The theme running through this week's update is gaining new volunteers, following on from our fantastic open day😁
 
On Tuesday we welcomed 3 new volunteers, Mike, David and Tracey. They got stuck in helping with the ongoing restoration and maintenance in the Brake Standard Open (BSO) No. 9406 and Tourist Standard Open (TSO) No. 5220. A deep clean of the running coach TSO No. 5148 also took place. Ben was busy painting seat carcasses ready for when they are needed to be refitted.
 
Paul and Grahame were busy watering and maintaining the gardens at our stations and Trevor was back painting in the cafe and working on some new benches (the one at the cafe appears to have gone missing).
 
In the evening, Dave J, Andrew and Martin used Ruston & Hornsby diesel mechanical No. 313394 'Jammo' and the crane wagon to move the stacked and bound packs of concrete posts from Spring Village yard to the headshunt.
 
We collected a number of photographs that have been kindly loaned to us by the Railway Photographic Society (formerly Rail Camera Club) for an exhibition to be displayed at Railway House. Look out for further information on this exciting new attraction and thank you to John Hillier and members of the Railway Photographic Society for their generous help and support in making this happen. 
 
On Wednesday John was adding more wood vinyl to the TSO No. 5220 and Ben was sorting out Polar Express items in our containers (it is really just over 3 months before it all starts😳).
 
On Thursday Nigel, Dave, Sean, Martin, Allan and Tracey were all working in the coaches. New youth volunteer Miles joined us later to help with some painting. We have made rapid progress over the last few months in our BSO and TSO, and now having more volunteers will allow that progress to become even quicker. 
 
Kev replaced some of the driver and secondman seats in the Class 37 and then began the rewiring the road/rail dumper.
 
On Saturday we welcomed another new volunteer, Brian, into our happy ranks. His first job was to help Kev, Ian, Allan, Nathan and Ben to take out the windows from TSO No. 5220 and re-seal them to make them watertight again and taking some panels off the inside walls. Miles was cleaning down the walls to get them ready for re-vinyling later in the week. An area of body work that was beyond repair was cut out and a new section welded in. With the windows out, the opportunity was taken to replace the timber in the frames where required.  Chris and Martin were busy working on the platform extension at Spring Village, levelling the site and clearing as much of the spoil as possible as the huge pile in the car park was being taken away by contractors (we have started another spoil pile already).  There was a lot of painting going on, the tables for the BSO and TSO ready for fitting, and in the cafe, together with some preparation of the front of the cafe counter ready for re-cladding. 



Pete and Alex were clearing the vegetation and rubbish behind the Cafe and Railway House to make this a usable area for us and our visitors.
 
All of this progress, and we hadn't even run any public services yet. This happened on Sunday when Peckett & Sons W6 No. 1722 'Rocket' was in steam and hauling trains. Ian and Martin were the loco crew this week, with Allan guard and John the travelling ticket inspector (TTI)
 
We welcomed two further new volunteers, Andy and Sean who enjoyed coaling 'Rocket', sanding the outside of the BSO and with Antony, Miles and me, we had enough for a gang to go and start lineside clearing of vegetation. 
 
So, a fantastic week's progress, with 7 new volunteers joining us to go with the 2 that started last Sunday. Most of them have now volunteered more than once and they are already making a positive contribution to the railway. It is great having them on board. Will there be any more?!
 
Thanks as always to Ben, Shaun and Allan for the additional information provided in this update.
 
Our next public service day will be on Sunday 14 August when the Class 108 Diesel Multiple Unit (DMU) will be running. First train leaves Spring Village at 11am. No need to pre book, just pay once to ride all day.
 
The next planned event is a 'mixed traffic' weekend on 24th and 26th September. However, this will be dependent on the effect of ongoing disruption and road closures due to the major sewage works being undertaken around our site by Severn Trent Water.

​This week at the railway

Ben and Nigel continued working on MK2 Tourist Standard Open (TSO) No. 5220. The remainder of the floor was lifted and will now be replaced. Thankfully, there were no major surprises waiting to be uncovered, just one small area that had rusted through. Painting of the metal floor continues.

