Ajax Weather
Thirty-one years ago, there was a dark, cold, filthy wet weekend, when the grim outline of 'Yet another loco for the Isle of Wight' was dumped in a flooded station yard at Havenstreet, blocking the main gate. As the weekend passed, things got much worse, with water and mud resembling the Somme battlefield, and the new arrival causing nothing but grief among the small team of reluctant volunteers, whose task it was to somehow get the loco onto the nearest track, some thirty yards away!
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Waiting
for the safety valves to lift: Len Pullinger (on
the footplate) and Andy Summers.
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Similar weather plagued the Island on 1st December this year. Whilst being towed in from Newport, on account of a flooded car engine, I remembered that the initial steam test was booked for Ajax that day. Upon late arrival at Havenstreet, the engine had been already lit up, and was gently smoking out the works. Once towed outside, the boiler was partly protected with blankets and a plastic tarpaulin, in an effort to retain some heat. The purpose of the steam test was to make sure there were no problems on the boiler before it was lagged and fitted out. A further steam test will be required when the engine is fully back together. Unlike thirty-one years ago, there was a small gap in the rain as the boiler inspector arrived to witness the boiler at 160psi and the safety valves blowing for the first time since 1967.
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The
safety valves lift for the first time since 1967.
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Unfortunately, the plastic tarpaulin melted over the boiler once the rain ceased to cool it, making an unusual blue mess! A couple of minor leaks were noted, including one in my boots, but these will be easily remedied.
Work now continues with the boiler cladding. The old safety valve cover was found to be beyond repair, so Nick Wade has 'panel beaten' a replacement from scratch. The valves and steam chest covers have been fitted, and assembly of the inside motion has commenced.
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Boiler
Inspector Ian Farrance on the footplate with Len
Pullinger.
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C&W Notes
Fitting out of the new workshop has been proceeding apace, with benches, racking, shelves and cupboards being made or adapted. The large 'resaw' has been delivered and the other new large machines are due at the beginning of December; as soon as the necessary electrical cables have been run the new machines will be commissioned. The locker room has been fitted out, washing facilities provided and the office equipped with furniture plus a computer passed down from the Commercial Department. Adjustments have been made to the positioning of the roof-mounted heaters to minimise any effect on stock below.
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John
James preparing racking for installation in the C&W
Workshop.
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Meanwhile, routine maintenance in the existing mechanical workshop has seen both SECR Brake Thirds have their annual check-up and touch up and varnish. As all passenger stock, apart from the two four wheelers put to storage, is required for Santa Specials it is not practical to carry out any further passenger vehicle maintenance until the new year, so the second LT ballast hopper, 63435, has been brought in for a repaint.
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Work
underway to connect to C&W Workshop into the Goosefield
Sidings during the December Civil Engineering Working
Weekend.
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Coal Stage
The precarious coal stage, which was built in the 1970s to a design copied from the Bembridge branch by Alan Blackburn has finally been demolished, and is currently being replaced by an improved version built of steel channels and sleepers. Because Christmas running means coal loading facilities are essential, a temporary pen of concrete blocks has been built while contractors work on the new structure, which is expected to be completed before Christmas.
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The new
coal stage under construction in early December. The
temporary coal pen can be seen to the left.
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A new
holding pen for ash has been constructed at the rear
of the running stores.
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At Last
You may have gathered there have been problems getting the monthly Mechanical Times out. The usually timely publishing of the newsletter has been one of the casualties of the extremely busy period the department has been in for the last three months or so. We have been up to our necks with routine maintenance and repairs ever since the season began and for reasons we are all aware of by now, staff shortages left us lurching from one crisis to another.
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29th
August 2003 - one of the rare wet days of the summer
- LB&SCR No.473 'Birch Grove' arrives at Havenstreet.
To see more pictures of 473 at work on the IWSR
click Here
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Loco News
The re-tube job on Freshwater is taking longer than expected and the loco will not be hauling trains this month. There have been scheduled service alterations to enable Invincible to run passenger trains, allowing Royal Engineer to undergo the necessary 'X' day and washout examinations, between running the heavier services. Work continues slowly in preparation for the steam test on Ajax.
