The day began in fairly pleasant conditions, though the heat built steadily and the humidity after lunch made everything feel heavier. With only a small team on site, progress still moved at a good pace and a satisfying number of jobs were cleared.
Work on the Dough wagon advanced with the final filling and sanding completed, leaving it just about ready for the roof installation. More shaping and sanding went into the repaired seat slat on the manrider, while others removed a rotten timber batten from the replica 18‑inch‑gauge powder wagon, fabricated a new one, undercoated it and refitted it.
A metal frame was produced for a project on the mini‑railway before attention returned to ongoing work on the Wickham trolley. Later in the afternoon, the Baguley went out for a line‑inspection run, confirming that the track alignment has held up well despite the prolonged hot spell – so all ready for our Big Trains Little Trains Weekend.
Attention then turned to the misaligned joint on the exit road from the carriage shed 83A. Ballast was dug out from the sleeper ends, strops were slung around the sleepers, and a chain winch was rigged to a conveniently placed tree outside the woodworking shop. The track was slewed back into alignment with only one moment of protest from the tree, and once fresh ballast was tamped in, the joint held firm, giving the passenger train a much smoother passage for future running days.
Workshop tasks continued throughout the day, including a preliminary clean of the exterior of the site diesel tank outside the locomotive workshop 83B. Despite the heat, it was a productive session with plenty of important work completed, and the efforts of everyone on site made a clear difference.
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