Volunteer Liaison Update | 26th July

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!