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Stuart
Butt carries out a Boiler Washout on WD198 'Royal Engineer'
- 29th August 2003.
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New Department for New Building
C&W will cease to be a section within Mechanical Engineering as from the New Year 2004. It will become a department in it's own right, working from it's new workshop under the new management of John James. It is hoped that the track will have been laid into the works by then and the new building will have been fitted out and ready to fly into action.
A full-time mechanical fitter is to be employed to work on carriage and wagon underframes. This will free up the existing steam fitters so they can concentrate on locos.
Roger Silsbury will continue with his existing administrative role in John's new department.
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The completed
Workshop awaits track laying.
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C&W Notes
The summer has seen several members of the C&W team involved in operating which, coupled with holidays, has inevitably caused a slowdown in activities in the workshop.
B483700, the 'Hocknull' wagon was completed during July and featured, with 27936, B483733 and 56046 as troublesome trucks during the Days out with Thomas weekend. To facilitate fitting faces to these wagons and to prevent damage, set screws have been fitted to the London ends. The SR Van B, S210, was brought in to have various repairs to the side sheeting, freeing up of door hinges and a covering put onto the roof; these various works will make it fairly weathertight whilst it is used as a timber store for seasoning oak in readiness for wagon restoration under the HLF programme. Next in works was LT ballast hopper 63435 for a scale and repaint and instead of the large 'S.R.' lettering, a post-1936 style has been applied. This kept the team busy until the routine maintenance of the coaching stock began; first in was the ex-NLR Composite 6336 and, as this carriage is not fitted with steam heating it was bagged up on completion and put into winter storage. LBSCR 5-compartment Third 2343 is now in works but as this vehicle has been out of service all year awaiting a new brake cylinder. Interior work should be minimal.
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Ex LT Ballast
Hopper 63435 receives attention in the works - 29th August
2003.
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The new C&W workshop was formally handed over on Friday July 11th but until the track is connected no practical use can be made of it. In the meantime, machinery and materials for fitting out are being sourced and ordered and perceived defects discussed with the builders and contractors and remedied.
Work has continued on the modification of PMV chassis S1783S to provide the underframe of LCDR Composite 6378. The shortened underframe has been welded up, the wheelsets removed and the brakegear in the process of modification to suit the shortened wheelbase.
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Work continues
on PMV chassis S1783S.
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Shock Resignation Hits Dept
Most of you will have heard by now, but it is important to put on record the departure of our Mechanical Foreman, Neil Rees, for another railway very nearby. Neil has been full time in the department since 1991 and has been my official deputy for mechanical matters for most of that time. His act will be hard to follow and we wish him every success in his new career with Island Line. His post is now in the capable hands of Andy Summers who has been Chargehand Fitter for several years. Loosing one of two full time fitters at any time of the year is potentially disastrous, let alone when approaching the seven-day a week period, so hence the absence of two Mechanical Times's, if anyone noticed!
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Neil,
seen during his last full week of full time employment
at the Railway.
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Following a recruitment exercise, the vacant post has now been filled and we welcome Mike Brittan to the team. Mike is no stranger to steam railways; in fact one or two of us remember him working here and at Newport in the very early days. Since then he has gained much steam experience working with traction engines in his spare time, whilst earning a living in the motor trade.
Thanks to the extra support given by those who have filled additional slots of Duty Fitter, Driver and Fireman, we have not lost any advertised services during this difficult period.
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WD198
'Royal Engineer' lifts a train out of Smallbrook Junction
on Sunday, 22 June 2003.
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Loco News
Freshwater continues to give trouble with leaking tube ends in the firebox. We believed this to be caused by overheated beads, which have become burnt over the years, excessive blast, and bad brick arch design. The engine is required to do seven more days after which time it will be withdrawn for a re-tube.
E4 class, 473, Birch Grove will be arriving at Havenstreet the week commencing 14th July to relieve the strain and will be scheduled on many ordinary passenger trains during its stay until the end of September. We are extremely grateful to the Bluebell Railway for making this hire possible.
