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Work Diary - Past
Work Diary - Future

Previous work parties

This page gives details of work undertaken on previous work days - latest news first.

On the 5th May 2008 there was a work party at Longhoughton. This was attended by .
On the 29th March 2008 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by .
On the 24th March 2008 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by .
On the 23rd March 2008 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by .
On the 22nd March 2008 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by .
On the 21st March 2008 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by .
On the 15th March 2008 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by .
On the 8th March 2008 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by .
On the 1st March 2008 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by .
On the 23rd February 2008 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by .
On the 16th February 2008 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by .
On the 9th February 2008 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by .
On the 2nd February 2008 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by .
On the 26th January 2008 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by .
On the 19th January 2008 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by DMS, RJ, MH. Dave used the Atlas to move the remaining sleepers from the stripped panels to a rough stockpile. Roland was then shown the basic of the Atlas. Mark arrived and we picked up some benches that had been saved from the skip by Roland. Roland then used the Atlas to level of the land near the dogleg in the yard boundary, thus giving a bit more level space for materials.
On the 12th January 2008 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by BS, DMS, MH, AH. Baz and Dave S arrived and made a start on picking up rubbish from around the site. The Atlas was then fired up and used to lift the out of profile rail out from road 1. The other lengths were also lifted out and moved to stockpile. The sleepers were then moved out the way, to give access to a pile of spoil that has been dropped in this area during earlier (Easter?) earthworks and landscaping. This was re-graded, and a number of rail chairs that had been left here were recovered. A start was then made on dismantling the panels in the back stack (the one that was trapped behind the ballast wagon before we moved this), and this continued throughout the day, with the assistance of Mark and Alistair.
On the 5th January 2008 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by BS, DMS, KM, TS, DT, IC, NB. Baz & Dave S arrived and started by firing up the Atlas and moving the sheets for use later in the day. Baz then lifted the rail out of the top panel on stack 1 and moved these to the stockpile. The sleepers were then lifted down and laid out in the gap in Road #1. The next set of rails from stack 1 were then lifted down and dropped into the gap on Road #1. It transpired that one rail was too long so an alternative rail was sourced from another panel. The rails were then turned in and keyed up. The small gap on one side was bridged, and the ballast wagon was then moved over onto road 1 ext to DX98702. This brought us up to the lunch break. After lunch Dave measured up some more panels. Baz, Ian, Tom & Dave T prepared the sheets to go over the Mark 2s. Kay continued work inside the TSO. Kenny delivered some more materials for the GVB. The 110v genny was fired up in the late afternoon to provide some light – and a minor tidy up was undertaken too.
On the 29th December 2007 there was a work party at Bo'ness. This was attended by .
On the 22nd December 2007 there was a work party at Longhougton Goods Yard. This was attended by BS, DMS, KM, TS, MH, IC. As the electrical bits for the PCTs hadn’t arrived it was not felt worth working on the electrics on DX 98707. The Kango genny was started after some effort to warm up the air input so the 4 way extension / TAWS device was plugged in – the siren sounded as expected, and ceased when the button was pressed (note: stop/start relates to work and not the siren which is why it seems to be the wrong way round). The 110V output was tested and the Kango hammers were tested too. Some of the tarps/covers for the mark 2s modified to keep them in place. Wrapped the day up with a general tidy up.
On the 15th December 2007 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by KSW, DT, IC. They continued with work on the Mk2s
On the 8th December 2007 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by BS, DMS, KSW, MH, IC. Baz moved the Atlas to the middle of the yard and greased ALL points, while Dave topped up the Hydraulic levels. Dave and Mark had a look at the electrics on DX 98707 and we have progressed a little bit further. Dave and Mark then went to collect the Kango genny and hammers. The genny has been started and runs fine. Baz and Ian lifted in two 30ft BH rails to extend road 1. Baz, Dave and Ian then keyed up these rails. Kay spent the day fitting more flooring to the mark 2s.At around 14:15 it was declared “Rain stops play” and we packed up for the day.
On the 1st December 2007 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by BS, DMS, KSW, DT, NB. A quiet day today, with a bit of tidying up. Dougal’s fire raising tendencies have been traced to a faulty ignition switch.
On the 24th November 2007 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by BS, DMS, TS, KSW. Baz and Dave started by wiring one of the heaters in the Mark 1 staff coach to a 13amp plug and connected it up to the genny – this seemed to work and a bit of heat was generated! The tractor had all the filters removed and fuel pipe unions slackened off, and when Tom delivered the fresh diesel this was put in the tank and pushed found the system to expel the air and contaminated fuel. A sniff of easy start to get the engine to kick and it started and ran, so it’s back in service. This was then used, along with the Atlas, to move the F27 concrete sleepers from the middle of the yard to a stockpile. The spare engine was lifted out the back of Dougal and the muck swept out. A pair of batteries were wired in and put on charge. The lights work okay, though there seems to be an intermittent connection. Tom was cleaning out the Personnel Carriers and Kay was continuing with the flooring in the Mark 2 TSO.
On the 17th November 2007 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by . The 12t Crane was moved around site and DX 98706 (the white quip) has been moved from the south end of Road 1 to the middle, next to 98702 (the yellow quip). The sleepers have also been moved slightly to try and gain access to the 48DS. The 165DE and the Matisa have also moved slightly southwards on Road 1 to create the space for 98706.
On the 10th November 2007 there was a work party at . This was attended by .
On the 3rd November 2007 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by .
On the 27th October 2007 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by BS, DMS, KSW, TS, MH, AH. Baz and Dave arrived and refitted the bucket ram to 37.995 – it seems to be holding up this time. Baz then used 37.995 to move materials up for the “final” 30ft of road 2, while Dave and Mark swapped over the remaining 4 wheels on the Atlas, assisted by Tom and Alistair. Dave then set the Atlas up to enable it to be used in rail mode, and Mark coupled it to the match truck so this could be hauled up road 2. Baz then used the Atlas to infill road 2, with additional spoil being moved up by Mark on the Dumber and Dave loading with 37.995. The crane was then slewed through 90° and moved up next to the match truck. Tom was working on tidying the staff coach Mk 1, while Kay was working in the Mk 2s. A small contingent of Network Rail’s staff were present too, despite there being a “swarm” of track workers at Morpeth.
On the 20th October 2007 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by BS, DMS, KSW, TS, DT, IC, RC, NB . Baz and Dave S arrived and moved the majority of items out of the “clean” half of the mark 1. The Atlas was started and sleepers moved, and a bit of spoil dug out. The Atlas was then stopped so Tom and Dave S could try and get a spare banjo bolt for the fuel return line (to no avail). On return the Atlas was restarted and more work undertaken on road 2. Tom swept up the clean half of the mark 1 and made a start painting the floor boards. The other continued with the mark 2s. An attempt was made to rail the Atlas, but line 2 requires some more preparation work first. The Atlas was parked up in the middle of the yard and the arm used to lift the front end so that the front 4 wheels could be swapped out for “new” ones. The back ones are still to do.
On the 13th October 2007 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by . Baz and Dave arrived and started by continuing to clean the fuel tank from the Atlas, both inside and out. Mark assisted by rigging up a pressure washer. The engine bay was also washed down. The fuel tank was refitted and the fuel pipes and battery connections were refitted. After a bit of trouble priming the system, which was soon solved the engine was restarted and was running much better. The machine was then used to dig out some more spoil to allow for the insetting of road 2. Meanwhile the opportunity was taken by Mark to pressure wash the tractor and the dumper. Sleepers and rails were moved up from our stockpile ready to be positioned next weekend. Dave T, Kay, Tom and Neil continued with the mark 2s.
On the 6th October 2007 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by BS, DMS, KSW, DT, TS, KM, NB (and some more NwR lads!) . Another possession on the ECML this weekend so there were no trains passing. A few track workers around finishing off from last weekend (track stressing) and tidying their tools and equipment ready for collection. (working at Cramlington next weekend). Baz and Dave arrived, informed the NwR SAC that we would be on site, then continued with check over of the fuel system on the Atlas. The new fuel feed pipe was fitted and the filter bowl refitted after being cleaned. The machine was then started and a tea break was taken while the air & hydraulic pressures built up. It was then used to undertake some more work on road 2. The 2 30ft panels that were laid have now been properly assembled with pads, insulators and Pandrol clips. Fishplates have been installed to aid with amending the curvature of this line. Some further infilling has been performed, but spaces have been left to we can access plates and clips at present. Just as we were about to on-track the machine it developed hiccups again (caused by the pump pulling gunk from the diesel tank) and lost power. The decision was taken to proceed with the planned removal of the fuel tank, so the Atlas was parked up, the tool box removed to ease access and the fuel tank removed ready to be flushed out with Frosts tank cleaner. A quick tidy up of the site was undertaken: picking up some rubbish left by those involved in the renewals work last weekend. Tom continued with the painting of the clean half of the Staff Coach. Kay, Dave T and Neil continued with the Mark 2s. Kenny undertook some more work on the grounded van body.
