It was certainly a warm one today. In fact, it was hot enough that the Gunpowder Mills site was not to open to the public, leaving the site entirely to the Gunpowder Railway team. With a good number of people on hand, we were able to press on with the key tasks.
A line inspection took place first thing using the Hunslet Chris H. The track was generally in better alignment than anticipated after the recent heat, but as expected the distorted joint near Badger Sett looked decidedly unhappy, so remedial work was agreed. The works wagon had already been loaded with strops, shackles and a chain winch, and once the team was assembled we headed back on the Manrider to the problem area.
After clearing the sleeper ends, two strops were slung around the sleepers either side of the joint and the winch was run back to a convenient tree. The setup worked well, pulling the joint back into alignment—although there was some suspicion that the tree may have moved slightly closer to the track in the process. At the river end of the sleepers ballast was then packed back under the sleepers using the kango and generator, and the joint held firm. A quick tidy up, and it was time for lunch.
Meanwhile, the Engineering Team cracked on with removing the fuel tank from Tinkabell and thoroughly cleaned out; there was definitely debris sitting in the bottom which had flowed into the elbow joint in the fuel feed, almost certainly the cause of the locomotive’s unexpected stoppage last Saturday. Over in the wagon area the Painting team finished off the red‑oxide painting of the Dough wagon chassis, meaning it should be ready for black topcoat on Wednesday and wheels returning next Saturday. The second end panel for wagon B10 was also fully cleaned and given its coat of red oxide.
A team meeting followed, after which some of the group headed home; the heat made further outdoor work impractical and only a few minor indoor jobs remained. Work continued on wagon B10, with the bottom of the body panel refixed to the framing on the second end, which removed the last of the twist from the assembly. Options for attaching the ends to the chassis were then discussed. Additional electrical conduit arrived for the container lighting project, and general workshop tasks were completed.
Despite the stifling conditions, it was a productive day all round. A big thank you to everyone who worked so fruitfully on site in the heat.
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