Of an end to 2020

27th December 2020

The last entry for the year - and not a year that we're likely to look back on nostalgically...

Transport work came to an end for the year on Tuesday after moving two more gronks around the countryside. We shook hands after the gear was packed back aboard the trailer and Adam and Ian were about to set off for home: it seemed rather sad somehow, even though in a couple of weeks time we'll be out again - one of my regular correspondents expressed his (tongue-in-cheek) relief that I wasn't about to rename this blog 'Gronks on the Road'. I have a number of jobs in prospect for 2021 and am confident of more as our reputation for turning up an time and efficiently gets further around.

Normality here usually involves a brass band touring the adjacent streets playing carols on Christmas Day morning, but not this year: we had a socially distanced walk around the Whitworth Park on Christmas Day afternoon and went over to the shed to check that all was well. But by Boxing Day afternoon we were back at the grindstone, working both on Claire and sundry other jobs.

Last night Andrew headed out to another supplier and returned with a car full of quality oak blocks for packing: he admitted afterwards it might have been better if he'd taken the van!

Some months ago I saw on ebay a vendor offering a couple of SMC pneumatic valves at - if I remember correctly, about £27-28 each - he had two and offered them on 'Buy it Now' or 'Best Offer'. I offered him £25 each: he declined, so I let the matter ride. They would be suitable to replace one or two defective old Martonair valves on Ludwig Mond, but as there was no immediate requirement, I waited. Then certain events happened earlier in December which suggested to me that Ludwig might be required so I returned to these valves, which were still on our Watch List. The vendor had reduced them to £19.50 each, so I bought them and the first was installed on Ludwig this afternoon, it's associated pipework also being renewed as not only was the valve defective but the steel pipework just above the running plate had corroded through from the outside, not withstanding that the pipe internally dripped oil once removed.

By the time the light was falling the valve was plumbed in and wired up electrically, but requires some tidying up and testing - maybe Tuesday..

Film 4 this Friday (January 1st) is running 'Murder on the Orient Express', the Kenneth Branagh/Fox production from 2017 that we had a hand in. And since it is now several years on and the replica train itself is sat in a beauty spot in the Lake District, I'll risk a couple of pictures for you to ponder on while watching the film. For the replica train used for all the close-ups was unpowered, and for those scenes propulsion was either from Charlie or 03 901, depending from which end they were filming. So a few pictures to give you a feel of how it was like: I shan't go into detail though and you won't see the locos on the film (I think I can just see Charlie's exhaust plume in one scene but otherwise it was all removed during CGI stages) and I didn't even get a namecheck, so you won't find me on IMDB! The shot of 03 901 was on my final day after most of the track on the big open-air set had been lifted - a white shape in the background is the station buildings, dressed as different places as the story unfolds. I'll probably be watching it on Friday (I had it on DVD but lent it to someone and never got it back) - see if you can spot anything!

And with that, I'll wish you all a very much better 2021 and hope you'll be back again next week. See ya then.

Footnote: a little late publishing this week owing to a software glitch.