That's all folks!

 That's all folks! No, it is not the end of WMD, but as the cartoons used to say, That's all folks, refers to the end of another season of events at the Rocks By Rail Museum. Where has a year gone as it only seems like a few months ago we  closed the 2024 season!

Anyway, whilst previous years final events have been blessed with Autumnal brightness, this year we had wetness! The morning was dry but by about 1pm the clouds had opened and we all got soaked! The prospect of rain had not put visitors off and there was a good attendance and the volunteers all had fun so it was a winning day!

I was shunting, as seems the norm these days, assisted by John, Pete and Dave as well as Martyn operating the face shovel and with Mr. D as our shunting loco.

It was a long day but the final train of wagons left with Mike the guard waving goodbye for the last time this year!

Then it was time to put Mr. D to bed in the shed at the end of the day but we still had visitors!

That's all folks! But it won't be that long before we start again!

All in a day at the Museum!

The Rocks By rail Museum cannot be accused of not being innovative. I have posted before about the oversized washing machine, otherwise known as a concrete mixer! This is used to wash ballast and if you wonder if ballast can get dirty you should see what comes out of the mixer apart from the clean ballast!. One of the weak areas of the concept has been the discharge shoot. Various concoctions have been put together over the years but all have eventually failed. So, this Winters task is to sort that out with a bespoke heavy duty shoot and welder ace Rob is getting on with it.

A good strong frame of L shaped metal attached to the mixer itself means it should be strong enough to put up with the battering it will get.

 Of course, with any such project, there is a need to admire the work as Andy, Alex and Rob do!

For me, I was not admiring the overgrowth in the two storage sidings.

So, out came Sammy Strimmer and vegetational butchery ensued!

Now, I do have to admire that! Just need to get between and under the wagons next! All in a day at the Museum!

Boiler gone!

A most welcomed rest from painting the lounge with a day at the Rocks By Rail Museum !

One major change since last week is that the boiler from loco 1931 has gone! Not stolen but taken off to a boiler specialist who will be fitting the tubes and doing a few other jobs which will push the return to steam well along! It also gives the opportunity to tackle some rust hidden by the boiler as Martyn is doing.

A bit of an unusual view from the cab footplate to where the firebox should be. Hopefully that lump of coal in the bottom right of the photo will find a use once the boiler has returned!

Meanwhile, paintbrushes have been busy on Barrington with top coat green looking good on the saddle tank and starting on the cab sides.

The front is now finished in top coat yellow which is how this loco was finished when in operation. I believe there are green wasp stripes to be applied yet!

Moving elsewhere, the cab of the monster drag line Sundew, has had more ancillary parts fitted like the electrical distribution board that to the side of Rob and Alex.

Rob also spent some time on greasing the drag line ready for next week. Never an easy or clean job but very necessary!

Rob was also keen to show me his now 'fitted' out van after I made comments to him last week about how unorganised it was! Looks good bit that Barbie bag is still there!

And finally, for me, it was a few hours of lawn mower pushing!

Most relaxing especially after days of painting!

Painting and smiles - all in a day at the Rocks By rail Museum!

Always good to be met by a smiling face when I arrive at the Rocks By Rail Museum, and Rob had one! Probably he was smiling because he was nearly finished with painting the Plant Shed or, as it is becoming known, the Hanger.

He has achieved a great finish which is amazing given Robs paint brush.

Apparently, rather than cleaning it after last weeks session, he just left it in the tin of paint, put the lid on and then retrieved it at the start of this weeks session! Well, it seems to work for him!

However, in the Restoration Shed, new volunteer Clair was helping out on painting steam loco Barrington which will have a yellow wasp stripped front and rear as it did in its working life.

More smiles!

Unlike Rob, Clair has a more caring approach to paint brushes! This cleaning system she has put in place means that brushes are left suspended (hole drilled through the handle and then a metal rod threaded through), in white spirit in a jar (left in the picture) where the paint leaves the bristles to settle on the bottom of the jar leaving a clean brush ready to use next time. The sediment can be removed into the Sediment bottle on the right leaving clear white spirit for more cleaning! Brilliant and certainly brought smiles all round to have clean brushes!

Further down the shed Andy was not painting but was discussing some work on 1931 with an outside contractor to speed up getting this loco back into steam which will bring a smile to his face!

