Interestingly, the loco behind Elizabeth is Singapore which had a birthday card left on it.

Well I did try to bring industrial levels of vegetational butchery to the Rocks By Rail Museum but without that machine from yesterdays post I was on a hiding to nothing! More on that later but first off we have a signal that things are moving on - literally with the signal head for the new control system installed.

I did turn a few switches but nothing happened so I presume that there is still work to do just as there is more to do to steam loco Uppingham.

More painting has gone on and slowly it begins to look more like a cared for loco!

Talking of cared for, diesel loco Elizabeth is slowly coming back to life with work being carried our on various electrical components. 

Once working that will bring the number of running diesels to five which is the most I have ever known! 

Interestingly, the loco behind Elizabeth is Singapore which had a birthday card left on it. That made us all wonder until this appeared on YouTube..

Meanwhile my lack of industrial might like yesterdays featured machine didn't mean that I lacked some progress in vegetational butchery as...

...became this....

 ...and I even managed to battle through to last Winters butchery operation!

I was somewhat achy after all that but went home happy!

We agreed that it had been a great day at the Museum!

During August the Rocks By Rail Museum opens every Sunday regardless of whether there is an event or not. This allows visitors the chance to see the Museum in a quiet setting at a weekend rather than being limited to a weekday. For some reason I found myself volunteered along with John for the first Sunday of August. John is always great to work with and we had some interesting visitors so the morning flew by as we chatted in the relaxed atmosphere of a non-event day. One visitor was from a model railway club and wanted one of our exhibits at his clubs exhibition next year so we will have to see how that goes! Another gentleman was called Bob Fleming who has authored a book called 'Room on top' which is about the prototype double-decker unit that British Rail built in 1949 (see the publisher's notes here ).

There has recently been a model released of the prototype by the now liquidated K R Models which been the subject of some heated chatter on model railway forums due to various issues with the model itself as well as problems with getting money returned from what has mainly been a crowd funded company.

Yet another gentleman brought in some good quality military jerry cans, tools and PPE as a donation to the museum. 

We had several family groups where the young child was mad keen about railways but the parents were not so could not understand where the interest came from! Never the less they are nuturing that interest by visiting the Museum! 

Before the day passed by I did actually get some vegetational butchery done with Sammy Strimmer - no visit to the museum can be complete without such activity!

The target was the overgrowth around the Coles crane.

On a less destructional note, I did end the day by watering the flower containers which have been a great success this year.

All in all as John and I locked up we agreed that it had been a great day at the Museum!

Meanwhile, across the tracks, the Rocks By Rail Debating Team were also sitting down on the job!

 Heading into the Rocks By rail Museum I actually spotted Rob continuing work on the Euclid dump truck.

This is actually the first time I have seen the doors open and seen clearly into the cab!

Not the most inviting place even when the rubbish has been cleared out!

That is a big steering wheel and there is no power steering on this monster of a machine!

Still Rob is looking happy at the prospect of getting it smartened up and driving about again!

Good job that Rob has a van full of tools, welding bits and enough PPE for the Museum on an event day!

Talking of tools...

...this enviable set of Milwaukee tools belongs to Thomas or as he wlil become known as - The Milwaukee Kid!...

..who looks like he is auditioning for a part in some medieval film about the knights of old!

However, he does say it is to keep him relatively dust and paint free although along with Alex I did find the pair sitting down on the job!

However, they must have done some works as steam loco Uppingham is becoming a bit more colourful.

Meanwhile, across the tracks, the Rocks By Rail Debating Team were also sitting down on the job getting some practice in for the next debate no doubt!

Apparently todays debate was over the intricoes of the lubrication system of steam loco 1931! Fascinating!

Turning towards the Restoration Shed there is no end of things that need more debating like the cab of Uppingham!

In the shed itself, John assisted by Pam and Pete was getting to grips with sorting more wood issues out on the Southern brake van.

And for me? Well I didn't sit down on the job but I did get the glamorous task, along with Morris Mower and Sammy Strimmer, of clearing the area behind the toilets were the septic tank is so that the septic tank pump can be serviced!

