My last Sunday at the railway

Well, as a resident of West Yorkshire anyway. I'll be back next month for a weekend. However, this is the last regular Sunday I'll be at the railway. So I had Druid on the passenger train.
There were not a lot of passengers about, so I swapped Druid for Loweco for more of a challenge. (Druid is so good it doesn't notice the coaches behind it, the Lister is much smaller so pulling the passenger train uphill is more entertaining!) There were not a lot of passengers about, but yesterday made up for it, with record takings in the history of the ALR.

This could be the last post for a while, at least until I sort out the internet in my flat, so farewell everyone!

Kirkstall Festival

As usual, we operated today to take passengers to and from Kirkstall Festival. This is usually our busiest day of the year, and today did not disapoint, with many fully loaded trains. Atlas and Little Ruston were used on the 'Festival Flyer', both running well all day.

The Festival Flyer, in full flight up to the Abbey to pick up a full load of passengers.
The Baguley has been inspected to see what was wrong with it's engine (after it stopped working when it derailed on Thursday) Turns out whatever it was has sorted itself out, and the engine started straight away.

A preserved Dakota DC-3 did a flypast over the festival, and our railway. This photo was taken from just outside our shed. The plane seemed a lot lower in real life!

Atlas, complete with Festival Flyer headboard, being admired by a young passenger.

And at the other end of the train, Little Ruston.

Business as usual tomorrow, and the last Sunday I'll be at the railway before I move down south. :-(

7mm society visit

This evening we had the 7mm scale society (narrow gauge railway modellers) visiting. We had all our working engines outside for photographing, and many of them started and on the passenger train.

The Gogo tractor made another sucessful run up the line and back, crawling backwards in reverse gear took over 5 minutes.

I think our visitors enjoyed their visit, despite a moment when the Baguley decided it didn't like being a train any more and made a bid for freedom, landing at 45 degrees to the track! It doesn't look like its suffered any significant damage, but we couldn't get the engine to restart, so will have to have an in depth look at it at the weekend.

Also, a photographer from the Yorkshire Evening Post turned up. Peter (the owner and driving force behind the railway) is going to be interviewed on Saturday for an article in the newspaper. So a few minutes were spent gathered 'twixt the Gogo and Baguley for team photographs (...is the YEP a broad-sheet? It might need to be for some people in the photo :-D )

So everyone look out in the YEP in the near future.

The beginning of the end....

...well, for me at least. I'm moving to Devon, so after next weekend my visits to the railway will be only occasional. If people send me photos and descriptions of whats being going on then this blog might be able to continue via 'remote control'. ...we'll see.

Anyway, today I was using Odin, which ran well all day. Passengers were a steady stream, it was one of those days when we're never stood still for long, but theres never a decent load on the train.

For the last trip, I took the Lister for a spin.

A strange thing has happend while I've been away. Somebody has spray painted the handle of one of our point levers yellow. Its been done quite intentionally, yet there is no other yellow paint or vandalism of any kind to be seen. odd.

Next weekend, we'll also be operating on Saturday, as it is Kirkstall Festival in the Abbey grounds.

The past few weeks...

...I havn't been at the railway, but Justin sent me these pics of what was running.

20th June, Little Ruston was in action on the passenger train.

The Gogo tractor was out and running, with my Dad at the 'wheel'.
27th June, the turn of Atlas again, seen here shunting the Muir Hill chassis out of the compound.

The O&K's gearbox is now being finally reassembled, with the new sump, once this is done it can be properly bolted into the loco.

Today's engine was Atlas, which ran well. There were not too many passengers, but enough to make it worthwhile running. The hot axlebox changed last week seems to be ok now.
Later on in the afternoon, the heavens opened and we packed away early, but driving no-cabbed Atlas in the pouring rain is about as much fun as you'd imagine it to be...
I also changed a sleeper. turned out to be quite rotton under the surface.

The Gogo tractor came out of the shed today to be measured and photographed for a model.

Odin's leaky radiator was finally fixed, and it is now back to full health. Here it is seen next to Druid. These two engines started out their lives looking fairly similar to each other, but over time various modifications (especially to Druid) have made them both rather unique.

Also today, the Greenbat had it's batteries topped up with de-ionised water, and some work was done on the O&K, although I'm not sure what as I wasn't paying attention.

More pics from Leeds traction engine club visit.

Some more photos from last month when the Leeds and district traction engine club visited to have a hog roast, sent to me by Justin.

Here is the steam roller that turned up, nicely rolling our yard flat.
Some steam roller detail. It really was well turned out.

The only one not enjoying the evening so much...

The Gogo tractor manouvering in the yard.

Richard reclining in the Gogo tractor on the way to the Abbey.

Little Ruston took the train back up the line when it returned (very very slowly) behind the Gogo tractor. Once the train had gone back up the line, Gogo tractor stalled and wouldn't restart.

