What a glorious day on site, and the weather played its part too. Once the early fog lifted, the sun broke through and we were treated to a warm, clear blue sky. It happened to be a Mills Public Open Day, so everything was prepared in good time for four trains. Then, at 10.30am, word came through that only a small number of visitors had booked and that only the 12.45 and 13.55 services were needed. The first train became a staff training run, and the two service trains carried thirty passengers between them.
While the operating team handled the morning duties, others were already busy. The generator set was topped up with diesel, and a bit of coaxing brought Tinkabell (our new arrival) back to life after a reluctant start. A quick bleed of the fuel lines worked wonders, new oil and soon the loco was running sweetly again.
The display items were brought out for the public to enjoy, and the last of the rubbish outside ARS2 was loaded into the JCB bucket and discreetly taken away. With that done, ARS2 is now as far as we can take it until the Mills complete the internal refit and roof repairs. Only then can we lay the hardstanding and position the artefacts waiting in the wings.
Work continued elsewhere too. The final panels of wall cladding went onto shed 83D, helped along by the good weather which made it a perfect day for exterior undercoating. Workshop tasks ticked along steadily in the background, as they always do and its beginning to look quite a lot tidier.
Once the passenger train was berthed, the afternoon took on a more playful tone. The new-build Wickham trolley which is now almost ready to move into 83A for final bodywork and painting had its turn first, and then it was the turn of Tinkabell, and many and broad were the smiles of the staff who drove them this afternoon. Indeed getting people to stop playing so we could put everything away and go home was the biggest challenge of the day
A day well spent, full of hard work, good progress, and a healthy dose of enjoyment thanks to the commitment and enthusiasm of the whole team.
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