Brakes oiff on the brake van retsoration!

This rather natty gantry crane has appeared outside the restoration shed at the Rocks by Rail Museum,

It is going to come in very handy when the tank over the boiler of 1931, the steam engine in for retubing, has to be lifted clear and John says we are close to that point now as he uses yet another hammer to loosen some parts!

Meanwhile, following the completion of the trackwork over the Winter its brakes off for the restoration of the Southern brake van. John, Hazel, Richard and Thomas were busy with whatever is needed to make this a thing of beauty again! I think it may take a while though!

My mowing duties were plagued by yet more mower issues with a crack in the deck of the mower. To stop that spreading I drilled a hole in the end of the crack which hopefully will stop it spreading any further!

After that, it was full on vegetational butchery with both mower and hedge trimmer to try to bring back some order to nature! I think nature will eventually win though!

The before.

The after.

Whilst I was at the quarry end of the site I tried taking this photo of the drag line. I don't think it will win any prizes but I like it!

Finally, on the way home up the A1 road, there was a backlog of traffic which I thought was down to a tractor. I was wrong! Never seen one of these in the UK, but this guy was being somewhat brave in traveling along a 70mph road in a tuc tuc! Just hope he didn'y have far to go!