Sean and Martin continue to put up new wooden panels in the Brake Standard Open (BSO). One side of the coach is now completed.

Trevor has finished painting the signal post in Spring Village. The last couple of months has seen a lot of hard work taking place to repaint the fences and gates around our stations. We have received a lot of positive comments and feedback from residents though, saying how much brighter and tidier the place looks, so this has been a really worthwhile exercise.

Ruston 0-4-0 diesel mechanical No. 313394 'Jammo' needed a few running repairs this week so Andrew has been busy making sure she would be ready for use on Saturday 

Dave and Marian were cleaning up the Pacer and coaches ready for the weekend and Chris, Martin and Ian were replacing one of the tracks on the mini digger.

Saturday was our open day for prospective new volunteers and members. This was a fantastic success,  with two tours of the site filled with visitors. They were shown demonstrations of coach restoration, permanent way, steam and diesel loco operation, guard duties, gardening, signalling, tearoom, and model railway operation. The Pacer was also open for people to view. It was great to be able to talk to our visitors, show them all the brilliant things we are doing, and share our plans for the future. Feedback has been excellent; membership of the railway has increased and so has our number of working volunteers. 

Trevor was also back on site, having a break from painting......by varnishing the waiting room floor at Horsehay and Dawley station!

The first two new volunteers, Antony and Nathan, were back at the railway bright and early on Sunday morning. They began by coaling Peckett and Sons W6 0-4-0 steam engine No 1722 'Rocket', which was being prepared for the day's services, before giving the Pacer a good clean on the outside.

Work also continued on the platform extension at Spring Village over the weekend. Martin, Chris, Josh and Ian broke up and cleared the concrete pad (which the miniature railway's tunnel originally sat on), and the top of the retaining wall was removed down to the level of the existing platform. 

Thank you to Ben and Andrew for the additional information used in the update.

Our next service will be on Sunday 7th August when trains will be again hauled by Peckett & Sons W6 0-4-0 steam engine No. 1722 'Rocket'. First train leaves Spring Village at 11am. No need to pre book, just pay once and ride all day.

The next planned event is a 'mixed traffic' weekend on 24th and 26th September. However, this will be dependent on the effect of ongoing disruption and road closures due to the major sewage works being undertaken around our site by Severn Trent Water.

Another busy week at the railway.
On Tuesday it was very hot, 55.6 C in the coaches! Not much could get done in that heat however Paul was out early watering all the plants and Trevor was painting the walls in the tearoom, until it got too hot. In the evening Martin and Ian were servicing the new rail/road dumper. Kev, Allan Chris, Dave A, John and Dave J oiled and inspected the weigh wagon, and did a small shunt to move it to a more accessible part of the yard. This was to be able to make a start to unload the concrete fence posts off it (which are very heavy), then stacking and binding them together.

During the day on Thursday, Grahame was gardening around the site, keeping everything watered and looking tidy. Paul was continuing to work on the floors in the station building at Horsehay and Dawley. Trevor was back painting in the tearoom. This is making a big difference to how it looks and feels which is great. Nigel was working in MK2 Tourist Staandard Open (TSO) No. 5220 trying to get the floor ready for new plywood to be fitted. In the other half of the coach, the tables continue to be refitted. Ben even found some time to take the needle gun to his box van which is currently being restored. In the evening Martin steam cleaned the Road/Rail dumper and both he and Ian continued to work on getting it ready for use. Marian was cleaning the inside of the Pacer for our open day next Saturday. The concrete posts in the weigh wagon were calling, so Ben, Dave and Kev unloaded and stacked another 60. Unfortunately the wagon still looked full when they had finished😩. AJ, Paul and John continued to work on the 2 tonne dumper, reconnecting both of the driveshafts.