On the 29th September 2007 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by BS, DMS, DT, TS, KSW, MH, AH, KM (oh and a load of NwR, FastLine and Hydrex bods!). Baz and Dave arrived and informed the NwR SAC that we would be on site, then made a start at working through the fuel system on the Atlas RRV. Dave T, Tom, Kay, Mark and Alistair modified the tie down straps for the tarps. Some “donations” were accepted from FastLine. Kay then sat about trying to soak up the water from inside the mark 2s assisted by Dave T. Tom undertook some more painting in the staff coach. Baz, Dave, Mark and Alistair continued with the check over of the Atlas’s fuel, air and hydraulic systems, topped up with £25 worth of garage bought red diesel (my money!) and some fresh hydraulic and fired it back up and Baz used it to move some more rail up to go back onto road 2 assisted by Dave, Mark and Alistair. At end of the “shift” the spin on fuel filter was removed, and a replacement obtained via Hydrex. An errant fuel line has been removed for a replacement to be made up too.
On the 22nd September 2007 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by BS, DMS, DT, TMS, KSW, NB. Dave and Baz dug out some more of the formation for siding by hand then started up the Atlas. This was used to lift over some sleepers and rail. Some more earth was then dug out. After an early dinner, it was apparent the Atlas had developed hiccups – on checking the fuel priming pump filter it appeared the fuel was contaminated. The glass bowl was removed and cleaned up, and the fuel tank was drained and the main fuel pump was checked. While the machine was stopped, the opportunity was taken to check other items and more points have been greased up, the brake fluid reservoirs have been topped up. We managed to get it running again, but attention will need to be given to the fuel system once new parts are obtained. The machine was then used to move more track materials around ready for continuation of work on siding 2. Tom undertook some painting in Northumbria Rail’s Mark 1. The others were working on the restoration on the Mark 2 TSO. The road trailers and the mobile plant were moved round to give a bit of space ready for the arrival of track materials from Alnmouth. No trains today with the ECML being in total possession between Heaton and Tweedmouth, no NwR bods as they were at Alnmouth taking up the “coal yard” sidings.
On the 15th September 2007 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by BS, DMS, DT, TMS, KSW, MH, KM, NB . Dave and Baz unloaded some more “acquired” tools. 37.995, the tractor was then used to assist in pulling the Atlas out of the hole, and they were parked up to give working room. A start was made on fitting the new hoses for the bucket ram but for some reason these weren’t an exact match, joined by Tom and Mark one new hose was fitted (hopefully without irreparable damage to the threads in the ram) and the old hose was refitted. After realising the valve was still closed the ram works fine and gives a useable bucket. After dinner an attempt was made at lifting one of the track panels – with out success, it could just take the weight but would not lift, and the hoist arm was almost at full height. So instead it was driven back up the yard and used to dig out the course of road 2. Tom undertook some painting in Northumbria Rail’s Mark 1. Kenny did some more work on the van body. The others were working on the restoration on the Mark 2 TSO. No trains today with the ECML being in total possession between Heaton and Tweedmouth, no NwR bods as they were at Alnmouth taking down the OHL in the “coal yard”.
On the 8th September 2007 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by BS, DMS, KM, KSW, NB, DT, IC. Baz and Dave unloaded some track materials obtained via Trackwork. The revised alignment of road 2 was measured and markers put in to aid with re-construction. Materials were checked and lifting markers put on to the rails. Joined by Ian the Atlas was started up and moved to the centre of the yard to give a large working area – the bucket, ram, and associated pieces were laid out and with a bit of jiggling were fitted. The bucket ram is not yet operable but Baz was able to improvise to use the Atlas to move some of the material from the road 2 area. Ian and Dave S moved Quip 2 (98702) from road 2 onto road 1 using the associated cross tracking bars. It is planned (once the OTPPG give the green light) to swap the good front door off Quip 1 (98706) and use the current glass as a template for replacement. Kenny was affixing new roofing felt to the grounded van body. Kay, Neil and Dave T were continuing with the restoration of the Mark 2 TSO. At the end of shift the Atlas’s air tank was drained (hardly any water this time!) and a few hoses were detached to enable us to get an idea of what is required for the bucket ram.
On the 1st September 2007 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by BS, DMS, DT, TS, KSW, MH. Baz and Dave had a quick look at the Atlas 1302 and checked oil levels, etc. Also had a look at the "new" Permaquip, removing the stowage panel parts from the rear. Tom (and Dave T, Kay and Mark) arrived and it was agreed to start the Atlas with Baz, as a certified plant operator and trainer in the hot seat. There were no problems and mark and dave s attached the scrap grab so it could be moved to storage. Kay and Dave T continued with work in the Mk 2s. The Atlas was parked up again so Dave S and Mark could clean out the cab, with redundant wiring being removed, and glass shards from the broken window swept out. Baz used 37.995 to begin moving earth from the line of road 2, while Tom moved the carriage spares. After dinner Mark and Dave had a look at the Permaquip connecting a set of batteries and tried cranking - the batteries were a bit low, so the charger/starter was used to give a boost and after a few coughs and spluuters to clear its throat the VW engine was running and idling without issue. 37.995 ran into problems with the front bucket (which has been iffy for a while) eventually giving up and the ram ripped through the mount. The Atlas was restarted and the larger bucket for this, and the associated ram were lifted over to storage. The permaquip was then lifted slightly to ensure it was sitting on rail. Not a great deal of progress on the trackwork of roads 1 & 2; which had been the plan, but at least we know the two new arrivals are in working order.
On the 25th August 2007 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by BS, DMS, DT, TS, IC, KSW, RJ. Baz continued painting the interior of the Mark 1, and was joined and assisted by Big Dave. Dave & Ian popped over to the cottages to collect materials for transfer to Longhoughton, on return the "grey water" pipe on the mk 1 was extended. They also swapped out some more materials on road 1 to give more useable siding space. Tom undertook some more refubishment on Scarth. Roland worked on the checking over of the crane's gears. Kay contined tidying up the Mk 2s and also undertook some beutification to the Ruston 165DE.
On the 18th August 2007 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by BS, DMS, KSW, TS, IC, MH. Baz continued on the interior of the Mark 1. Dave S & Ian used Ians mini 360° to modify road 1, slewing it over to a new alignment ready for road 2 to be relaid. stock was also shunted to better locations. Mark & Tom affixed tarps onto the mark 2 TSO. Kay contined tidying up the Mk 2s and also undertook some beutification to the Ruston 165DE.
On the 11th August 2007 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by BS, DMS, IC, KSW, RJ, TS, DT, MH. Baz and Dave S tidied up Northumbria Rail's staff coach (Mk 1 BSK), and exchanged the regulator on the propane for a 37mbar one and tested the cooker by boiling the kettle for a brew! Baz applied some more paint to the "clean" half. Dave S moved a few bits & pieces in the Mk 2 BFK, and swept up a bit more glass, but ran out of bags to put the shards in. Ian, Baz and Dave S dismantled the southern-most four panels of road 2 and stockpiled the materials ready for the line to be relayed over the next few weekends with a new alignment and inset into the yard. Tom and Mark covered the Mk 2 BFK with tarpulins. Roland did some oiling round and cleaning on NR's rail crane, and was joined by Dave S and Ian after dinner and the jib was slewed. The two front counterweights were lifted out to enable access to the slewing brake; this has now been removed to be cleaned up. The surrounding area has also been cleaned up and the water drain off holes unblocked and the detritus cleaned out. Baz made a start at installing some new shelves and work benches in the Mk 1 BSK, while Kay and Dave T made a start on removing the seats from inside the Mk 2 TSO in order that the floor can be checked.