 I think that has been vegetationally butchered to perfection!

Almost like an episode of Train Truckers but with no film crew!

Now here is something that you don't see everyday but it was what I sighted as I came into the Rocks By Rail Museum. 

Always worth investigating what is going on I chatted to the driver who had arrived to pick up steam loco Rhos that is going to the Foxfield Railway where its new owner plans to restore it. Almost like an episode of Train Truckers but with no film crew!

Down the line John had Mr. D at the back of Rhos ready to propel it up the slope to the awaiting truck and trailer. That was my que to join him and Pam on the footplate for the ride up the line.

Taking it slowly up the line we were soon in sight of the truck.

Once at the truck a winch rope from the trailer was attached to Rhos and it was hauled onto the trailer which has rails fastened to it.

Once Rhos was on and safely chained down along with a number of other parts the tractor unit came down to back onto the gooseneck of the trailer. Hydraulics made short work of lifting the reattached trailer clear of the tracks so that the load could go on its way and with that it was back to doing normal things at the Museum...

 ...like the continued painting of Uppingham...

...more repairs to the Southern brakevan that now has some new timber in its sides....

...and the Euclid is slowly coming together!

For me, it was back to the wheelbarrow, brush and shovel as I continue to clean up the storage area.

There is a lot more to do but at least with six barrow loads of weeds and dust out of the way the concrete looks more like...well concrete!

Until you start looking at these things are asking questions you just take things for granted!

 Carrying on from the strap line to yesterday's post, you always learn something new. Take this view of the chassis of steam loco 1931. You can tell from first glance that it is big bit of engineering with massive bits of metal all designed and made to come together to become a steam engine.

However, take a closer look and ask someone like John who has worked with such machines for more years than he cares to remember and you find out about the delicacy of the lubrication system to the wheel bearings.  It is not just a sealed bearing that modern vehicles have but with the tiny copper pipes and various brass fittings it is a continuous lubrication system feeding the bearings with oil designed to work in harmony with all that big engineering. 

Until you start looking at these things are asking questions you just take things for granted!

Things are moving on with the Southern brake van where the floor is just about finished and work has started on the repair of the sides with new wood being inserted.

Across the tracks from the restoration shed, steam loco Uppingham continues to get painted . The firebox is now black...

...and the buffer beam looks rather smart in red although it will be brighter when it gets the top coat.

Walking through the Exhibition Centre I noticed some new wiring which has all the hallmarks of Steve as it is so neat! I believe this is another part of the colour light signal project or maybe it is some sort of clandestine monitoring system to see how long I spend in the cool of the Centre!

One of the positive aspects of the current heat wave is that the grass is not growing! In fact it looks dead! 

Although I did bring Morris Mower out and butchered some remaining straggly grass I did use the opportunity created by t=dead grass to tidy this area up. After a few hours it was looking a lot tidier.

For how long is another question though!

Absolute perfection in vegetational butchery!

It may refer to the gradient of the line but to me this sign probably indicated that I was on a hot and sweaty trip up the line with Morris Mower and more on that later!

You may recall from last weeks post regarding the Rocks By Rail Museum that Alex had started painting a cylinder cover from steam loco Barrington and this week that is now in place and very smart it looks.

However, even more painting has been going on and this loco is really coming together.

Black and yellow stripes at the front...

...and at the rear green and yellow! Now3 there have been questions raised regarding the green stripes but research does show that this was the colour used.

Elsewhere, more painting was going on with Uppingham get its wheels undercoated.

You would think that once something is painted that is it. Unfortunately paint does deteriorate with time and Graham the Sentinel is showing signs that its approximately ten year old paint has reached its end!

Despite the coolness of the Exhibition Centre on one of the hottest UK days in July, I did eventually venture out with the mower to cut the things that were still growing!

Apart from the fact that I was probably watering what remained of the grass with the perspiration running off me eventually I got it done.

Absolute perfection in vegetational butchery! Hopefully that wont need cutting for a bit now!