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W8 passes Ashey
Station during May of this year.
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C&W Notes
At last! LCDR Third 2515 has been passed for service. Final approval followed a test run over the whole line on 12th April behind D2059, with SECR brake third 4145 providing brake power in the unlikely event of any problems. This has set the seal on the award of Overall Winner in the Heritage Railway Association's annual C&W competition - for more details click HERE - and a fitting tribute to the hard work of Pete Jardine, John James and the team of volunteer workers. Pete & John collected the award at the HRA's Members Weekend in Exeter on 7/8th June. Although 2515 can be used in the four-wheel set, a formal entry into traffic will be held in the early autumn when guests will include 80 year old Mrs Grace Fry, who kindly donated the body to the railway way back in 1981.
The wagon work being carried out whilst we wait for the new workshop has progressed well. The rebuild of B483701 into a SR 8-plank High, 27936, was completed at the end of April and excellent it looks. It has been fitted with a false floor about nine inches below the top edge, cambered to permit rainwater to drain away through a system of guttering. The vacant space below this false floor will be utilised as storage for C&W materials. The SR Well B has also completed; investigation found that several of the floor boards had seen better days and it was decided to replank the whole of the flat floor of the well. The ramped ends were satisfactory and have just been treated. The repaint has seen the previous black livery replaced by SR brown and lettering in accordance with the photographs in 'Southern Wagons, Volume 4'. It had its debut outing during the 'Frontline Branchline' weekend when it carried a representative military load.
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W37 at Deacons
Lane on the Sunday morning of the Front Line Branch Line event.
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The next project was to bring the 'Hocknull' dropside High B483700 into works for a repaint. Examination showed that some end boards and a couple of floorboards were starting to rot so these have been replaced. It is ten years since this wagon was first restored and we are grateful to Andy Hocknull for again sponsoring the paint so that it will continue to carry an attractive, if non-authentic, livery. We are rapidly approaching the point where our fleet of restored wagons will reach double figures and which will be able to be used to supplement the passenger service on the periodic Goods Train Days and during special events. One innovation has been the provision of setscrews in the boards at one end of a couple of wagons so that faces can be affixed for the Thomas weekend without damaging the woodwork.
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Peter Blanchard
at work on 'Hocknull' dropside High B483700.
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Work on the new workshop proceeds on schedule and tenders have been invited for major woodworking machinery to be installed as part of the project. Other hand tools and assorted equipment will also be obtained. If anyone knows where we could lay hands on a quantity of metal cupboards and shelving, please contact John James or Roger Silsbury.
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The underframe
of PMV S1783S in the works, early June.
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The HLF restoration programme has begun in a low-key manner. The first carriage in the programme is LCDR 28' composite 6378 and the underframe of PMV S1783S has been stripped of its brakegear for overhaul, all other superfluous pieces taken off, and scaling and painting of both the underframe and fittings well in progress. The first section to shorten the underframe has been cut out and the necessary plates cut, drilled and bolted up ready for welding. We have also taken delivery of a quantity of oak in readiness for two of the HLF wagon projects. As it is very difficult to obtain seasoned oak, we have had to buy green timber which has been deliberately cut oversize; it will be seasoned for as long as possible before cutting down to the required dimensions.
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'Invincible'
came to the rescue when a fallen tree closed Wootton Station
on the Sunday of the Front Line Branch Line event. for more
details click HERE.
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W8 on shed during
the evening of 6th June 2003. 'Freshwater' was inside the works
during May for attention to leaking tubes at the firebox end.
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'Freshwater'
arrives at Havenstreet with a train from Wootton - 8th June
2003.
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Progress continues
on the rebuild of 'Ajax', seen on Friday 6th June 2003.
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The side roads
are now up in position.
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Bob Millard fits
the intermediate valve rods - 7th June 2003.
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1949 built British
Railways 13 ton Dropside High 483700 has been in the works for
a tidy up and a repaint of the 'Hocknulls' livery. Peter Blanchard
is seen doing the sign writing on Friday, 7th June 2003.
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The new Carriage
& Wagon workshop on 7th June 2003.
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A view of the
workshop interior.