​Saturday was another productive day with Chris and Martin busy moving spoil and rubble from the platform extension at Spring Village to the front of the site so that it can be removed. Ben, Shaun, Kev and Allan unloaded the last of the concrete posts from the weigh wagon and stacked them. This had been a long and tiring job but something that has need doing for a long time - well done lads😁. The 2 tonne dumper was fired back into life after its restoration back to working order, including having the gearbox and transfer box rebuilt. It was put to use straight away, helping to move the spoil. Pete and Alex were on site, fixing the broken bench on Spring Village platform and cleaning up around the sleeper coach. Finally, the refurbished seat cushions were picked up which means more can be sent off to be reupholstered. Hopefully the refurbished cushion will be fitted in the week.

We were running as usual on Sunday, the rain a blessing as Peckett W6 0-4-0 No 1722 'Rocket' was in steam and meant that any potential fire risk was reduced. Two trains were in operation with 'Rocket' on passenger and Ruston & Hornsby 0-4-0 diesel mechanical No. 313394 'Jammo' on freight (the now empty weigh wagon) taking the spoil from Spring Village to Lawley when the passenger train was locked out of section at Horsehay and Dawley station. We were able to complete four trips in total before we finished for the day. Even though we had showers throughout the day, there were lots of passengers at the railway and trains were full.

Thank you to Ben, Ian, AJ and Dave for the addition information included in this update.

Our next running day is Sunday 31st July with 'Rocket'. First train from Spring Village at 11am. No need to pre book, just turn up and pay, and ride all day! Come and see what we are up to

Hopefully you find these weekly updates informative and interesting. If they make you want to get involved, our next event is the open day on Saturday 30 July for prospective new members and volunteers. Full details and how to book your slot on a tour of the site at either 10am or 1pm can be found on our website www.telfordsteamrailway.co.uk/volunteer-open-day-22 . Check out the Telford Steam Railway Facebook page for volunteer stories on why we do what we do. We hope to see you soon!

eMK2 Tourist Standard Open (TSO) No. 5220

Progress has slowed this week after it was discovered that part of the floor will need to be replaced before the seats can go back in. The plywood is very rotten, and in places has disappeared completely. Thankfully the metal structure below appears to be in good condition. 

On Tuesday we took delivery of various second hand plant machinery, P-way trolleys and other items. These machines will be very useful for maintaining our railway, and relaying the track to Doseley (more about that later!).

Trevor has been busy painting again this week, with the tearoom and signal-post at Spring Village seeing the benefit of his hard work

In between gardening and watering the plants, Paul has continued sanding and and varnishing the floors of the station building at Horsehay and Dawley. 

The new glass windows for the Class 108 DMU arrived (it's windows had been shot out by trespassers). These were fitted on Saturday and although a fiddly and time consuming job, it is great to have this fantastic piece of kit back in service, just in time as it was rostered for the public service on Sunday.

The weather was too hot on Sunday for much to get done. We did a track walk of the whole running line, replacing keys and checking fishplates etc. The DMU was a popular choice with our passengers, and the tearoom was busy selling cold drinks and ice creams.

After the public timetable had finished, Ruston & Hornsby 0-4-0 diesel mechanical No. 313394 'Jammo' was driven to Lawley to shunt the ex Ironbridge Power Station 'weigh wagon' out of the rake of stock there and bring it back to the yard at Spring Village. This will be used to take the spoil from the platform extension to be reused at the Lawley site.

Relaying the track south from Horsehay and Dawley station to the barrow crossing and onto Doseley

On Sunday we had a productive meeting with our track consultant to discuss the installation on a new drainage system, after confirming that there is no existing pipework at the station. Materials are now being ordered, and consultation with our contractors is continuing to agree the best way forward. Once the drainage issues have been resolved, track relaying can begin in earnest, which will be much easier with the plant machinery we have now acquired.

Thank you to Ben for the additional information used in this update.

