We are spending today preserving yesterday, so you can enjoy it tomorrow.
This Saturday 27th November sees the start of the 2021 Santa services.
Always a fun time on the railway. So to kick it off here are a few pics of Santa trains gone by. Some pics are better than others but including them all anyway!!
Well the work continues on the continental coach wheels
Here is an image of the shavings that are being removed.
Here we have before and after shots of the work on a wheel.
I hope these posts are of interest.
More images of the wheel work at Wansford. If you have any technical queries please have a look at the companies web site that is linked in the previous post.
This week we have external contractors in to do work on the wheels of a continental coach.
Here are a few pictures of the operation. My thanks to them for being happy to have the operation photographed.
Here is a link to the website of Railathe Services. you can get more information on the company.Mainentance
During November and January the Swedish Railcar will be operating. It is popular with visitors.
A number of people have asked for a close up picture of it. So here it is.
Over the years I have lost count of the number of people who would comment every autumn that except for the Santa trains the railway was dead in late autumn & winter.
This of course is far from the truth. In both November and January we are running services, yes it’s just the railcar but it’s still a service and the Swedish railcar is popular with many visitors. Not to mention we have some steam driver experience days.
But that’s not all that will be going on. Remember that it’s a busy period in the office with plans for next year. As well as enquiries and the normal work that has to be done to keep the railway running through the year.
No doubt down in the shed people will be working away at both routine maintenance as well as rebuilds etc.
The cafe will be open at weekends and Wednesdays, which hopefully will encourage people to visit on non-running days and help with both turnover and profit for the railway in the process.
Around the railway there will be maintenance along the line, the civils will no doubt be out and about making sure that the line is clear and safe for the trains that will use it.
As usual the monthly electronic newsletter for working members will be prepared and sent out on the 1st of the month.
So next time somebody says that the railway is dead in the winter point out those working members and paid staff that will be working to make sure that we have a safe, busy and profitable railway in the coming year.
On Remembrance Sunday in 2018 92 Squadron is framed by mother nature on Castor bank complete with red poppy wreath on the smokebox to 100 years since the end of the First World War.
Ignoring the people who think that the railway runs on thin air and we raid a box of monopoly money when we need to replace something the following was taken from a permanent way update.
It’s worth reflecting that track components are expensive. New bullhead rail (forget serviceable bullhead rail from off the network, its like rocking horse droppings – non-existent!) is currently costing £1252.00 per 60ft length. New timber sleepers are costing £55.00 each and ballast is approaching £40.00 per tonne. To relay a quarter of a mile of track you need forty-four rails, five hundred and fifty sleepers and almost 700 tonnes of ballast. That’s a bill of over £100K and that doesn’t include any small materials such as chairs and screws, heavy plant, labour etc. It can be done cheaper using serviceable concrete sleepers (circa £25 each) and serviceable flat bottom rail (circa £500 each if available) but you need a deeper dig and more ballast (approx. 150 tonnes) to fit the concrete sleepers in. Expensive whichever way you go.
And that ladies and gentlemen is why donations are always welcome. Should you wish to donate to the railway you will find a link at the top of the railways main web site. Click HERE to go directly there.
Just remember the above if you’re one of our regular non-paying visitors.
The Fletton loop is an important part of the railway, it’s our link to the outside world railway wise.
From time to time we run trips for visitors down it, normally either with brake vans or the Swedish railcar. We even did a weekend of cab rides in a couple of class 31’s down there, they were extremely popular.
But it’s rare that we put the MK1 coaches down there, and when we do they are top and tailed as there is no run round at the far end.
So last weekend was the Three Peaks diesel gala, and one of the highlights on the Saturday and Sunday were two trips for the Mk1’s down the Fletton loop each of the two days with peak locomotives at one end and a class 14 at the other.
They were popular and I have seen lots of positive comments.
Here are some pictures sent to me by Harry Wheeler who was visiting the railway and he took them on the Fletton loop.
My thanks to him for sending the pictures they are much appreciated.
If you visit the railway and have any pictures you would like to send me for the blog then I would love to receive them. Please send them with full details to the email address for comments that’s on the right had side of the blog.