On the 4th August 2007 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by BS, DMS, TS, DT, KSW, IC. The clean end of the Mk 1 staff coach was cleared of most moveable items and the old paint rubbed down, and a new coat applied. More of the glass and debries was swept up out of 5210 (the Mk 2TO) and the majoity of the passenger doors were unlocked, opened, cleaned and then closed and locked up again. Some tidying was also undertaken in 35506 (the Mk2c BFK) to make it a little safer to walk through - again the side doors were checked over. The dumper had some more work done to its blown air cooling system. The Ruston 165DE had some more areas masked ready for lining out. A bit of discussion about plans, ideas, etc. too. A First 87 passed on a Tattoo charter, returning tomorrow.
On the 28th July 2007 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by BS, DMS, IC, TS, KSW, MH. Baz, Dave and Ian modified the tempory hi-viz mesh fence at the top on the Network Rail road. Tom tweaked the dumper and tidied up rubbish, etc. from round site. Kay applied a temporay coat of paint to the Mark 2 TO to cover the graffitti. A start was made on moving newly aquired rail (cheers NwR!) to the stock pile. Mark arrived and he and Dave popped over to Boulmer to collect some more spare wood, returning at Lunch time. After lunch we continued moving track materials to the correct stockpiles. Tom and Baz then had an operations meeting to decide how to go about installing a modified gate to accept large low loaders, and then then set about tidying the Northern end of the site. Dave & Ian helped Kay sweep about half of the TO clean of shards of glass (from the windows).
On the 24th July 2007 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by CDO, JRS, BS, KM, KSW, DT, TS. assited Allelys with the unloading at Longhoughton
On the 23rd July 2007 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by CDO, JRS, DMS, BS, KM, KSW, DT, TS. After Craig, Julie and Dave had helped Allelys load at Silverlink we joined the others at to assit with loading at the unloading at
On the 21st July 2007 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by KM, BS, DMS, TS, KSW, DT, IC, MH. Two of the Permaquip B trolleys were unloaded and lifted over onto road 2. The crane was used to lift the van body and the trolleys were put underneath and then they were pushed up to south end of the siding. the crane was then pushed up seperatley. With a bit of lifting and slewing the van was positioned as close as possible to the designated site, and then pushed over with pinch bars.
On the 16th July 2007 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by TS, DMS, MH. Tom assisted the hi-ab driver with the move from Colliery Farm to Longhoughton. Dave arrived after it had been unloaded and so instead tidied up items round the yard. Mark popped in during his dinner break and lent a hand.
On the 14th July 2007 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by BS, DMS, IC, TS . Baz worked on completing the partition in the staff mark 1 and also continued tidying up. Dave and Ian continued with the restoration of Scarth, the dumper (in working order), which included cleaning and greasing, changing the gear and diff oil, adjusting the fuel pump and govenor, and preparing for the refitting of the air cooling system. The tractor was also returned to use with the fitting of the replacement hydrauluc hose on the front loader. Tom made a start on sorting out items at the north end of the site, moving the smaller items (such as chairs and bolts) to store, and we will move some of the larger items (sleepers & rail) next weekend. The area for the Van Body was also cleaned up a bit with the vegitation cut back. Some sleepers were laid out at the north end of siding 3 and two lenghts of rail moved up from the stockpile, turned in, clipped and one cut down to length (also removing a poor weld) to bring this up to the required size for the two mark 2s. A second hand small gas cooker has been provided by Ian, and this has been cleaned up and once tested will be installed in the staff coach to replace the current camp stove. A NENTA charter passed both ways (1Z20 & 1Z22) formed of 47853 + 9494, 5959, 5954, 6110, 6720, 3318, 3388, 1680, 3400, 3414 + 47805, with the driver giving a nice hello blast!
On the 7th July 2007 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by BS, DMS, TS, PD. The Dumper is now working but is on restricted use until the cooling system is refitted. 37995 is out of action until a hydraulic hose is renewed.
On the 30th June 2007 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by BS, DMS, KSW, RJ, IC. Baz and Dave started by moving the remaining tools etc. out off the the "mess & office" part of the staff coach into the store & workshop" part of the coach, and the floor was swept. Kay arrived and continued with the beutification of the Ruston 165DE. Roland arrived and he and Dave stripped, cleaned and refitted part of the gear mech on the crane. Baz continued with the fitting of the partition in the staff coach - please note this is not to the original BR design. While Roland was oiling and greasing various points on the crane, Dave undertook some electrics work on the tractor; changing the sarter back to a key switch, wiring in the alternator and chage indicator, and fitting a new horn. (This is just temporary, a full rewire will be untertaken at a later date). Ian arrived and after lunch the crane was slewed 180°, and the cover for the jib brake was removed. With the rain seeming set a coffee break was held and during a slight lapse the side panel were refitted to the 165.
On the 23rd June 2007 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by BS, DMS, IC . Baz and Dave plumbed a bilge pump up the Mk 1 to enable water to be pumped into the system. The crane jib was lifted and the crane slewed to keep it free. Weather got progresively worse so we took refuge in the Mk 1. Baz and Ian started installing the frame for the partition while Dave tidied the interior.
On the 16th June 2007 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by no one. Most people were tied up elsewhere.
On the 9th June 2007 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by BS, DMS, IC, KSW, TS . Baz and Dave made a start on tidying up the "clean" end of the staff coach. Ian arrived and he and Dave popped to station cottages to collect the scaffolding tower and some loco spare parts. On return the scaffolding was errected to enable Dave to clean out the gutters on the staff coach, while Ian and Baz set about installing fishplates on siding 3 to enable it to be slewed slightly. Baz also graded some land to enable better road access by low loaders. The crane has been moved back to the middle of the yard to give access to the South end of sidings 1 & 2 which are to be slewed in the near future to try and prevent fouling with siding 3. Tom was continuing the overhaul of the dumper and Kay was contiuing beutification of the 165DE.
On the 2nd June 2007 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by BS, DMS, KSW, IC. As H&S had put a stop to the planned work to recover the last of the materials from Chevington, we instead went to Longhoughton to ensure siding 3 was fit for purpose. The scrap pile was moved and more sleepers collected and laid out. The short sections of BH were unclipped, turned out and moved up to the fence line. A 30ft panel was dismantled and the rail moved up to fill the gap where the shorter lenghts had been. All rail was turned in and clipped into place.
On the 28th May 2007 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by no-one. Today was cancelled due to poor weather
On the 26th May 2007 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by BS, DMS, KSW, TS, MH, IC. Baz and Dave used the tractor to move some of the stockpiled AS1 chaired wooden sleepers and used them to start to lay out siding 3. A few lengths of 95 RBH were moved up from the stockpile and turned in. Mark arrived after lunch and left with Dave to collect road trailer 2 from Cambois, and also obtain some fixings from Chevington. While they were away the rest of the team continuued with siding 3. On return the crane was shunted up siding 2 and ammendments were made to the line of siding 1 allowing the HPA to be shunted up.
On the 19th May 2007 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by BS, DMS, KSW, IC, TS. Baz and Dave swapped the battery on the tractor and used it to pull the rail crane down to the middle of the yard. Joined by Ian they then oiled all the rollers, refitted the top ball race, and then used the tractor to pull the jib round. This helped ease the mechanisms and proved the crane is capable of slewing. The damaged spider rod had been repaired by Ian and was refitted. We then slewed the crane by hand. and stoped it on the centre line. The runner was pulled down and the jib lowered to rest. The majority of the grease cups have been cleaned of old grease and refilled with fresh grease, though it is planned to replace these with grease nipples. Tom was sorting wod, and Kay was working on the 165DE.
On the 12th May 2007 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by BS, DMS, KSW, IC, RJ, MH. Baz and Dave made a secondary enterance to the Mark 1, assisted by Ian. Kay and Roland replaced the outer nuts on the crane spider. Mark rebuilt the wheel bearings on road trailer 2.
On the 7th May 2007 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by MH, KSW. Work on the crane has continued - the outer ring has been bolted together and numerous washers, bolts and split pins put in place. Electrical work on the coach has also been undertaken
On the 5th May 2007 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by BS, DMS, KSW, RJ. All the spokes have been replaced, and straigtend the best we can. the rollers have been refitted and the the roller frame has been re- assembled.
