A bright and sunny day on site for a change, though decidedly chilly. A slightly depleted team on site but we pushed ahead with a number of tasks as well as holding our second training day of 2026.
First thing, the trainees were shown the niceties of refilling our diesel fuel containers from the on-site diesel tank. Then the team used the JCB to move all the remaining 18‑inch gauge equipment purchased by Steeple Grange Railway down to the hard-standing by the two coaches at the south end of the site so the lorry only has one pick‑up point when it arrives to take these to their new home. The trainers and trainees continued with driver and guard training taking the train out for route learning and hands-on practical experience whilst others cleared the rail sections and trestles away from the front of ARS2 (Air Raid Shelter number 2) ready for the clearance of the building.
After lunch, the leadership team carried out a couple of two‑yearly safety‑critical competency re‑assessments whilst the rest of the team mostly began the Herculean task of clearing out all the accumulated items (junk) in ARS2 ready for it to be refurbished as another visitor attraction and some interesting artifacts have been discovered already (a 1940’s hand-pumped toilet for one). The newly repaired vibrating tamper was put to good use to consolidate the self‑binding gravel between the display siding rails, one of our engineers then finished the rebuild of the original vibrating tamper engine, so we now have a spare in case of future mishaps. A fruitful day all round.
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