Of mud, mud, glorious mud

1st August 2021

It could also have been called wouldn't it be nice if....

I've had a busy week. It started with receiving an order for supply of a loco, carried on through a trip up to Scotland (and it is a long way) and then returned to near normality with shifting RS8 for a starring role.

The trip to Scotland was to attend to some minor defects that were reported on Claire, but when I got there they had all been fixed. Actually by the time I got there they were about to head home, so I had an early night at the hotel and returned the following morning to see for myself that all was in fact OK and maybe take a picture or two of it shunting. I hung around until lunch time then hit the road back south, stopping at Abington services to get (a late) lunch. When I was up this way for Railway Wheelset & Brake I used to stay at the Abington Hotel in the village, and if I had time would do a detour up to Leadhills which is only a few miles away (and a long way up). On a whim I decided to do it again, knowing that there probably wouldn't be anyone there (there wasn't - I have yet to see anyone or anything move there, but it has always been weekday visits) but that there definitely seems to have been progress. The line is 2ft, but built on a s.g.trackbed, one which came up from the valley bottom where the WCML passes, through Leadhills and on to Wanlockhead, over part of which the n.g. now wends its way to the Dumfries & Galloway border, where it abruptly stops.

The station at Leadhills has the appropriate features and a large maintenance/stock shed at the north end. I headed a bit further on, where the road passes through the border above the present terminus. I looked back and with the zoom on the camera managed to record this.(I've put south on the caption but my compass might be a little wonky.).

The upper terminus is out of picture to the right. You can see the line meander across the middle of the photo and on the extreme right (right of that clump of trees) is the advanced home signal for Leadhills terminus. The line then passes behind the two houses and into the station, and the maintenance shed is the grey mass between the houses and that tall fir tree(s). I turned back and drove through to Leadhills nestling amid the trees in the valley below the station, and taking the right turn for Elvanfoot followed the trackbed as it descended in what must have been a formidable climb in s.g. days. I remembered doing this road once, probably in the '90s, when having crossed over the railway towards the end it swung suddenly across the river on a rusting girder bridge before rounding a much later large electrical distribution area. The girder bridge has gone now. It's a 'wouldn't it be nice if' the Leadhills line could extend down towards Elvanfoot: I can't help feeing that its chances of 'passing trade' from the A74M would be far more enhanced, and the climb up the valley would be memorable, even if you needed something with the power/weight of an SAR Beyer Garratt to achieve it!

I had some local run-arounds on Thursday and Friday morning but Friday afternoon Rob, another of Adam's drivers, was coming over to Rowsley to collect RS8. By the time his arrival time grew near the weather had turned inclement. I had shunted Charlie out of the way and with Harvey as pilotman, we took RS8 north. Rob had not built up the ramp as he was unfamiliar with how we did it, so I proceeded to show him. I had a waterproof jacket on, but my boots, as I have said before, are not waterproof (anything but) and large puddles had already formed at the loading area. I was wet on my feet, the rain had gone through my overalls and soaked my jeans up to my thighs, and if the jacket deflected anything, it may as well not have bothered as I was getting wetter on shoulders and upperhalf. Anyway, RS8 was loaded and Rob set off for the Rally site.

Arriving there, with a single axle-drive tractor unit with 'road-going' tyres was going to be iffy in the weather although the first part across the field was well stoned and he made that with difficulty. However, as soon as he left it to line up with his allotted slot, it was a different matter. First one, then two tractors tried to assist him, finally another entrant, a Matador recovery truck with winch was deployed and managed to haul him in to position. After tea Andrew and I went up to set up the signage, (I had changed to dry clothes, and was on to my second pair of thick (boot) socks of the day). I got the van across to the lorry without problem, but when I turned off in order to leave the 'road' clear for other vehicles, I was immediately stuck. Here's what the 'road' was like alongside us.

We got the signage up, Andrew flagged down a passing tractor and walked to the entrance while the tractor towed me out - backwards - which is a most disconcerting way to travel.

Boots well muddied, second pair of boot socks soaked through.

Saturday, we got up to the Rally site for about 10.15, that is to say Andrew, me, Steph and grandson. The rain had stopped but the water had yet to drain away, add people and vehicles and the result is a little muddy. Staff were putting down straw all over the place to try and keep the busier areas under control. We passed some notes through to the PA booth by the arena at their request so they could 'plug' RS8's presence: it was featured in the souvenir colour programme, complete with picture and caption of 'Clockwork Lemon' its nick-name at Dinting.

Actually you could hardly miss it, RS8's cab towered over everything around it! Elsewhere on the railway front, a 7.25inch miniature line - the There and Back Again Light Railway - was providing rides for young and old.

We came away around 2 o'clock - third pair of boot socks soaked through. Andrew had had to go to attend to some work matters - I spent an hour or two down at the shed on some technical issues.

Sunday had us back down for not long after nine a.m. First task was to scrape as much of Highacres Farm off our boots as possible - I reckon we have nearly enough between us for a window box. Charlie was the subject of TLC but we also had Tony S coming for the day. He arrived with yet another Wickham axle assembly that he wished to dismantle, but having taken out the split pins for the ends he could not shift the castellated nuts. He'd even applied heat without success. Both Andrew and I thought the Big Mak might take a try. It took Tony and me a few minutes to find the right socket (it turned out to be one inch Whit) and five seconds for Big Mak to unwind each nut.

Andrew had had to leave just before this, as he was going back to the Rally to meet Adam and pass complimentary tickets over - he had a second trip around with grandson, reporting that the ground was much less muddy than Saturday and the whole place busier. He had had a natter with the Chairman: there had been a lot of interest in RS8 and could we bring something next year? Of course, someone had to chirp up with a 'wouldn't-it-be-nice-if' they could have some track to run it on...

I meanwhile had recovered a float tank from Grace, stripped it, cleaned it out and was setting it up for a test to make sure the float valve sealed when I managed to spray myself and the surround with a quantity of gas oil. I know Diesel is a good brand for perfume or Eau de wotsit but I don't think they use the real stuff. Charlie was having the rear treadplating re-secured. I'd been forced to drill out all the countersunk screws while it had been at Brush a couple of yesars ago in order to access the handbrake linkage underneath and we'd never got around to drilling them out and retapping. Tony S did a stint while Andrew was away and then returned to the ex MoD railcar where he was fixing the seized handbrake. Charlie was also due for a service and re-blocking. When in regular Peak Rail service it used to get through a set of ferrous blocks every year. Then in 2008 we fitted a composite conversion and although it stayed in front line use for Peak Rail for the next few years, the blocks it had up to today are those fitted then - over 12 years ago. We found artificial snow from Longcross studios in clumps within the carriers!

The blocks were duly replaced, the pins drilled out for R clips instead of split pins, and the rigging set up again to correct some uneven wear apparent on the old set. Then Andrew set about servicing, while I gave an impromptu tour to a gentleman who'd only left his family ' for a minute to photograph that old wagon...' You never get away that easily!

First thing tomorrow RS8 returns - well, assuming the trailer can escape the mud, but Adam's going up with the 'new' 8 x 4 tractor that has replaced that troublesome Merc and the Rally crew assured us that there'll be assistance around if we need it. I've got to pop up there to recover the signage, then race back down to help RS8 off, and Charlie on, as it goes on an adventure of its own. So I need an early night - and a shower. At least I'll get the latter. All being well, I should be back next week with lots to say. See ya then.