On the 1st May 2007 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by DMS, GAS. Focus was on the rail crane. We wire brushed the shaft and then used a knife to clean the gap between the collar and the shaft. On removing the chocks the collar dropped down under its own weight, but was still a little sticky to turn. If was pushed up again, and chocked up while a strip of emery cloth was run round the shaft, this was then washed with diesel and cleaned with a rag. The collar now turns quite freely by hand without much force. The problem we now have is that some of the spokes for the rollers have become bent out of shape. We have removed the majority (stored in the workshop) as this also helped access to the shaft, one has unfortunatly shattered. It turns out that the suspicion that the collar is hollow is infact true.
On the 28th April 2007 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by BS, DMS, KSW, IC, RJ, MH. Baz and Dave had an early start and made a start at fitting the fire escape steps to the workshop end of the staff Mk 1. Kay has undertaken some more cosmetic work on his RH 165DE. Ian helped out with the staff Mk 1. Roland continued his work on the rail crane assisted by all just before dinner - the sticking collar was forced roind and upwards, this will enable the shaft to be cleaned up and should enable it to turn freely - getting there!
On the 21st April 2007 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by BS, DMS, RJ, IC. With the staff Mk 1 in a start was made on transfering all tools, etc. from other locations. Roland continued work on the rail crane.
On the 14th April 2007 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by BS, DMS, IC, TS, DT, RJ, MH. Well we had a hot day up at the yard. As Ian's digger is still "off contract" and sitting in the yard Ian, Baz and DT used it to dig out the line of siding two and lay out some more F27 concrete sleepers and 113A flatbottom rail. The new bits have been set down into the yard so that the ballast is at rail level enabling vehicles to run over the top of it. While that was being done Roland was having a look at the crane; Mark and I gave him a hand, and the spider that carries the rollers for the actual crane body is now starting to turn a bit easier - more work is required but we are on our way to having a useable crane :) Tom was working on the engine of Scarth the Dumper.
On the 9th April 2007 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by .
On the 8th April 2007 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by .
On the 7th April 2007 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by .
On the 6th April 2007 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by IC, BS, DMS, KSW, TS, MH. Rail was postioned under the wheels of the 165DE, panels were laid out and the 165DE moved onto siding two. meanwhile the ring on the crane was heated with the gas burner and tension applied; it finally gave in but require further work. A little bit of tidying up.
On the 1st April 2007 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by BS, DMS, IC, TS. Panels were laid out infron of the crane and this was moved. A start was made on constrction of siding 2. Panels were laid to allow the Matisa to be moved.
On the 31st March 2007 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by BS, DMS, IC, KSW, TS. Some panels moved, with some being stripped. Loose rail and sleepers were moved to the new stocking out area.
On the 24th March 2007 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by DMS, BS, DT, KSW, TS, IC, MH. Baz and Dave arrived just after 8am in order to get a good days work in. The tractor was jumped off Mitzi and Baz then set about moving the rail at the far end on siding 1 in order to make it safe to pass while Dave set about moving small items such as insulating clips, Pandrol clips, etc. from the area earmarked for the van body. Dave T arrived and the two Dave’s moved the Ruston parts to the trolleys, and cleared the rest of the items from the van area. Kay and Tom undertook some more work on Scarth, and dismantled one of the wheel barrows to enable the wheel to be repaired. Ian assisted Baz with moving the rail, while the two Dave’s moved the chairs, etc. that had been on the rails. Mark turned up and after some attention to Quadtech trailer 2 he and Dave popped out to collect some wood sheets. The tractor was then used to move some chaired wooden sleepers from the van area and bring up some un chaired substandard ones for standing the van on, a ballast base was laid out and the sleepers spaced and levelled. All tasks on the agreed list completed.
On the 17th March 2007 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by DMS, KSW, TS, IC, MH . Dave and Ian (and Mark after lunch) fitted some temporary glazing to the Matisa to keep out the wind and rain. Tom and Kay started stripping the engine on Scarth the Dumper to replace the damaged cylinder head gasket. ECML busy today with quite a few coal sets about.
On the 11th March 2007 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by IC, DMS, MH. Ian and Dave were back up again to construct a panel ready for the Matisa arriving next week. As the tractor wouldn’t start the sleepers were lifted and laid out by hand, and two lengths of rail bared over and turned in. Two short lengths were dragged up and turned in. We then dragged some of the rail out the way. We then stopped for lunch, and were joined by Mark. A fire was started to dispose of some of the small bits of rotters. We then dragged the rest of the rail away from the “reception area”, and bits and pieces were picked up and moved to keep the access road clear. The track in the reception siding was then keyed in and the panel slewed into line. A bit more tidying up and then we packed up as the weather was turning.
On the 10th March 2007 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by BS, DMS, TS, KSW, IC, CO, CG, MH. Baz and Dave arrived early and got a fire going with some of the rotten sleepers. Then drained the engine oil out of the tractor and give it an oil change. Tom arrived with replacement hydraulic pipe which was duly fitted and hydraulic oil was topped up. Ian and Tom went off with a plant trailer to collect Site Services dumper. Dave knocked keys out of the BH panel mentioned in previous email. Baz used the tractor to lift the rail out and move sleepers and then laid & levelled a ballast bed. Dave keyed all the other BH sleepers on siding 1. Ian and Tom returned at Lunch time so dumper was unloaded. After lunch Kay and Tom sorted out the chairs and chair screws from the rotten sleepers for reuse while Baz, Dave, Ian and Mark rebuilt the BH panel now on a ballast bed. The two Craigs popped in for a quick visit. The Permaquip has been moved to the top of siding 1. Today’s pictures at > http://www.daveshell.fotopic.net/c1227973.html.
On the 4th March 2007 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by DMS, KSW, IC. Ian still had the mini 360° on site so the three of us broke down some more of the BH panels recently received from Belford into component parts – rotten sleepers swapped out for decent ones, and siding 1 extended further. Some of the vehicles were moved onto the BH and some more of the FB dismantled for use on another siding. Even the rain didn’t stop us! The gallery at http://www.daveshell.fotopic.net/c1222682.html has been expanded.
On the 3rd March 2007 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by BS, DMS, KSW, RJ, TS, IC, MH. A very good day today. Roland continued working on the rail crane. Ian had very kindly provided a mini 360° and in conjunction with Baz on the tractor part of siding 1 was dismantled and the land where it stood graded and a ballast base laid out. Dave and Mark assisted. Some of the BH panels recently received from Belford were broken down into component parts – rotten sleepers swapped out for decent ones, and then rebuilt as an extension on siding 1. As a photo tells a thousand words have a look at > http://www.daveshell.fotopic.net/c1222682.html.
On the 24th February 2007 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by TS, DMS, MH. A quiet day due to poor weather. Dave and Tom bared some of the loose rail into a safe position to ease access for the hi-ab next week. Road trailers were also moved to give some space for stacking more panels.
On the 20th February 2007 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by IC, DMS, GS . Ian, Graham and I jacked up the Ruston 48DS with the aim of repositioning the spring that was dislodged when this loco was “in-the-dirt” just before Christmas. It was discovered that this spring had a few “home made” bits in it anyway, and that one of the other springs was upside down, so it was then decided to jack and pack the whole loco and drop off all the springs, axle boxes, and radius rods for them to be stripped, cleaned, inspected, reassembled and refitted. This fits in with giving this loco a very through overhaul before use. A few parts will require fabrication before all the springs can be refitted. The drive chains have also been removed to be cleaned up and lubricated before refitting. While removing the chains it was noticed there is a crack in one of the gearbox mounting brackets; so it is planned to remove the gearbox so that this bracket can be cleaned up and repaired / welded before refitting – we wouldn’t want this failing in use.
On the 17th February 2007 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by BS, DMS, GS, KSW, TS, IC, MH, DT, KM. Dave, Baz and Graham jacked the 165 up and released the two 15ft lengths of bullhead. When Tom arrived with bits for the David Brown, Dave and Graham set about fitting these, but it transpired that the fuel tank actually had more holes / leaks in it than has first been realised, so this is still removed pending a solution. The others were working on checking the 165 is safe and secure. The Northern Belle passed with EWS Skip 67004 at the head and later a MTU reengineered 43/HST power car passed on its was to Craigentinny.
On the 10th February 2007 there was a work party at Millerhill. This was attended by BS, DMS, TS, KSW. Due to the poor wether work at Longhoughton was put on hold thisweekend, and instead a few of us ventured up to Millerhill to inspect some track we may be able to recover.