Our next public service day is Sunday 24 July where the rostered motive power is Peckett & Son W6 steam engine,  No. 1722 'Rocket'. However, if the hot weather continues, steam may be replaced by the Class 108 DMU. Updates will be made on our Facebook page

Our next event is the open day for prospective new members and volunteers on Saturday 30July. Volunteer stories on why we do what they do are being posted regularly on our Facebook page to hopefully inspire you to join us. To book your session at the open day, please visit our website www.telfordsteamrailway.co.uk/volunteer-open-day-22

This week's update from the railway

MK2 Tourist Standard Open (TSO) No. 5220

Seats have been removed from the 2nd half of the coach so that work can start in repairing the bodywork and reapplying the vinyl. All but one of the seat carcasses have been put back into the 1st half. This was done just in time as we took delivery of the reupholstered seat cushions, have now been refitted (and look very impressive!). With 16 seat cushions received, the next 16 have gone off to be recovered and we should hopefully have them back in a couple of weeks.

Our buildings continue to receive maintenance. Trevor has carried on painting in the tearoom, and Paul has sanded and varnished the floor in the waiting room at Horsehay and Dawley Station.

Lots of P-Way work this week

Chris, Martin, Ian and Richard were busy clearing vegetation and digging out soil and aggregate at Spring Village in preparation for extending the platform. This extension will allow four coaches to be boarded and discharged at the platform side (currently only three can) which will improve our visitor's experience and reduce waiting times when running the Polar Express event at Christmas.

As part of this clearance work, the tunnel and track of the Phoenix miniature railway have been removed to make space. Their track will be realigned, and the tunnel rebuilt to allow everything to fit. The Phoenix railway remains open and operational as usual throughout these works.

The platform improvements at Lawley Station are still progressing. However, attention has shifted to Spring Village due to the availability of appropriate machinery needed to get the job done.


Ruston Hornsby 0-4-0 Diesel Mechanical No. 382824 'Hector' 

A major milestone in Hector's restoration occurred on Saturday when she was successfully started, and moved a few yards out of, and back into the shed. Hopefully, it will not be long now before she is back in service.

Pete and Alex have been busy mowing the car park and picnic area. We have received a lot of positive feedback for our green areas and station gardens, and we are very grateful for all the hard work our volunteers put in every week.

On Wednesday we were delighted to welcome around 40 members of the Association of Shrewsbury Railway Modellers to our railway. They enjoyed a guided tour of the Spring Village site and the engine shed, and a special run on the Phoenix miniature railway. They were then taken to Horsehay and Dawley (H&D) in the class 108 Diesel Multiple Unit (DMU) hauled, as a special treat by class 37, 37263.
At H&D our extensive model railway exhibition at Railway House was open and running before finally retiring to the tearoom for a fantastic spread of sandwiches, pastries and cake., all delightfully prepared by our fantastic volunteers. Everyone had a great time, and we look forward to their next visit. Thanks to all the volunteers who made this event a success.

On Saturday, Kev visited Hams Hall depot to check in on our Class 08 diesel shunter 08757 'Eagle', which is currently there on hire. 

Late on Saturday, the decision was made to run 37263 on the Sunday service trains. News spread quickly over social media and we had lots of enthusiasts join us in glorious sunshine for the rare opportunity of haulage behind this beautiful locomotive. Look out for our next YouTube video, with lots of footage from the day.

Polar Express update

Tickets for this event are selling steadily, with a number of trains in December already close to selling out. To book your tickets, go to https://telfordsteamrailwaypolarexpress.digitickets.co.uk. The planned motive power for this year will again be GWR 56XX 5619 top and tailed with BR class 08 diesel, 08757 'Eagle'.

Our next running day is Sunday 17th July with services due to be hauled by the class 108 DMU.  No need to pre book, just turn up and pay, to ride all day. First departure from Spring Village is at 11 am. We currently have roadworks nearby, so give yourself a little extra time and follow the diversion signs to reach us safely.

Our next event is the open day for prospective new members and volunteers on Saturday 30 July. Please look out on our Facebook page for personal stories on why our fantastic volunteers are involved at the railway.

