Divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived

Another busy day at the Apedale Valley Light Railway has seen a number of projects progressed. A broken rail had been noted some time ago on one of the lesser-used extremities of the Field Railway - at the the point known as Loos Loop. Repairing it had become a priority as we have a visit from the Branch Line Society next weekend, and they are keen to visit all the extremities (Debacle Railtours proudly present the Apedale Explorer II). So, with judicous use of the welder and a much improved set of fishplates and new bolts to carry the load, the rail was duly repaired. Meanwhile, Ruston No.29 has been having some attention to its hand start equipment. Unusually for a Ruston, this one is electric start, hence the hand gear had fallen into disuse. However, with 74 locos on site, there are never enough batteries to go round, so it's useful to be able to hand start the loco. Not sure why quite so many people found this so fascinating, but that's life. Some of the younger members have been overhauling the wagons we inherited from National Grid at Woodhead. The plan is that these will be used as sleeper carriers when we start extending the railway. We are quite taken by the half-timbered Tudor House look of the new paintwork, doubtless inspired by our neighbours at Little Moreton Hall; in view of the Tudor vibe, it has been decided that the wagons will be named after Henry VIII's wives. So, meet Catherine of Aragon. I'm sure it's just the memorial she would have wanted. Get in touch here (unless you are Tudor monarchy).

All dressed up and somewhere to go.....

All dressed up and somewhere to go - Stanhope polished to within an inch of its life and with Penrhyn couplers fitted, ready to head back to Penrhyn for next weekend's jolly. Hopefully it will emerge from Penrhyn afterwards in a slightly better state than when it left previously. Behind Stanhope is the Hayfield coach, which is off to Alan Keef Ltd's Open Day on the 17th, where it will once again be used as the passenger coach on their demonstration line.
Meanwhile, the Hudswell is home from Leighton Buzzard and licking its wounds slightly; all things considered, it performed admirably on what is almost certainly England's most demanding narrow gauge railway. Please read that last sentence carefully before complaining.

Michelangelo comes out of retirement

It's been a busy few weeks at Apedale with a variety of projects being progressed. One project which very rarely sees much limelight is the continuing programme of repairs and reurbishment on the buildings which we occupy. Some of these are seriously old, probably dating back to the Apedale Ironworks, and one suspects that's about the last time that they had any real TLC. The main workshop block has had a new roof in the last year, but it could still be somewhat cold in the winter. It's tempting to say that we should just out a thicker woolly on - but we need people to be comfortable if they are going to support us by volunteering. Also, it's difficult to produce decent finished work in a poor environment. So, a new ceiling is being installed. This will be painted and insulated. The project leader was seen to be looking at pictures of the Sistine Chapel with some interest.
Elsewhere, a couple of wagon projects have been progressing nicely. An explosives wagon is just about finished - the lads pushing it around did check it was empty first, and a wooden Trench Tramway wagon is also nearing completion. This arrived as a kit of parts, and was immediately compared to an IKEA bookcase, leading to some speculation as to what daft name IKEA would have given it were they to move into selling railway rolling stock.
Next weekend it's steam both days with the Joffre having an outing. The Hudswell is enjoying a stay at Leighton Buzzard, and the Stanhope has been prepared for a trip to the Penrhyn Railway, complete with Penrhyn couplers - so it cannot couple to the passenger train at Apedale at the moment.