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W8 enters the
Down Sidings at lunchtime on 8th June 2003.
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W37 'Invincible'
departs Havenstreet for Wootton on Saturday, 3rd May 2003. The
second vehicle in the formation is LCDR Third 2515 in its first
week in traffic - The Heritage Railway Association has chosen
the Isle of Wight Steam Railway's restoration of this coach as
the overall winner of its 2002 Carriage & Wagon competitions,
click HERE
for more details.
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W37 passes the
Havenstreet Up Advanced Starter, 3rd May 2003.
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Fireman Tony French gets his irons into 'Invincibles'
fire during the lunch break on Sunday, 4th May 2003.
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Work continues
on the rebuilding of W38'Ajax'. Andy Summers is seen at work on
the recently fabricated side tanks - 4th May 2003.
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The latest paint
job undertaken by Harry Moore has been a 'freshen up' of D2554
'Nuclear Fred'.
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On 18th May 2003
Ken Bolton is at work on the recreation of an SR 8-plank High
using the underframe from BR Dropside High B483701 and salvaged
ironwork from the four SR 8-plank Highs acquired from Medina Wharf
during the 1970s, taking the identity S27936.
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A few days later
the wagon is close to completion.
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SR Well B 61056
has been in the works for decking repairs and repainting.
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The finished product
- W37 heads a train of restored wagons at Ashey on May Day Bank
Holiday. The vehicles are (From the right) SR Well B 61056, SR
8 plank High S27936, BR Dropside High B483733 and LSWR Road Van
56046.
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The Isle of Wight Steam
Railway
has a vacancy for a full time
CHARGEHAND FITTER
Applicants should have served an apprenticeship
in mechanical engineering.
Experience in steam fitting, welding and railway engineering would be
desirable.
Salary/Hours by negotiation.
Written application with CV to:
Chief Mechanical Engineer, The Railway Station, Havenstreet, Isle of Wight, PO33 4DS
Slow Start
Invincible will once again be earning its keep on passenger services starting on 3rd April, when this years low season service allows for slower section timings. The locomotive's capacity for passenger workings is the equivalent of four bogies, but the load will normally be kept lower than this to give it a better chance. Servicing will take place after each round trip and will be done in the down sidings loco preparation yard. Enginemen that are rostered with Invincible for the first time will be given help and advice on their first day. A new EI is about to be filed (Loco Operation 006) which contains notes for drivers on the working and preparation of the loco. Copies will available in the signing-on desk.
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'Invincible' pauses during shunting at
Havenstreet - 6th April 2003.
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Coach Exams
'NOT AGAIN!' I hear you yawn. Yes it is boring but I make no apology for reporting yet more developments on this essential part of keeping trains running. Repairs to coach 6349 are being carried out during two slots of three days each, when there are no trains running. The draw-gear is being sorted out first, and then a lift is planned for next week to examine the bolster springs which are suspect, under the down end.A further casualty in the form of coach 2343 has been withdrawn from service pending renewal of the brake cylinder. This was found to be completely worn out and leaking air through a thin patch containing several small holes. A plan to utilise a different sort of cylinder is being considered in the absence of a direct replacement.The new four-wheeler with wheelchair accommodation, 2515, needs to be examined again to bring the routine up to date and satisfy HMRI requirements. Test runs also need to be made in non-service trains before final approval is considered. We hope to have the vehicle in service by May.
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A view of the workshop
- 5th April 2003. On the left is PMV S1783S underframe, 8-plank
high S27936 with the SR Well B 61056 out of sight beyond. W38 'Ajax'
is on the right.