There is so much happening at the railway at the moment, it is difficult to know where to start!

In the week

MK2 Tourist Standard Open (TSO) No. 5220. 

John carried on with covering the end wall, door and last section around the windows with wood laminate (now completed for this half of the coach). Nigel and Robin have started in the second half, cutting out 3 sections of wall to begin replacing, and filling, due to a few surprises left by previous BR 'repairs'. Two panels were cut and fitted,
Josh and Ben were fitting seats, tables and brackets to the floor and walls, and carried on tidying up the coach and painting up more of the seat supports. 
There was heavy rain in Telford on Thursday. Unfortunately a lot of this found it's way through the windows. So, we will need to take the windows out and reseal them (as we have just had to do with the BSO). 

MK2 Brake Standard Open (BSO) No. 9406

Sean continued to varnish the wood panels which will be fitted shortly. John showed us the new luggage racking which has now been test fitted in the coach. We've gone for something a little different, but it seems to have worked well (something to look out for when the coach is in service 😁)

Peckett & Sons W6 No 1722 'Rocket' 

Has had some minor repairs, her tubes cleaned and some TLC this week from Ian and Dave. 

Class 144 'Pacer' No 144013

Was started up and checked over because it has been stood still for quite a while. Driver and Guard training for this loco is planned for September, after which it should be available for public services

Ruston Hornsby diesel mechanical No. 382824. 'Hector'

John was needle gunning various parts ready for painting. Most of the major repair work has now been completed and hopefully Hector will be out on a test run next weekend.

Work has continued tidying up the yard to create space for a medium term storage need

Bob has painted the last gate left at Spring Village and Trevor was painting the tearoom.
Gardening at Horsehay and Dawley and Spring Village stations feels like a full time job at the moment, but the results are beautiful and a great advert for the railway


Saturday 

Martin, Ian, Kev, Dave, Andy and AJ took the works train and road rail digger back to Lawley Station where the platform edge was removed and the top surface of MOT aggregate dug out and bagged. The MOT will be reused in the car park at Spring Village. 

A section of the 2 foot railway track at the crossing was carefully removed. The track was never designed to have a heavy road rail digger travel over it so it has been taken up to prevent damage. As there is no current steam or diesel traction available to run on the 2 foot railway, this was an ideal opportunity to get it done. It will be put back in place, with a concrete crossing, at a later date.

Sunday

'Rocket' was in steam for the service trains. We had lots of passengers, including Ian and  Elaine, who asked if they could have a little ceremony on the footplate of Rocket to remember their steam railway loving parents Jan and Malc, who had lived all their married life in Wellington and had both sadly passed away in 2020. We were more than happy to agree with their request and it was lovely. We very much hope to see Ian and Elaine back at our railway again soon, although hopefully in happier circumstances next time. 

Martin was working on the road rail digger, keeping it greased, fixing the wiring on the two speed tracking system and fitting a new set of work lights.

So lots of progress at our lovely railway this week. Please come down to see for yourself all the great things we are doing.

This Wednesday, we welcome the Association of Shrewsbury Railway Modellers, who will be visiting our extensive 'Top Link' model railway, the Phoenix 5 inch railway, and having a trip on the standard gauge line. We look forward to seeing them.

Our next running day is Sunday 10th July, which will be diesel hauled (Rocket is having a rest). First train leaves Spring Village at 11am with further departures at 12pm, 1:30pm, 2:30pm and 3:30pm. No need to pre book. Just pay on arrival and ride all day.

The next planned event is our open day for prospective new volunteers and members on Saturday 30July. See our website and Facebook pages for more details and how to book.
thank you to Ben and Ian for the additional information used in the update

Another great week at the railway with lots going on as usual. 

