preservation, at least 30 years of under-seat grime emerged together
with a selection of small coinage, a variety of heritage tickets, a
small bush and a choice piece of felt. Most of today was therefore spent
grinding 30 year old chewing gum from the heater ducts and applying CIF
cleaner to parts never before seen by humans. In the cab a suspiciously
wobbly drivers chair had its seat bottom replaced and the wobbly bottom
has been consigned to the great wobbly bottom repository in the sky,
which has been franchised by the government to ASDA.
All the best,
Anton
Progress Saturday 25th February 2012
A busy day with many many volunteers on site. A Drive a Diesel guest was entertained on his surprise experience, having lunch in the Training Room.
The DMU team split in half with some returning 51360 to traffic and some moving onto Phase 2 of the restoration of 51505. 51188 was put on the pit ready to receive attention to a leaking flywheel and a 2-car was constructed ready for the first day of the season next Saturday. Work also continued of the bubble.
The LMSCA worked on the floor in the Brake Third coach.
No3 was steamed to check all is good for the season and work continued on the LMS brake van. The 8F group were in attendance.
The Passenger Dept painted the buildings to lift their appearance for the new season.
Not a bad day for progress but spirits severely dampened by the sad news of Fred Morton's passing.
Mike Evans
Saturday, 25 February 2012
Fred Morton
Friday, 24 February 2012
Progress Friday 24th February 2012
Thursday, 23 February 2012
Thursday 23rd February 2012
Wednesday, 22 February 2012
Progress Wednesday 22nd February 2012
Live Webcams
Tuesday, 21 February 2012
Progress Tuesday 21st February 2012
Sunday, 19 February 2012
Progress Report Sunday the 19th of February 2012
Today was cold with a distinct smell of bitumen paint, particularly in
my car. Down the yard, a slim DMU team continued their efforts to
Formica the class 119.
The chief Pullman painter continued with the Lancastrian Cream
programme. Some debate was had about the branding, and it would appear
that First Class will be Pullman Dining, Second Class will be Pullman
Buffet and Third Class will be Pullman Bap-o-rama.
I am most grateful to Nathan, Chris, Ben and Rob for their contributions
at Idridgehay today, where the ramp rebuild is now completed and has
been gauged, during a rather long and wearing day: though at least we
can make a cup of tea there.
A large amount of rubbish was collected at Gorsey Bank and we look
forward to identifying the person dumping it, so we can return it to
their garden with our compliments.
All the best,
Anton
Saturday, 18 February 2012
Progress Saturday 18th February 2012
Friday, 17 February 2012
Progress Friday 17th February 2012
Thursday, 16 February 2012
Progress Thursday 16th February 2012
Wednesday, 15 February 2012
Progress Wednesday 15th February 2012
Progress Tuesday 14th February 2012
Monday, 13 February 2012
Progress Monday 13th February 2012
Sunday, 12 February 2012
Progress Report Sunday the 12th of February 2012
A slightly damp rather than perishing day here in the Gem of the Peak.
The Booking Hall settled into a day of stuffing and a huge pile of our
leaflets will presently be despatched to the four corners of the known
universe. The station working party, as well as the Duty Conscript,
departed at sun-up to Idridgehay where a humongous amount of levelling,
sawing and fixing saw the replacement platform superstructure begin to
take shape there.
Back at Wirksworth, more welding took place on railcar 55006 and
eventually Dan will have worked his was round to the place where he
started from. The LMS Brake van team spent the morning bending metalwork
for the duckets and the afternoon painting their heritage nuts anti-rust
red. The DMU team, ensconced in the tropical environment of the class
119 with the entire station's supply of Rocky Road (90p from the Booking
Hall) finished chipping the foul orange Formica off the vestibule and
began applying a much more tasteful wood effect version that will help
return this vehicle's interior to its original joy.
If anyone has a spare pan, can we have it please: the Mess Room pan has
done a runner.
All the best,
Anton
Saturday, 11 February 2012
Progress Saturday 11th February Part 2
HRA Visit Saturday 11th February 2012
Thursday, 9 February 2012
Progress Thursday 9th February 2012
Passenger Department Meeting and Training
The next meeting of the Passenger Department will take place on Tuesday
the 6th March at 2.00pm in the Booking Hall Wirksworth, its co-acting
meeting for weekend staff will take place on Sunday the 11th March at
2.00pm in the Mess Room Duffield.
Will all staff please note that pre-season refresher training will take
place on a one-to-one basis with all passenger department staff as you
attend for your next rostered duty. In addition, all passenger
department staff will be issued with a new Staff Training Guide. If you
are not immediately rostered, the Guide will be issued to you at the
forthcoming meeting. The Guide includes the duties of Stationmasters and
Assistant Stationmasters, Booking Clerks, Ticket Inspectors and Platform
Staff.
With kind regards,
Anton Shone
Passenger Services Manager
Wednesday, 8 February 2012
Progress Wednesday 8th February 2012
Tuesday, 7 February 2012
Progress Tuesday 7th February 2012
Monday, 6 February 2012
Progress Monday 6th February 2012
Sunday, 5 February 2012
Progress Report Sunday the 5th of February 2012
As we've spent the day in Narnia, with snow up to our ankle tops, I
expect you would like to know what we've done. Naturally there was some
beavering away to clear the snow first of all, but it was a very bright
day and you could almost walk around without wearing a fawn scarf. The
station webcam was run off its tiny feet with people trying to find out
if the rest of the country had been cut off from Wirksworth, and the
staff at Duffield were so surprised to find snow so near the equator
that they spent the day toboganning around the Chevin Golf Course.
Meanwhile the DMU team, after a morning of sliding up the main road,
occupied themselves with the wiring of the class 119's jumper cables,
and resolving an electrical failure in unit 51505. This latter unit also
received some pre-cleaning, thermostat covers and its antimaccassars
ready for a charter next week.
Around the station many routine tasks were carried while the snow lay
round us deep and crisp and even, and repairs were undertaken to the
main footgate and the south yard gate, as well as successful attempts to
restore water to the Mess Room and the Staff Toilet.
Having therefore done the lion's share of the work, it was time to
return to the closet.
All the best,
Anton