On the 3rd February 2007 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by BS, DMS, KSW, TS, RJ, MH, IC, J?. Baz started by getting a fire going in the brazier to dispose of waste wood. Dave started removing the old filters on the tractor to be replaced by new items sourced by Tom. Roland continued his work on the big rail crane. Kay, Mark and Tom made a start on repositioning the rail under the 165DE. Baz altered the fence. Dave and Ian refitted the recently repaired radiator to the tractor, but unfortunately the fuel tank also now requires attention. following this the opportunity is been taken to rewire some of the electrics to replaced life expired wiring and remove damaged components. A new volunteer, John IIRC?, introduced themselves and have acquired the task of preparing the Jones yard crane for overhaul. Various passing traffic, but freight seemed pretty thin. Network Rail also were about conducting an inspection of the ECML
On the 27th January 2007 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by RJ, BS, DMS, MH, TS, KSW, IC . Once he gained entry to the yard Roland continued working on DS1749, the rail crane. Dave unclipped the panel that the 165DE had been sitting on and then used the tractor to move the wooden sleepers. Baz and Kay continued with repairs to the toilet block. Mark set up a new oil store, and all drums, cans, etc. were moved into it. Ian and Dave emptied the ticket office / tool cabin, and it was re-levelled on old sleepers, and the tools put back in. The radiator on the tractor was found to be leaking again so the bonnet was taken off to allow the rad to be removed for repairs. Normal passing services – a few toots, including from Virgin. 1S49 which was an MML HST vice a Virgin voyager, was running on the rear power car only (43074 front, 43052 pushing). Hydrex’s Colmar T4300FS Road/Rail 360° excavator no. 2893 was collected and taken back to depot. Today’s photos at http://www.daveshell.fotopic.net/c1194649.html
On the 20th January 2007 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by BS, DMS, MH, TS, IC, KSW. Baz and Dave started by getting a fire going in the brazier to dispose on some of the waste paper, etc. Had a look at the bearing on the left hand rear axlebox - it is a bit of a problem. Dave and Ian disengaged the traction motor drive in the gearbox, while Mark and Baz tried to get the brake hangers and side rods off. We later laid out some rail in order to start the move of the 165 onto siding 1. We were interupted by the delivery of a Story Rexquote/JCB JS160W ready for some work tonight. We then tried to move the 165 - it is now off the FB panel, unfortunatly it is currently in the dirt...
On the 13th January 2007 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by MH, IC, KSW, DT.. A half day due to the weather. The extremely stubborn pin on the 165DE's brakes was finally removed with the assistance of some heat, brute force and ignorance. The upper crossmember has a little more freedom but is being restricted by the air cylinder. Feel this now requires a stripdown. The lower crossmember was still seized, an application of heat and Plus Gas seems to have freed up the nearside, but the offside is stil solid. Even had a few toots from a passing Voyager (a first?), the northbound EWS coal train and a GNER HST.
On the 6th January 2007 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by IC, KSW, MH, BS, DMS. Kay was working on effecting repairs to the toilet block following its relocation. After discussion with Tom, Baz and Ian set about completing the hard landscaping works at the North end of the site. Mark and Dave made a start on freeing off the brake rigging on the 165 DE. We were assisted by Ian after lunch, while Baz made a start on the fence. We also had a look at the crane, and it got a dose of Altrans while we had it.
On the 30th December 2006 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by BS, DMS, IC, MH, KSW & TS, KM for a bit. Baz and Dave put some supports in to keep the toilet block stationary! We then all set about moving the ballast wagon onto “siding 1”. Once this was completed some more ballast was levelled out where it had previously stood and also around the 165DE. 37995 then got a bit upset (again) and blew a joint on a hydraulic hose. We then had a look at the brakes on the 165DE in preparation for moving this too. Doesn’t sound much but… A big thank you to Ian Cairns of WR Cairns & Sons for providing the services of one of his mini 360°s for the last few days.
On the 28th December 2006 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by DMS, IC, MH. back on site today. We contiued levelling/grading the yard and have spread a ballast base.
On the 27th December 2006 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by DMS, IC. a start at grading the rest of the site. In the process the line of one of the sidings was discovered with a few chairs being dug up too. Thank you to Mark for the coffee top-up too!
On the 23rd December 2006 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by BS, DMS, TS, IC, MH. Baz and Dave arrived just before 9 and made a start on getting the Ruston 48DS safely on to the test track. This was achieved without too much difficulty. The BH rail used to move stock round was moved to a stockpile. The road trailers were moved to one point.and waste and rubbish was tidied up. All wood packing was stacked up in one place for future use up. The Toilet hut was moved to a new location to enable future extension of the test track. The majority of passing trains gave a toot. Pictures up at http://daveshell.fotopic.net/c1166617_1.html
On the 16th December 2006 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by BS, DMS, TS, MH, KSW, IC. A bit of a tidy up. Dave and Mark made a start on moving building materials ready to create a storage area, while Tom and Baz disconnected the back actor from the tractor. We then moved some sleepers to a new stock pile and moved some rail down to move the Ruston 48DS onto the “test track”. Not all to plan, but at least we have something to do next time…
On the 9th December 2006 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by TS, BS, DMS, KSW, IC, MH . The back actor attachment is working (of sorts) but one of the rams needs to be sent off for repair again – the seal from the cylinder to the ram is passing oil. We currently have the grading bucket on and after a bit of practice Baz and Ian have managed to make a start al levelling some more of the yard. The Permaquip currently has it’s blue tarp back on to try and keep it dry. The NMT did not pass today, instead a set formed of a couple of Royal mails EMU thingies went past.
On the 2nd December 2006 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by RJ, TS, MH, KSW . Roland continues working on the slew ring on the big rail crane. Kay on Jones to get worn drum shaft bearing free. Mark was working on the Permaquip & the Ruston 165DE. Tom on digger - hydraulics nearly there. Cold & windy though not too much rain.
On the 25th November 2006 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by RJ, IC, TS, , MH, KSW and DMS. Roland continues working on the slew ring on the big rail crane. Mark was working on tidying up the Permaquip, and making it more weather resistant ready for the coming winter. Assisted by myself when I arrived. The rear roller shutter has been partly dismantled to allow its overhaul. Mark had also jet washed the quips engine bay. DMS drained and removed the fuel tank to a) enable it to be cleaned internally and externally, and b) enable access to the alternator for adjust the drive belt which had been slack so the batteries weren’t being charged. TS & IC worked on attaching the McConnell Power Arm to the David Brown tractor (aka 37995 and a bit). The power arm is now nearly operational - only needs bucket cylinder and bucket putting back on. Unit now slews ok, but with slightly odd operation of spool valves, but we can live with that for moment.
On the 18th November 2006 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by DMS, BS, DT, KSW, MH . Once again we proved that it is possible for a small team to achieve quite a bit. A little bit of time was lost trying to get the tractor started as the battery seemed a little bit down, Mitzi was started but also had a sluggish battery and used to jump the tractor. Baz knocked in some fence posts to create a temporary post and rail fence where we had removed the mesh fence to allow Network rail and contractors access to the yard. We also had another sweep of the site for rubbish and odd bits lying around; as a PR friend of mine says “image is everything” and although it is acceptable for the stock to look a bit rough, it helps our image no end if rubbish is disposed off and there are no bits and bobs left lying about. (before anyone comments I know I am just as guilty). Dave T and Kay left just as another shower started, so Baz and Dave decided to break for lunch. While sitting in Mitzi eating it was suggested that it may be an idea just seeing if we could work out the wiring on the plugs for the remote traction leads on the Permaquip. With the engine running Dave shorted out two of the contacts and the machine responded by sounding the reverse alarm and the wheels turning. A change of wire and the wheels turned the other way. Mark H then turned up and it was agreed to work out a jump on a relay for a non existent proximity switch. It turned out that this had been done before but the wire had been removed at some point. Once the wire was reinstated we tried operating the deadmans in reverse – once again the alarm sounded and the wheel turned – success! So we jacked the machine up on the turntable ram, removed the sleeper chocks, and set it back down on rail again. Now came the real test – would it move again and more importantly stop when the handle was released! The answer was yes, so we trundled up and down our 120ft a couple of times – probably to the amusement of the passing services on the ECML! So on to the next tasks: sort out the rest of the electrics (lights, siren, etc); clean up the engine; fit new filters, refit proper fuel tank and lines; and then tidy up body work; refit windows; etc. etc. etc.! Today’s pictures are available at http://daveshell.fotopic.net/c1139909.html
On the 14th November 2006 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by BS, DMS, MH & KSW.. This impromptu workday went ahead, and once again we proved that it is possible for a small team to achieve quite a bit. we have jacked and packed the Quip so it is raised up off the track to allow for testing of the brake systems. We had a look through the electrics and found them to be a nightmare! It all seems to check out okay, but requires a little bit of work on various bits a pieces. After getting frustrated with what looks like multi coloured spaghetti we decided to do a tidy up of the yard. We moved some wooden sleepers down from the stockpile, and laid them out just in front of the 48DS and then moved up various lengths of rail and laid these out to form a temporary track in order to move the 48DS down alongside the 165DE. These rails were then moved back up and used to move the HPA ballast hopper down alongside the crane. This will enable us to get the tractor into the south end of the yard with soil and ballast to level it ready for another line to be properly constructed.