Chris and Allan loaded the lorry with the sleepers to go off for recycling. It is good to have them finally gone.
Trevor painted the flowerbed sleepers and put together the GWR bench, donated in memory of Fred Eakin. Both look very impressive on the platform of Spring Village station. Sean, Martin and Kevin continued to work on the Mk ll Brake Standard Open (BSO) coach No. 9406. John and AJ were repairing the dumper truck in the yard. This will be useful piece of kit when it is operational.
We had a flying visit from a Mallard duck this week, she enjoyed a rest on the platform and a bite to eat, before we carefully took her back to Horsehay pool. A couple of hours later she was back with her friends - all nine of them! 

On Saturday John was putting more vinyl up, and Ben continued to put the seating together in the Mkll Tourist Standard Open (TSO) No. 5220. Ian was in the shed working on North British diesel hydraulic No.27414 'TOM'. AJ, Paul and John were also in the shed working on Ruston Hornsby 0-4-0 diesel mechanical No. 382824 'Hector'. Hopefully it will not be too long before we have these useful locos back in service. Pete and Alex were busy mowing and strimming the 'forest' of grass that has spring up between the platform and shed roads. It looks much tidier now.
The permanent way department were also busy at Lawley. Martin, Kevin, Shaun and Ryan took the road rail digger and a works train to start preparing the platform and site for improvement works. The fencing was taken down and posts lifted. Concrete sleepers were placed in the rails to get the digger off and on the track. The two rails for the run round loop were also brought closer to the point for putting in at a later date. All this whilst dodging the heavy rain showers that kept appearing at inappropriate times throughout the day 😁

On Sunday Peckett steam engine W6 0-4-0 No. 1722 'Rocket' was hauling our service trains. Josh, Andy and I were kept busy clearing all the fence posts brought down from Lawley and stacking them neatly in the yard. The top of the dock at Spring Village was strimmed and fence posts in the car park were painted white. This will help us to mark out bays to make parking easier. After lunch and an ice cream, Andy and I went up the line clearing back lineside vegetation that was beginning to block the view of drivers and shunters. It was a busy day with lots of passengers enjoying the railway and the good weather  The final tasks of the weekend was to shunt the stock to allow Rocket back into the shed and to put everything away. We finished tired but happy😁

Thanks to Shaun, Ben and Paul for the additional information used in this update.

Our next public running day is Sunday 3 July with Rocket. The first train departs Spring Village at 11am. No need to book, just turn up and pay once to ride all day

​Our next event is the open day for prospective members and volunteers, on Saturday 30 July. Full details and to book a space can be found on our website www.telfordsteamrailway.co.uk/events

Here at the railway, we are still feeling great about the successful Father's Day event on Sunday 19 June. There were lots of people visiting, the sun shone, and everyone had a great time riding the trains, and eating cake and ice cream.

We have been sent the following photographs from the day by Kirsty Robinson, which are so brilliant that we wanted to share them with you as well.  I think you'll agree that they all had a great time.

Kirsty and co were here for the Father's Day Flyer experience, where Dads enjoyed a ride on the footplate of our steam engine 'Rocket', plus a two-course meal and unlimited travel for the whole family.  

It was lovely that so many people chose to share their Father's Day with us this year.
You can also view our roundup video of the event on our YouTube Channel here

Our volunteers continue to work hard for the benefit of the railway.

Trevor was painting in the Furnaces Team room to keep it looking its best for our customers. Bob continued painting the railings at Spring Village platform. We have a lot of posts, railings and gates that needed refreshing at the railway! Hopefully, this will be finished soon.  Shaun and Martin continued fitting wood panelling in the Brake Stand Open (BSO) coach No. 9406 and found some time to work on the 2-foot gauge diesel loco that, once restored, will work on the 'tram' track at Spring Village.

Paul was watering and weeding the flowerbeds at Spring Village and Horsehay and Dawley stations and Andy was out weedkilling along the trackbed.

Thursday evening saw volunteers prepping for the track maintenance day at the weekend, which meant trying to fix the tamper.

On Saturday, the stock was cleared from the platform at Spring Village station and Martin led a team to jack up the track so that ballast could be packed under the sleepers where the line had dipped. Once done the line was tamped. A slow progress as the tamper was still not working properly, and there were rain showers throughout the day. It was good work all round though, and it was completed by the end of the day.