...nope, still doesn't want to start....

So me and Atlas towed it away in disgrace.

Today it was pouring down with rain, so we didn't rush about getting the train out, as there simply was nobody about. at about 2 'o'clock the rain eased, and some trains were ran. Druid was the motive power, and ran without faults.
Last Monday Atlas suffered a hot axlebox. Today we set about fixing it. This involved jacking and packing up the front end of the loco and removing all of the axlebox seen below. What had happened is the springs that hold a lubricating pad against the bottom of the axle had broken with age. Luckily, we had a brand new one to hand and the axlebox was cleaned out and the replacement fitted. We put Atlas on the passenger train at the end of the day and it seems OK now. It still runs a little warmer then the other 3 axleboxes, but apparently this is not a problem and is because of some water damage to the end of ther axle from when it was stored out of use at Alne tile works.

Atlas on the top end of the passenger train. It got fixed quickley because it is such a good, useful and powerful engine. It hauls the passenger train even with Druid on the rear end as though theres nothing there. It could just do with a cab on wet days like today though.

We didn't take many passengers today, as the weather was so bad. But we did take some so it was worth running.

Meanwhile, the O&K progresses. The front body section has been removed to aid the refitting of the engine oil level filler/indicator.

The new gearbox sump has recieved it's first coat of paint, and for the first time looks like part of the locomotive. It only need a small modification (i'm told) before it is complete. Then the axlebox wants taking apart and cleaning of debris from the building of the sump, and the whole thing can be assembled for good.

Bank Holiday Monday

Today's engine was Atlas again, but to mix things up a bit, I turned it around for a different perspective on things (and to avoid breathing its toxic gases when it powers uphill!) It ran mostly ok, one of the air hoses worked loose and fell off once, and towards the end of the afternoon it started making loud screeching noises as it entered the Abbey station. Inspection revealed that it had developed a hot axlebox, and needed to come out of service imediately. It turns out that the springs of the oily pad that presses against the axle to lubricate it have broken, and the axle hasn't had a supply of oil to keep it moving freely. It should be fairly simple to put right, but we have to take the entire axloebox off to access it, which could prove to be quite an involved process. So for now it is out of action.
But fear not, Druid to the rescue! Druid itself had problems early on today with its brakes, but this was put right easily enough. It's also looking rather shabby, having picked up some more scratches while being used for scrap collection.


Meanwile today, The sleepers were surveyed, to see which most deperately need replacing now the evenings are light enough to do some sleeper changes.

The Lawnmower takes a well deserved rest.

Justin and James have replaced this little bit of track off the turntable for one with a buffer stop on it. They have made a very tidy job of it too, It just needs some adjustment so that Vulcan can fit on the turntable again.

30th May

Today, I started off using Odin, but this only managed one trip, as it was suffering from problems with it's air supply, and the radiator has developed quite a leak.

There isn't supposed to be water dripping out of this bit, So Odin had to come off for repairs.


So instead, I used Atlas, which ran well all day. Passenger numbers were a steady stream, never enough to fill the train, but we were not sitting around waiting for custom.

This is what we have to put up with sometimes. Two young gentlemen (early teens, perhaps) were spotted on the track, they ran up it and put some of our signs across the track. I took this photo as evidence of what they'd been up to in case they had done anything else more criminal. It makes me wonder how stupid they really are though, they outran a small 1943 diesel engine, put a sign across the track (was that meant to derail us?) and wrapped the chain loosly around the point levers, and what is this meant to prove?? Anyway, whatever thrill they get out of it, I hope they've had their fill of it now and leave us alone.

I thought I'd include a photo of the battery electric actually working isntead of just standing around, Here is is shunting the skip wagons away, with my Dad grinning like a madman.

Also today, some more scrap has been gathered. I'm told we have made enough money from the scrap now to pay for the Muir Hill's wheels, and a few more loads and we'll have enough for it's axleboxes as well.

The O&K's gearbox has been lifted out of the frames again to fit the oil drain to the new sump.

And that is all, we'll be back at the railway tomorrow.

Today was a very warm and humid day, great for people making the most of the sun in the Abbey grounds. However passener numbers were a bit down on what we were hoping for on such a nice day.

Running round the train would have been hard work in this heat, so we ran with an engine on each end. Richard took Atlas on the top end and I manned Little Ruston on the down end. A much easier arrangement for a day like today (but uses twice the fuel).

Richard in action!

Tommy was back today, doing a fine job of keeping the grass short, if getting a bit close to the track at times.

Druid and the crane wagon were in use getting some more steer bar out of the compound. this is being cut up and is going for scrap.

With the O&K's gearbox sump almost finished, it was lowered into position to mark out where the oil drain needs to go. Although this is only in place for now, it looks promising.