Following from our recent news about importing a Hudswell Clarke steam loco from Ghana, the current rate of change for the Moseley Railway Trust at its Apedale site continues.
The current big project is the erection of a large storage shed. This is now nearing completion. Large means 42 metres long, and containing three tracks, one of which is dual 2'0" and 2'6" gauge. The concrete base was poured by contractors after the track, assembled by the Moseley team, was en placed. The building has now been constructed, and very fine it looks too. There's quite a bit of fitting out work to be done, which MRT members will undertake. We are always in need of more help, so come and have a look - we're on site every Saturday and some Sundays and Bank Holidays also. This week's work on the shed has concentrated on tidying up the site after the contractors departed - including extensive working at the Apedale Washer Quarry. Sand was used to protect the railway flangeways when the concrete was poured, and clearing this out has taken up a fair bit of time. This week's photos show an internal view of the shed before all the flangeways were cleared, and an exterior view showing the ex-Leighton Buzzard Motor Rails No.20 and 42 (8748 and 7710 respectively) contemplating their new home on what was a very pleasant spring evening.
We're all looking forward to showing off the Apedale site and our achievements at the Open Days on September 13 & 14 this year - make sure this is in YOUR diary. By then, we hope to have moved the MRT's main collection of locos and other rolling stock from its current storage site to Apedale - and some of these locos haven't been seen in public for ten years. As ever, we'd love to hear from you - contact us here.
