9/08/2015

Saturday Gang Report May-August 2015

Introduction

Hello everyone! It has been rather a productive summer for the Saturday Gang. The last four months have seen steady, if gradual progress on many of our projects, listed below. This is always a busy time for the railway, as there are two galas, the summer timetable and numerous Thomas days, and our Gang continues to power through it all.
In June, the railway also played host to a visiting party of children from Brownhill School, here for some onsite experience. As we understand it, the Saturday Gang’s online presence was one of the reasons this visit took place. In which case we are very proud, and hope this will not be the last incidence of cooperation we enjoy.
But we are equally proud of the work we have accomplished throughout the spring and summer period. So without further ado, let’s have a look at the state of our locomotives!

Locomotives

Hunslet Austerity 0-6-0T 25 ‘Northiam’- We have made noticeable progress on this loco. The foundation ring has been cleaned, lifted back onto the firebox and clamped into place, while its side plates have been replaced and given a new edge.
However, the most visible transformation  is the cab and saddle tank, now decked out in a new coat of blue paint. The crew from Brownhill were assigned part of this job. Similarly, the cab interior has a new grey undercoat as of this summer.

GWR 1600 Class 0-6-0PT 1638- Work continues on the boiler section of our ‘Pannier.’ We painted the interior smokebox plates near the start of the season, and the tubes have all been cleaned and reinserted. The boiler was also briefly turned over 90 degrees for some work during July.

LB&SCR A1X Class (Terrier) 0-6-0T 32678 ‘Knowle’- Always a popular runner on the vintage set, this ‘Terrier’ has received a few cleanouts recently.  After a boiler washout in May, we’ve also removed and cleaned the blastpipe, as well as sweeping out the smokebox in general.

NSB 21C Class 2-6-0 376 ‘Norwegian’- Occasional work done on this loco throughout the last few months. The removal and reattachment of the left-hand steam pipe cover can be seen in the video reports below, as can a recent boiler washout.

WD USA Class 0-6-0T DS238 ‘Wainwright’- This loco remains in the early stages of overhaul, but we have reinserted the blast pipe and ground to fit the regulator valve plate.

Manning Wardle O Class 0-6-0 T 14 ‘Charwelton’- Some work ongoing on this loco; most notably the blast pipe has been reinserted.

Ransomes & Rapier 30-ton Steam Crane DS81- OK, OK! I know this isn’t a locomotive, but it’s still a valuable piece of railway machinery that the Saturday Gang has been working on. We’ve given this crane an extensive cleaning, and its chimney’s been modified to fit through the shed doors. Incidentally, this crane was used to turn over the aforementioned Pannier’s boiler. As of the end of August, a new lamp bracket is being constructed for it.

Videos


Conclusion

Well that’s all for our summer entry.  If you want to keep up to speed (and you haven’t already!), please do like our Facebook page and subscribe to our SaturdayGangVideos YouTube channel. The next blog will most likely come in early January, detailing the remainder of this year. But until then, rest assured that the Saturday Gang will carry on the good work!