On the 11th November 2006 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by TS, BS, KSW, MH. It started wet and we made it wetter! Kay and Baz had arranged beforehand to continue their search for the elusive gas pipe near the A1 bypass, leaving Tom and Mark at Longhoughton. Kay had obtained plans of the gas pipeline via Transco and by lifting a manhole cover on the bypass embankment the line was established. Unfortunately for us the plans were shown to be slightly erroneous. By digging a series of holes in the track bed down to the warning tape we can confirm that the gas pipe runs down the centre of the track bed. Fortunately where the farm road comes in from Alndyke onto the track bed the farmer has maintained the drainage. At Longhoughton the “Bodgit and Scarper”™ high pressure water jet set-up worked a treat and helped remove some of the caked on cement on the Ruston 165DE. Tom and Mark then burnt off some of the felled gorse bushes, branches and scraps of useless wood. Lunch round a camp fire - oh, the want of some spuds and tin foil... Another rubbish sweep of the site was made and then we attacked some of the concrete lumps lying around with the kango hammer. Tom also did a bit more work on the McConnell digger and has also fitted all required pins, etc. for the linkage on the tractor. DMS was at the C15PS AGM at Bury.
On the 4th November 2006 there was a work party at see text. This was attended by BS, DMS, KSW, MH, RJ, DT . A team were along the track bed; Baz and Dave on the Cawledge Viaduct with chainsaws removing scrub and Kay near the A1 trying to locate the gas pipe. We popped back to Longhoughton about 2ish joining the others, to find the site once again busy with Network Rail, and their contractors. Parking was at a premium! Roland continued to concentrate on the crane, and Mark and Dave T performed a general tidy of the site, including a litter sweep. Quip was lifted slightly on hand pump, side plate under deadmans loosened ready to check wiring in there sometime.
On the 28th October 2006 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by ?. The yard was again very busy with the on going Plain Track Renewals work. We arrived to find the NwR contractors consolidating ballast to form a parking pad in the yard. Work continued on returning the Permaquip to working order: a nice new pair of batteries have been bought for the machine now. We removed a plate at the back which gave us better access and enabled us to remove two T pieces that were put in when the machine had a hydraulic generator (this having been removed by FE). The hydraulic tanks were topped up but still require more oil once we get rid of air locks in the system. The brakes have been freed off and now seem to operate correctly. We are now able to manhandle the machine along our track. The roller shutter doors were cleaned up and these now work correctly. A Perspex sheet was obtained for use as a temporary window. The next day.... thanks to Cairnsy we had 45 gallons of (used) hydraulic oil which we used to top up all tanks. We used the emergency hand pumps to push oil round the system and push out any air locks. We also operated the turntable a few times. As we had freed up the callipers the previous day they released quite easily and two of us were able to manhandle the 'quip up and down the test track without difficulty. One of our electricians then isolated the immersion water heater in the rear as this appeared to be on even when the switch was off. This was not only running the batteries down but also getting very hot when almost boiling dry. With this done we refitted the batteries and cranked up the engine - still no drive. At this point we suspected the hydraulic pump wasn't working. We did however manage to operate the turntable under engine power so lifted the machine and rotated it 180 degrees thus proving the pump was in fact working. Once back on the track we chocked the wheels and took the tension off the drive chains and removed the chains to allow us to test the hydraulic motors - even with quite high revs there was no movement - we now suspect a problem with the deadman’s handle. Various other nuts and bolts were soaked with WD40 and slackened and retightened to ease removal if necessary. Measurements were taken for replacement roof and windows. We now plan to have a look at the electrics again and check the operation of the various relays and solenoid valves to make sure oil is going where it should. The old light box from the roof is to be stripped of the reusable parts, and measurements taken ready for the fabrication of a new box. We also had a visit from some interested enthusiasts, and their sightings have gone off to the IRS so hopefully we will get a mention in their mag.
On the 21st October 2006 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by BS, DMS, TS. Due to a combination of it being Brunton weekend and a few volunteers being on holiday, staffing levels were low, but this may have been just as well as the area outside the yard was very busy as there was a big job on today (and continuing till Monday) - the gate had been designated the access point to a Network Rail Plain Track Renewals work site so we arrived to find the normally quiet location crawling with Network Rail, Fastline, SES, and Railsafe Personnel and had to sign in even though we were actually working on our side! Baz and Dave S removed the two batteries that Dave had temporarily wired in to the quip earlier and cleaned up all the contacts and made some new leads, and selected a better earth point. The fuel tank was drained, and the fuel lines removed and a temporary fuel header tank rigged up. Once the batteries were reinstalled we went through all the pre start checks and tried to crank the engine - it fired up no problem but cut out as soon as the accelerator was released, we found this was because the hand throttle idle was set to low - once this was rectified we tried cranking and it fired and then sat idling quite happily. We then tried moving the machine, but with no joy. The engine was stopped and we tried operating the "emergency" hand pump to operate the turntable and the brakes. The turntable seems to operate OK but we have a feeling that the brakes are a little stiff through lack of use. The window apertures have been temporarily boarded up to try and help keep out the weather until we can get the re-glazed, plans are afoot… It certainly drew some glances from the Network Rail and Fastline crews in the area when we fired it up! The temporary mesh fence near our top gate was removed and agreement reached with the contractors for them to use the yard as parking was becoming tight. After some gentle pestering of the renewals team we were lucky in having a bit of spoil/ballast dropped in the yard – not a massive amount but as Tesco says “every little helps”. So thanks to Network Rail and their contractors.
On the 14th October 2006 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by ### CANCELLED ###. ### CANCELLED ###
On the 7th October 2006 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by BS, DMS, TS, RJ, MH, SY, DT, KSW. Baz and Dave S arrived just after 09:00 and checked over 37995, including topping up the diesel tank. Tom arrived soon after a cut up some of the fencing donated by Network Rail. Baz, Dave S & Scott used the tractor to re-level the sleepers on the “trolley line” and this was re-laid with the flat bottom rail, and so should now be suitable for very slow speed running with the Permaquip when it arrives. Mark, Dave T and Kay primed some more of the Ruston 165DE’s bodywork. Roland continued working on DS1749, the rail crane – for which Northumbria Rail are very grateful – the mixture of WD40 and PlusGas lubricants and now Altrans acid cleaner seem to be making an impression! Once the trolley line had been re-laid the opportunity was taken to tidy up moving the wooden sleepers to the stockpile. Baz then made a start on levelling a bit more of the site. It doesn’t sound much but we achieved a far bit!
On the 30th September 2006 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by .
On the 23rd September 2006 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by BS, DMS, RJ, DT, KSW, TS, SY, IC . Baz and Dave S arrived shortly after nine and checked over 37995. Roland arrived soon after followed by Dave T and KSW and TS. BS, DMS and IC moved some of the stock round to release some FB rail to use on the “trolley line”. For safety reasons please DO NOT touch either the HPA or the 48DS without prior authorisation. Roland continues to attack crane but unfortunately had his sarnies eaten by the yard dog. He has stripped down the crane body roller ring for refurbishment. Kay, Dave T and SY gave the prepared areas of the 165DE and the 48DS a coat of undercoat. BS, KSW and Ian had a go at removing the brake block hangers in a bid to fee up the brake rigging on the 165DE. There were no passing trains today as the Newcastle to Edinburgh section of the ECML was again under possession.
