Fresh from our triumph in the Olympic Pit Building championship, the Pit has been put to the test; it was built to allow the Joffre boiler exam to be done - so until the Joffre had been on the pit, it wasn't Finished. As you can see from the photo - it's Finished. The Owners are pretty confident that the Joffre will pass its boiler exam given that it's only a year since restoration. If not, they'll be hoping that they remembered to post off that Warranty Registration Card to some obscure address in Harpenden or somewhere. Meanwhile, preparations are progressing apace for the Contractor's Delight gala - September 8 & 9 - see here. The Pikrose battery loco has been poorly for some time with a motor problem. Fortunately, maintainability was obviously a key criteria when the loco was designed. Hence it was necessary to strip the loco almost completely down to extract the traction motor brushes. Obviously no-one could ever reasonably expect to need to change the brushes on a DC traction motor. Clearly the designers didn't have Triang locos when they were kids. Anyway, the Pikrose is back to full health now and running nicely on both motors. It has a rather hyperactive suspension - a run down the mainline at speed is a bit like a cross between a ship crossing the Bay of Biscay in a Force 10 and a Virgin Pendolino (but not for much longer). The Pikrose (and the Joffre, but not the Pendo) will be in operation at the Gala. See you there. Finally - watch this space for an exciting announcement on the Gala later this week. Contact us here.
