Happy New Year
Firstly the group would like to wish all our online visitors a Happy New Year. Let’s hope that 2012 sees much progress in the world of railcar preservation.
The forthcoming year’s running dates have been released, and are quite different to 2011. Firstly, the “Day out with Thomas” events have returned to February and August so the 104 set will be reverting back to “Daisy” after spending a few years as “Delilah” for the replacement “Barny Buffers and Friends” event. Secondly, it has unfortunately been decided that steam locomotive hauled operation on the Cauldon Lowe excursions is preferable to the DMU. The 104 will therefore not be travelling over the highly graded 8 mile “extension” in 2012, with a single exception being the 7th October. Perhaps this day will become more of an event being a rare chance to enjoy the unit working hard on this most scenic of routes. However the increased steam running on the line does mean the unit has more days operating the Cheddleton-Froghall section, indeed our total number of days in service is the highest it has been for five years, most encouraging given the current economic climate. Other additional dates include the Bus Rally event which is now over a weekend instead of a single day, and a return of the diesel gala to the calendar in September.
W86500
Work continues on the prototype General Utility Van. On the exterior, the spring clips have been restored and fitted, and the four main windows installed. The original glass has not been returned to the vehicle, a more “vandal-friendly” polycarbonate material being used instead. One end of the old through steam heat pipe has had a new valve fitted as part of a project to reinstate this feature so that the vehicle can operate in passenger trains during the winter and not stop the steam engine heating the rest of the train.
Internally, a damaged section of floor has been filled in with a concrete/cement mix which will enable us to run pallet trucks down the vehicle unimpeded. The ceiling has had several repairs where water damage had caused it to sag and has received two coats of gloss white paint. The vehicle’s sides and folding tables have been similarly repaired and repainted with two coats of the original bauxite colour.
977391 & 977392
As forecast in the last update, Class 101 977391 returned to Cheddleton from storage elsewhere on the line in November for final stripping. The engines and gearboxes have been removed along with the doors, windows and other fittings both inside and out. Although not scrapped yet, the vehicle is now ready for its final journey to the great DMU depot in the sky. Its partner 977392 has now taken its place at Cheddleton and a start on stripping this vehicle has been made.
On Tour
Two members of the group have also been enjoying a BRCW themed holiday in the form of a ride on the Lakeside & Haverthwaite Railway’s Class 110 2-car set. One of only three railways operating Class 110 vehicles, the L&HR set is rarely seen in service other than at Thomas events, having just a few “winter weekend” turns in November as booked running on what is normally a 100% steam worked railway. The vehicles were found to be in very good condition, proving the value of undercover accommodation: the unit spending most of its time either in their running shed or stabled inside a short tunnel away from the wind, rain and sun damage. We will certainly be keeping an eye on this unit, as has been a long held pipe-dream to one day hire a Class 110 for an event and see it running alongside its “little brother” – a Class 104!
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