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C&W Notes
The new workshop is rapidly taking shape following completion of the groundworks. Detailed planning for fitting out has been undertaken although it will be early summer before we can gain access. The delays have put back the start of the 10 year restoration programme agreed with the HLF and no carriage project can begin in earnest until we are in the new workshop. However, the underframe of PMV S1783S (not S1793S as erroneously reported last issue) is in the existing works being prepared for shortening to 28' 034" in readiness for the body of LCDR Composite 6378, which is the first carriage in the programme. To ensure a continuity of work for the C&W team of volunteers this enforced period has enabled a number of wagon projects to be undertaken. The BR Dropside High B483733 was completed in February and it has been turned out in BR light grey livery, complete with 'On loan to Civil Engineer Southern Region' branding which it carried from approximately 1953 until it was transferred to the Island in olive green livery in 1973. A photograph of it in this style, taken in 1967, was used to ensure authenticity; whilst not being the livery it carried on the Island, grey will be more compatible with other restorations in the future. For a picture of the completed wagon see the last edition of Mechanical Times.
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The Carriage &
Wagon workshop on Saturday, 5th April 2003.
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In 1975 four SR 8-plank Highs were obtained by the Wight Locomotive Society from Messrs. Corrals at Medina Wharf. They had remained there after closure by BR and used to store crane grabs and other machinery. Subsequently three have been broken up because of their poor condition, although any reusable parts were salvaged for the future. S27910 remains in the overflow car park but requires major work to restore to running condition. One of the other originals is being recreated using the underframe from BR Dropside High B483701 and salvaged ironwork; taking the identity S27936. The underframe has been completely scaled and repainted, the disc wheels at one end replaced with a pair of split-spoked wheels, and new bodywork in the course of erection. Whilst the purist may frown, the railway will benefit from another restored wagon to enhance the growing fleet available for display and use in demonstration goods trains. Concurrently, SR Well B 61056 is in works being scaled and repaired prior to a repaint in SR brown.
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John James works
on 8-plank high S27936. 5th April 2003.
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March 2003
For the last month the annual examinations on the passenger coach underframes have taken over as top priority in preparation for the operating season. Ten years ago the maintenance routine, which involves examination of the running gear, repairing defects, lifting off bogies and servicing brake gear and axle, boxes, took about a week. The number of defects found, that require attention has escalated and with additional vehicles to cover, more time needs to be spent on the exams. Annual exams that are also required on each locomotive before it enters service, are being squeezed into the end of March which is far from satisfactory, as it leaves little time do deal with any defects found on them. Inclement weather can slow down the examination work, which is normally carried out on the locomotive preparation pits. Whilst February is bad enough, to start any earlier in the year would be useless.
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LBSCR 8-Compartment
Composite 6349 in the works - 31st January 2003
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One of the bogie coaches, 6349, is in need of draw-gear repairs and investigation of bolster springs, which will have to be deferred until space and time permits; the vehicle remaining out of service in the mean time. Two of the four-wheelers have worn out brake rigging, that require re-bushing and new pins, but these will be allowed to run for the time being. They will be monitored closely with a view to withdraw one at a time for the repair work, again, when resources allow. Thanks to all who have patiently helped with the hours of shunting needed to get each coach over the pit for the exams.
C&W Notes
Winter maintenance of the carriage stock has proceeded apace with no major defects bodywise discovered. SECR Brake Third 4145 has been in and out of works and the last vehicle for this winter's programme, SECR Brake Third 4149, is well under way. The 4-wheelers have been un-sheeted so that mechanical examinations can be undertaken prior to marshalling the early season train set ready for use. Unfortunately approval for LCDR Third 2515 to enter service has still not been received; a DPTAC-approved wheelchair ramp has been purchased which is both lighter and easier to use. Relevant staff will need training in its use and if it proves suitable to our needs further ramps may be purchased. Work on the recreation of a SR 8-plank High, 27936, is continuing, with the underframe scaled and repainted and the body ironwork bolted into position prior to being riveted in place. Body sheeting and floor timber is now on hand ready for final cutting and machining.
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Body ironwork has been
bolted in place on SR 8-plank High, 27936 - 8th March 2003.
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Footplate Roster
All enginemen should have received their roster enquiries for April and May by now. Your co-operation in returning completed forms by the deadline, 16th March will be much appreciated. Goods trains and/or shunting duties are being planned each month by popular demand to enable volunteers to do something different. As before, please let me know if you want to book a batch of turns, beyond the roster period, if you want to plan holidays etc.
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Rapid progress is being
made on the construction of the C&W Workshop, seen on 8th March
2003.
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