On the 16th September 2006 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by DMS, MH, RJ, DT, KSW . Dave S bussed it up to Longhoughton arriving shortly after nine and checked over 37995. Tom dropped the genny off. Mark arrived soon after followed by Roland, Dave T and KSW. Roland continues to attack crane. Dave S moved the trailer up to the stockpile with the tractor, and unloaded the wooden sleeper and chairs, but then had a little bit of difficulty reversing the trailer when a wheel hit a rut. Mark, Kay, Dave T wire brushed more of the 165DE and the 48DS and gave the prepared areas a coat of red oxide. DMS, Kay and Mark had a go at removing the brake block hangers in a bid to fee up the brake rigging on the 165DE. Dave then moved the remainder of the society’s concrete sleepers ready to extend the trolley line. No trains as ECML under possession. Pictures from today are at http://www.daveshell.fotopic.net/c1084679.html
On the 9th September 2006 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard and Wooler. This was attended by BS, RJ, TS, IC, SY, MH, DT, KSW, BC . Everyone met up at Longhoughton Baz, Mark, Tom, Scott to Wooler went morning - bits of points disconnected so rail can all now be lifted to Longhoughton. At LGY Roland continues to attack crane. Kay, Dave T working on 165DE assisted by Wooler party on return. Two angle grinders with large wire brushes making considerably improvement on rust removal and start made on red-oxide. TMS, BC hope to bring wooden sleepers and chairs down this week and rail when transport arranged.
On the 2nd September 2006 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by BS, DMS, RJ, TS, IC, KSW, MH. Baz and Dave arrived just after nine and set about checking over 37995, checking diesel, oil, and coolant levels. Roland arrived soon after and continued his assault on the crane. Tom continued preparing the McConnell power-arm for use. Baz, Dave and Ian set out more of the “trolley line”. A new volunteer, Mark, dropped in and helped Kay to de-cement the 165DE. The rain was set in for the day though, and 37995 was failed with a wheelslip fault, so an early finish.
On the 27th August 2006 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by BS, DMS. To make up for not being able to get up on 26th Baz and Dave went up today. Area for “trolley line” levelled a bit more then sleepers moved over and laid out (economical sleeper spacing at present). Two lengths of 113A FB rail were moved over and clipped in to give an idea of how final formation will look. Other lengths are 98Lb FB and are better suited to the wooden sleepers. 66051 passed with the Railtrack auto-ballasters the driver waving and pointing to the HPA that was ousted by these new wagons!
On the 26th August 2006 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by KSW, SY, RJ, TS. Tom replaced missing grease nipple on 37995 linkage and put that back together. Scott cleaned arm of ditcher and started painting, ready for return of cylinders. Kay and Tom placed two more sleepers on Clockwork Ruston's panel and used 37995 to move Ruston along (next time, remember to take chocks out first) so she's now sitting safely on panel. Roland continued work on crane - I don't think it will hold out much longer against this sustained attack.
On the 19th August 2006 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by BS, DMS, DT, RJ, KSW . reasonable day mainly sunny (despite the forecast!) - Baz and Dave arrived just after nine and started by unloading supplies of paint, nuts bolts, etc. then set about checking over 37995, checking diesel, oil, and coolant levels. Dave Thornton arrived and finished of the painting of the 48DS’s buffers with bitumastic black. Roland continued with his challenge of freeing up the rail crane. Measurements for the new storage siding were taken and marker pegs driven in every 30ft (our standard rail length). Once the tractor was sorted Baz set about moving the soil fill with Dave S acting as banks man. Kay continued cleaning up the Jones yard crane. During the day the following item of note passed: 43013 leading a 5 coach formation with 43062 trailing on 1Z19 the New Measurement Train to Craigentinny; and a Northern Rail 158 DMU presumably caught up in yesterday’s signalling problems.
On the 12th August 2006 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by BS, DMS, DT, TS, RJ, SY, GH, KSW. Reasonable day mainly sunny - Baz and Dave arrived just after nine and started by checking over the tractor, checking diesel, oil, and coolant levels. Dave S attended to an errant hydraulic hose with new hose clips being put on for now; ultimately all hoses will be replaced. Once the tractor was sorted Baz set about moving the soil fill. Dave Thornton and Scott prepared the buffers, and gave them a coat of hammerite, and then a coat of bitumastic black – they are now looking very smart. Some of the black was also used to cover the graffiti on the HPA, its also now looking smarter. Roland has taken on the challenge of freeing up the rail crane. Kay continued cleaning up the Jones yard crane, and the cable drum has been removed to allow the brake to be checked. Tom and Gavin have made a start on checking over the McConnell back actor attachment. During the day the following item of note passed: 43062 & 43013 on 1Z19 the New Measurement Train to Craigentinny (Serco lads giving a blast); 87028 on 1Z68 08:18 Kings X-Edinburgh 'Blue Pullman' charter (the FM driver giving a quick toot!). 67029 on 1Z70 London Victoria-Edinburgh Northern Belle.
On the 5th August 2006 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by BS, DMS, DT, TS, RJ, SY, BC. A reasonable day mainly sunny. Baz and Dave arrived just after nine and started by checking over the tractor, checking diesel, oil, and coolant levels. But on attempting to start the tractor, it was found the battery was flat. The battery was quickly swapped out for the one off Mitzi, and we managed to get the tractor started so Baz set about moving the soil fill. Dave continued trying to free up seized bits of brake rigging from the 48DS. The others, including another new volunteer – Roland, helped with sorting stones and other waste materials out of the soil before Baz moved it. During the day the following passed: 66610/615 0S66 Leeds Midland Road – Oxwellmains light engine movement (FLHH lads waving); 43013+975984+977993+977994+975814+977984+43062 on 1Z19 the New Measurement Train to Craigentinny (Serco lads giving a quick toot); 87022+9513+3350+3392+80042+3326+3278+3313+3431+1657+3352+3385 1Z68 FM Rail Blue Pullman charter (the FM driver giving a good two tone blast!)
On the 29th July 2006 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by DS, BS, TS, DT and SY. A reasonable day mainly sunny. All attention focused on the new arrival; the Operations Department’s tractor – trying to get her started was a bit of a pain until it was realised the pull stop works in reverse on these engines (i.e. pull to start)! Once we had the engine going it took a bit more head scratching to work out the hydraulics, but once we had had everything working Baz was happily moving the soil fill around…
On the 22nd July 2006 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by DS, TS, KSW, DT and SY. Today started with a few showers but the sun soon got out. Dave and Scott removed some more of the brake rigging on the 48DS, and began cleaning up parts previously removed. TS, KSW and DT had a site meeting to discus plans for improving the layout of the yard. Tom later made a start on sorting rubbish out of the soil fill
On the 20th July 2006 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by DMS. Subdued sunshine with a few showers today. removed some more of the brake rigging on the 48DS for overhaul.
On the 18th July 2006 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by DMS. Gorgeous sunshine today again. Little bit more wiring done, and removed some more of the brake rigging on the 48DS for overhaul. The brake rigging is (temporarily) back on the HPA so the hand brake is operable again and is currently padlocked ON.
On the 17th July 2006 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by DMS. Gorgeous sunshine today. I got a bit more wiring done, and removed some of the brake rigging on the 48DS. I also put the overhauled brake rigging back onto the HPA though there is still a little bit of work before the hand brake is operable again. During the day the following passed: 66621 6S26 Seaham-Oxwellmains (cement); 66250 6H13 11:47 Mossend - Drax PS (HAA coal); 43013+43014 1Z22 12:41 Edinburgh - Newcastle via Glasgow (NMT HST); 66089 6M85 Bathgate - Washwood Heath (empty Cartics); 67016+HST 1S12 10:30 Kings Cross - Aberdeen (ECS from Newcastle); 67022 0Z16 15:17 Edinburgh - Newcastle (light engine).
On the 15th July 2006 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by BS, DMS, KSW, MM. Shifted rail and sleepers around in order to reform roads in a suitable position for unloading future transfers. 1Z19; the New Measurement Train with 43014 leading & 43062 trailing passed heading north at approx 12:50. Thunderbird 67003 then went north and gave a blast and then later passed going South with the stock of 1E09 09.00 GLC-KGX formed of 82213+BN13+91111 approx 13.25. It transpired there were major problems on the ECML.
