Wagons Wheels

A couple of major wagon projects are now approaching completion at Apedale. A project has been on-going to restore two bolster wagons. These were originally used at the BR materials depot at Chesterton Junction, which is not the same Chesterton just down the road from Apedale - but actually not too far from Cambridge. Apedale was served by Apedale Junction, so I hope that is all clear? The two wagons have needed a great deal of new steelwork, which was recycled from an old storage tank on site. A stripey pole, looking like a giant Blackpool rock, completes the set. Rumours that the pole has the word "Apedale" written all the way through it are untrue. The pole would not have been used except when the wagons were moved empty; they are still be fitted with the spikey bolster units, which are reminiscent of some nasty Orc weapon from Lord of the Rings. The team responsible for all of this can be glimpsed in the background of the first photo. Meanwhile, a WDLR Class D wagon is also nearing completion - it seen receiving the top coat paint. As ever contact us here. There are rumours that Flying Oatcakes have been seen on the railway. We could not possibly comment.

EuroLoks

As the entire population of the UK sits down on the collective sofa and tunes in to the Eurovision Song Contest, thoughts naturally swing towards our colleagues in such well-known and snappily titled lands as Meerkovo and The Former Yugoslavian Republic of Macedonia. Who hasn't sat and wondered about these countries - and why it is they always award their maximum scores to their closest, and rather better armed, neighbours. But if you're reading this, you also have a passing interest in narrow gauge railways, so you may also have contemplated what the output from the FYR Macedonia's loco manufacturers was. At Apedale, we can't help with that (or Meerkovo), but we do have a good smattering of EuroLoks in the fleet - predominantly German. Both Deutz and Orenstein & Koppel are represented, and in honour of Eurovision, today has seen work taking place on both types. The Deutz is undergoing a general tidy-up; the biggest mechanical issue has been severe wear on one of the crankpins. It was put onto the pit road today to allow work to continue on rectifying this, and our chief Euro enthusiast is seen in the picture hard at work. This job has seen the first ever known deployment of a crankshaft reclamation tool which was bought from the auction sale when Motor Rail closed down in 1987 - we knew it would come in useful one day. The RL1B Orenstein has also had some attention; a broken fan belt has been repaired, and work has taken place to (hopefully) cure a persistent fuel leak. The loco is also being gradually repainted to match its baby brother, the MM class (which was shown on the pages a few weeks ago on an outing to Abbey Pumping Station, Leicester). If there's one thing German things like, it's uniformity. Don't click here to vote on Eurovision, but do to get in touch with us.

Four Seasons in One Day

It is fair to say that the weather was not overly kind to the Classic Car weekend at Apedale. Classic Cars do not take kindly to heavy rain, and so the gathering was rather less than was hoped for. Nonetheless, we saw a good number, especially on the Sunday when a group of MG owners showed their mettle. The gentleman with the Bedford army lorry was clearly also of stout constitution - Rain? Hail stones? The Red Army Choir - bring it on. So, it's a big thank you to all of the car owners who brought their pride and joys out in the horrible conditions. We hope you get the water out of the electrics at some stage this year. Meanwhile, on the other side of the fence, the Joffre steam loco was unaffected by water in the electrics, and out in an impressive weekend's workings. It is now quite rapidly climbing the league table for Likeable Steam Locos. The blue thing above the loco in the photo, by the way, is the sky, and uncontaminated by Photoshop. It just shows that we truly did have four seasons in one day (but not a Crowded House). The next big event at Apedale will be the Mining Gala on June 15 & 16 - but don't forget, we are running every Saturday, and also Bank Holiday Sundays and Mondays. Check the main AVLR website here for details, and get in touch here (especially if you know what a Condenser is, and how to get 2" of rainwater out of one...).