Hi there, well the ‘near future’ was nearer than we expected, for the track along the old tunnel section has been lifted and the sleepers were found to be in very good condition. So they were transported to the workshop area where they were checked over and brushed off to get rid of any mud and soil  and now they are drying out so they can be creosoted before being relaid. The ballast has all been removed along that section too.

The other good news is that we started the Shay’s new engine on Saturday after checking that everything was ok and ready, and it sounds , quietly, very good, and the loco was moved slowly up and down to ensure the drive belt was fitted OK. Excellent progress so we can now continue with the general overhaul , cleaning and repainting as required….

                                          John, Kevin and Andrew checking the lifted track sections

The weather was rubbish again on Wednesday so we spent the day inside making up a drilling template to locate the track fixing screws in the right place on the sleepers when making up track panels. We intend to replace the sleepers on the old Tunnel section in the near future once the creosote has dried off the newly treated sleepers a bit. Interestingly, we have found that there is virtually no penetration of the creosote into the sleepers that were in the creosote bath for a couple of weeks, so we are just going to brush coat the sleepers in future. Could be that the timber is tanalised and that the creosote has some oil in it ?

Peter’s Class 08 is now serviceable again after having its loose axle (s) sorted  (with Kevin’s help), having been thoroughly cleaned and oiled, its body replaced on the track in the workshop and tested, all good…

and the Shay’s exhaust now has a length of 28 mm copper pipe soldered on , thanks Keith, ready to fit back into the boiler, hopefully tomorrow?