A warm, overcast day on site set the tone for a final push toward Saturday’s season opening, and the whole place had that satisfying buzz that comes when a team knows it’s on the home stretch. The south platform was the first to come alive, with the running‑in boards finally going up. Seeing them in place instantly changed the feel of the station. It’s sharper, more complete, as if it had been waiting for this finishing touch.
Back in the yard, the rest of us worked through the last of the tidying and rubbish clearance before turning to the rolling stock shuffle. Everything now sits exactly where it needs to be for opening day. The road/rail wagon has taken up residence in shed 83C, swapping places with the manrider, which now sits in 83A. The mini‑digger wagon has become the inaugural occupant of shed 83D, proving that the new shed area comfortably accommodates the stock it was designed for. As a bonus, the Mars boiler was uncovered with its newly painted finish looking superb in the daylight.
After lunch the focus shifted to cleaning and presentation. Every item in shed 83C, along with the smaller locomotives and the Ruhrthaler, received a well‑deserved round of attention. Outside ARS 2, the debris pile was consolidated and covered neatly with a tarpaulin, instantly improving the look of the area. Meanwhile, fresh topcoat went onto the fire‑alarm standard, and work progressed on installing the new electrical lighting circuit into the new storage container (which itself does need a paint refresh).
It was one of those days where steady, purposeful effort added up to visible transformation. With the site now looking sharp and the stock in position we are all ready for the opening weekend of the season with trains running on both Saturday and Sunday!
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