Shaun was tidying up the site and Ben was clearing up the remains of the roof from the LMS CCTZ 6 Wheeled van. John, Paul and AJ were continuing to work on Ruston Hornsby 0-4-0 Diesel Mechanical 'Hector'

Sunday was Father's Day, and the railway was open to the public with Peckett W6 steam engine No 1722 'Rocket' hauling the trains. The railway was busy, which was great to see, and hearing everyone having a great time. Our Father's Day Flyer experiences had sold well, so there were lots of dads and grandads enjoying a footplate ride on 'Rocket' and a two-course meal in the Furnaces Tearoom whilst many more were having a train ride and  exploring the miniature and model railways.

It was a great day, and we have already received the following feedback from our happy customers :

"Thank you for a fantastic day today and all of those who worked through Father's Day. The 'Dads' had a great time and the children loved it to. We got lots of lovely pictures to remember the day by too."

"The Father's Day Flyer was a brilliant day out for me, my Dad and my Father in Law. The kids really enjoyed their trip in the brake van too. Many thanks for opening up the shed so I could show the children 'Tom'..... A great team of friendly volunteers who couldn't go out of their way enough to make it a great day."

Away from operations, Martin was working on the road-rail digger, and we finally managed to stack and bind the remaining sleepers that need to be taken off site for recycling. These will hopefully be collected this week. Clearing this space is really important because we can now start to prepare the ground for installing the 3 way point and connect it to a siding that is currently isolated. This will increase flexibility for storing the works train and other vehicles. 
Thanks to Paul and Ben for the additional information in this update.
​
Our next running day is Sunday 26 June with our steam engine 'Rocket'
Our next event is the Open day for prospective new members and volunteers on Saturday 30 July 

​This week work has continued in our coaches with additional wood panelling being fitted. More railings and fence posts have been painted white, when it has not been raining!
The rain and sun makes good growing conditions, so there has been a lot of weeding and general tidying up in the station gardens at Spring Village and Horsehay and Dawley. It's a lot of hard work but it has really paid off with some lovely flower displays this year. 

On Thursday, a working party was back at Lawley, bolting down more chairs on the run round loop/siding.

With lots of sleeper replacements having taken place on the running line, we have many sleepers that are of no use to the railway. We sell most of these to the public, but there are some in such a poor condition that they cannot be sold. These will be taken off site for recycling so on Saturday, volunteers began the task of stacking and binding them into small piles which can then be loaded onto a lorry. They worked hard, and about half were left by the end of the day. On Sunday (after breakfast of course!) we continued with this, but we're slowed by the hot weather so didn't get as much completed as we hoped. We also had a tidy up in the yard which was a job well done.

Ruston Hornsby 0-4-0 diesel hydraulic No. 525947 'Rusty' was hauling service trains. Our steam engine 'Rocket' was having a rest this week after working the four-day Platinum Jubilee Bank Holiday.

North British 0-4-0 diesel hydraulic No 27414 'Tom'

A new coupling was being machined on Sunday that will connect the loco to the    gearbox. The next jobs on the list will be to make a prop shaft with a slip joint, and to swap the compressor and vacuum exhauster.

Ruston Hornsby 0-4-0 diesel mechanical No 382824 'Hector'

A new spring for the chain tensioner in the engine has been made together with a new rerailing bar for the back of the loco, to match the one current fitted to the front.

The next jobs is to replace the road spring on the rear axle, and to touch up her paint.

Sentinel Steam engine Works No 9366

The cracked gauge glass has been replaced. The boiler water feed pump has been worked on and will be checked during a steam test which is planned to take place this week.

Our next planned running day and event is on Sunday 19 June with our Peckett steam engine No 1722 'Rocket'. We are also offering our 'Father's Day Flyer' experience. Please see the events page on our website for full details and booking.

Thanks to Paul, Martin, AJ, and Ian for the additional information provided for this update.