On the 8th July 2006 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by BS, DMS, TS, GH. First job was unload bits and pieces for the 48DS. We then set about freeing up some more bits on the Jones, and also making plans for fitting the new wiring to the 48DS. After dinner Baz decided to tidy the tool store again, and fit some temporary shelving - please do your bit to keep the stores tidy please. A passing EWS freight gave a hello blast today.
On the 1st July 2006 there was a work party at the trackbed. This was attended by BS, DMS, IC, DT, GH and BC. We had a look at several of the manholes on the viaduct and discovered that these are part of the drainage system.
On the 24th June 2006 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by TS, BS, DMS, BC. Tom had arranged for Sandy Frater to deliver some soil/fill from a building site in Longhoughton to the goods yard. Dave dismantled a 30ft panel ready to enable to components to be used to extend road #1 so the crane can be moved southwards. A possible new volunteer popped in to introduce themselves.
On the 17th June 2006 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by TS. Tom cleaned up some more of the rail crane, and had a go at dismantling the Jones
On the 10th June 2006 there was a work party at ### DATE CANCELLED ###. This was attended by . ### DATE CANCELLED ###
On the 3rd June 2006 there was a work party at Wooler. This was attended by BS, DMS. Bit of a mix up today, it was planned to move the sleepers, etc. down from Wooler but the transport did not turn up. The two 323s were checked over and the drive chains lubricated, and some more of the Ruston 200DE was primed.
On the 27th May 2006 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by TS, DMS, KSW. Tom had a look at the big crane to clean up various parts to make it easier to work on. Dave and Kay made a start on stripping down various parts of the Jones after Kay discovered parts were seized. Kay left about 12:30 to attend a garden fete. The NMT passed northbound with the Serco driver giving a “hello” blast!
On the 20th May 2006 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by TS, DMS, KSW. Tom had a look at the big crane to see if it is possible to lever up the collar to free the corrosion. Dave made a start on stripping the brake rigging on the HPA back down. Kay had a look at the Jones.
On the 13th May 2006 there was a work party at Wooler. This was attended by DMS, TS, BS. Tom and Dave, (and Baz for a little bit) sorted out the remaining sleepers and stacked them up ready for collection and movement to Longhoughton. Also sorted were the remaining loose chairs, which have been put on a pallet ready for movement to Longhoughton
On the 6th May 2006 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by BS, DMS. The gorgeous sunshine was too good to pass up so Dave and I want up to Longhoughton today. The rest of the trolleys from HTL were delivered, and we managed to make up a few more of these useful vehicles. We then lifted all the trolleys to the southern end of yard, and moved lengths of rail down and extended road #2 southwards, the Ruston was then moved up towards the southern end too. As the Ruston has no brakes please do not remove the wheel scotches. The ECS off a charter set passed north bound with 47712 + 47703 T&T and the NMT also passed, in addition to standard stuff.
On the 22nd April 2006 there was a work party at Wooler. This was attended by ?. sorting track components ready to move them to Longhoughton Goods Yard
On the 15th April 2006 there was a work party at . This was attended by ?. ?
On the 8th April 2006 there was a work party at . This was attended by ?. ?
On the 1st April 2006 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by ?. ?
On the 18th March 2006 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by BS, DMS, KSW, MM. A quiet day, confirmed at the last minute… We mainly spent the day tidying up the side, burning materials that I had felled on an earlier occasion. We also removed the doors from the Jones crane to enable their repair and the cleaning of the mechanics. A few trains passing today – most giving a hello blast on their horn (Cheers lads – it is appreciated!); a surprise today was the passing of the EWS Company train (also tooting!) A second surprise was a low loader from British Contractors Plant delivering a Rexquote/Komatsu PW150 Super Railer ready for a possession over the weekend
On the 4th March 2006 there was a work party at . This was attended by BS, DMS. Despite the snow the workday took place. The Jones crane has been delivered to site, and a start was made on stripping the mechanisms in order that they can be freed and cleaned up. We also had a look at the large crane to try and solve the slewing issue. The main problem has been identified – a collar that carries the rollers for the main body is seized solid.
On the 3rd December 2005 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by ?. ?
On the 26th November 2005 there was a work party at CANCELLED. This was attended by . CANCELLED
On the 19th November 2005 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by ?. The lower halves of the axle boxes on the Ruston were removed so the oil reservoirs can be cleaned out and the oiler pads checked.Drain holes were drilled in the crane frame and a temporary wooden cover has been constructed over the gears on the crane to try and protect them from the winter weather.
On the 12th November 2005 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by TS, MM. Tom and Michael had a look at the slewing mechanism on the hand crane
On the 29th October 2005 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by BS, DMS, KSW, TS, KM. The weather forecast proved to be almost right! We had a few people on site today (lets try to keep it up!). Dave made a start to fit the new starter ring, it went on OK but we decided to clean it up with a wire brush before securely fitting it. So the ring has now been fitted but it has been suggested that we replace the bolts. The starter motor has also been refitted. The side footplates have been removed to enable the frames to be cleaned up ? there is still a lot of foundry sand about! Kay, Tom and Kenny went up to Abberwick to try to plan how to load the two van bodies. After they returned Kay, Tom, Kenny and Baz had a look at the crane and continued trying to free up the slewing mechanism. 1Z50- the ECS off a charter to Alnmouth passed northbound with a EWS 90 at the head of the pride of the nation set, and later 5Z47 the ECS Royal Scotsman set passed southbound with a WCRC 47 & 31 at the head.
On the 22nd October 2005 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by ?. Rain stopped play - As the rain seemed to be set in for the day we decided it was not worth getting too wet. The newly acquired S1 rail chairs were unloaded from the trailer and stacked in the stockpile. We tested the gas burner kit loaned by Gordon. A vote was taken and it was decided to take a run up to Wooler to have a look at the spare Ruston starter ring, and get a rough idea of how much track material is there. It transpired the starter was a GEC Traction version of the Ruston part - it still had the dispatch note attached, and Mick kindly drilled out the mounting holes and cut the ring in two for us. This will need to be cleaned up a bit and then will be fitted to the 48DS. We also collected the large porters barrow - does anyone have an idea where the small one is- at Bondgate museum perhaps, the stone guards off the 48DS, and some track fixings AS chair screws, ferrules, Pandrol clips, etc. These items have now been delivered to LGY.
On the 15th October 2005 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by . The ECML was operating normally today. Baz and Dave removed the starter ring from the Ruston 48DS ready for it to be repaired somehow. Also removed the electrics which are to be rewired, and made a start on striping the brake system to free it off. The ECS from 1Z60 passed with 67029 at the head; the driver giving a nice blast on the horns.
On the 8th October 2005 there was a work party at two locations. This was attended by BS, DMS, KSW. We started off at station cottages, with Kay, Baz and Dave tidying up here and installing a new door in one of the cottages. It appeared the ECML was closed again, though the location of the worksite was unknown. After dinner Baz and Dave went over to Longhoughton, with Kay staying at the cottages. As Tom mentioned the rail from Alnwick is now at Longhoughton, fortunately in a position which does not block access. Dave made a start on cleaning up the flywheel and starter ring on the Ruston 48DS. Baz made a start on trying to remove the lay shaft on the crane but this is proving difficult so will be left till we have appropriate equipment and a slightly larger workforce! William arrived with a friend to drop off the reconditioned starter - which will be refitted soon. We also wound the brakes off the 48DS as these are seized in places and will need to be freed off. Most of the remaining parts from Penicuik have been removed from the ticket cabin and will be delivered to Micks soon.
On the 1st October 2005 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by DMS, TS. Again the ECML was affected by an engineering possession, worksite just north of Morpeth, so no trains passing the yard. Tom and Dave tided up the site, making sure there were no loose items lying about. They also put up a different banner, and continued measuring up the site. They packed up just after 1:30 in order to get to Morpeth to see Duchess of Sutherland with The Hadrian special.
On the 24th September 2005 there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by BS, DMS, KSW, WS, KM. Another engineering possession, with the worksite just north of Longhoughton, meant no trains passing today. Dave and Baz had a look at the Ruston 48DS in order to refit the filters, pipe work and the starter, while Kay gave the ticket cabin a touch of paint. After dinner we were joined by William and Ken and after some more fettling of the engine we shorted the starter solenoid and she roared into life, firing on all 4 cylinders.
On the there was a work party at Longhoughton Goods Yard. This was attended by .


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