Outside, more painting by Pete, who was finishing off the Quarry Office buildings' exterior finish and very nice it looks too! No wonder he was smiling too!

Looking from a distance it does take on a different look from when it was painted brown.

Meanwhile, Pam seemed t think I needed a helping hand in keeping the grass under control and was busy with the strimmer and was doing that with a smile!

Wherever I looked she seemed to be bringing neatness to an otherwise vegetational free for all!

I did get a fair amount of grass cut though and looking at the finished product always brings a smile to my face! 

Is that a James Bond paint - shaken, not stirred?

 That was the view yesterday as I set to getting ready for a day at the Rocks By Rail Museum. It did look a little eyrie but as always (well some of the time anyway), the sun was shinning on the Museum as well as this tin of paint which conveniently had the date when it was shaken (is that a James Bond paint - shaken, not stirred?).

Anyway, Martini cocktails apart, Rob who is more of a pint man then a cocktail drinker, was applying the paint to the Plant Shed which will hopefully bring that project to a conclusion. 

It is looking good and in my mind with its shape and now green paint looks a bit like a military hanger! I cant see Harriot the JCB flying though!

My thoughts of Rob being a pint rather than a cocktail man were challanged a bit when I looked in his van to discover this!

Upon questioning, Rob said he found it in a skip and it was ideal to put his gloves in. Really! Lucky the hanger, sorry, plant shed hasn't ended up being painted pink!

Getting back to more railway related matters, Richard and Martyn were out on the track with a spirit level which can only mean that there is more track work in the offing. The middle of October sees the last public operating day so I am assuming after that there will be some major engineering works to greet the incoming Winter months.

Another project for the Winter is the ongoing restoration of the Southern brake van which is under cover in the restoration shed. Having dried out over the summer and having had much of the rotten wood and metal taken off it, it should soon start going back together.

The wooden floor at one end has been taken out or rather swept out as it was fairly rotten! Martyn needle gunned the rust off the metal work last week so that area is ready for painting.

More painting can be done on the vacuum tanks as well which will make that look a lot more functional.

In between taking pictures I just got on with some grass cutting which will hopefully come to an end for the year in a few more weeks giving me more time to question Rib about the Barbie bag and see if I can find some more shaken, not stirred paint!

All in all it was a great day, in a great place with great people!

It was not the busiest of days visitor wise at the Rocks By Rail Museum with a Quarry Day running yesterday as there were several other events going on in the area and the weather forecast had predicted rain. However, there was no rain so those that came enjoyed the sunshine and the Museum itself as well as all the activities that were taking place. All in all it was a great day, in a great place with great people!

The usual brake van rides were available and proved popular.

Doing my usual shunting activities I was more than ably supported by Graham and John who was driving Mr. D our shunting loco.

Mr. D, was looking good which is mainly down to John who has spent hours on getting this loco not only looking good but running well.

John's latest improvement has been to paint the operating panel to contrast with the rest of the repainted cab.

Meanwhile, Rob was demonstrating the drag line which always looks impressive.

And Martyn was demonstrating the face shovel.

We were all kept busy shunting and exchanging the wagons until the time came to park up wagons and loco and head for home!

I said it before but I will say it again - All in all it was a great day, in a great place with great people!

It is beginning to look a lot like Autumn!

It is beginning to look a lot like Autumn! That is what I thought as I looked back on a section of the Nature Trail path at the Rocks BY Rail Museum having cut all the grass along it. 

The actual grass cutting was a battle as I had not been down this part of the site foe several weeks.

However, keen vegetational butchery with Mikey Mower saw the area cleared of long growth! 

The Museum site was partly made up ground and with its natural clay base all this leads to differential sinkage in hot weather as witnessed by the track being a bit undulating. Safe to travel at slow speeds I am assured!

Meanwhile, back in the level of the restoration shed, Hazel and new volunteer Dave spent most of the day getting a cast ring out from the boiler top. Having been in there so long and as a cast metal part, it eventually came out in four bits!

In many bits is the Southern brake van which is currently undergoing a rebuild.

Finally, I found these on the footplate of loco Barrington.

I believe they are genuine old oil cans which hopefully are actually older than me! A niceinside  job to clean these up as Autumn turns to Winter which given the current situation may not be too long!