It was a slightly cooler day on site, but conditions remained pleasant with plenty of sunshine and dry weather throughout. As it was a Mill Open Day, passenger services once again formed an important part of the day’s activities. Three trains were operated during the event, carrying lots of happy passengers and helping to showcase the railway to visitors just one day left of this running season.
Work on the Dough wagon continued to make steady progress. The replacement timber buffing beam reached another important milestone, with the shaping work completed during the morning. By lunchtime, the two halves had been glued and firmly clamped together, meaning the buffer is now well on its way to becoming a finished and usable part of the wagon’s restoration.
Attention was also focused on the Wickham trolley and wagon B10. The under-seat panels on the Wickham received a green topcoat, bringing them much closer to completion, however the Wickham provided both the day’s greatest success and its most frustrating challenge. Despite careful marking out and masking of the black hazard stripes on one end of the vehicle before the paint was applied. Unfortunately, the paint found its way beneath the masking tape, leaving the finished result looking rather less professional than intended. Rather than dwelling on the setback, a different approach was adopted during the afternoon. Using 50mm-wide black duct tape instead of paint, the hazard stripes were applied to the opposite end of the Wickham. This proved far more successful, producing a bold and striking appearance that immediately brought the vehicle to life. With one end now looking exactly as intended, attention can turn to rectifying the first attempt and bringing both ends up to the same standard.
Meanwhile, work on restoring wagon B10 continued with the successful installation of the second timber roof fixing rail.
Elsewhere on site, efforts focused on improving the appearance of Ruston LBU Tinkabell. Work on straightening the front bodywork progressed steadily, although the stubborn nature of the metal meant that improvements came only through patience and persistence. At the same time, years of accumulated grime were carefully removed from the locomotive itself, revealing cleaner surfaces beneath and helping to prepare it for future paint restoration work.
Work also continued on Hunslet 9080 No. 15, where the main brake actuator underwent a complete overhaul and refurbishment. By the end of the day, and with some careful teamwork, the unit had been successfully reinstalled beneath the locomotive. This marked another significant step forward in the ongoing programme of repairs and brings the locomotive closer to returning to operational condition.
By the close of play, progress had been made across a wide variety of projects, ranging from passenger operations and vehicle restoration to wagon repairs and locomotive maintenance. The day was another example of what can be achieved through cooperation, determination and a willingness to tackle whatever task needs doing. As always, everyone contributed to a productive and rewarding day on the railway.
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