Of lights but not much camera - action!

16th December 2023

Getting close to Christmas. Shopped up yet?

I've put off starting writing this tonight because it has been one of those weeks when nothing particularly startling has happened. Adam is up to his neck on other work so I've not been under any pressure to generate anything on the transport side, although it nonetheless comes in with bookings for the New Year. My friends over at Langwith Junction had a minor problem with the loco and asked that I pop in, and sure enough it was what the PLC was signalling and was soon sorted. The fitter then told me they'd chocked it because 'the brakes leaked off'. I pointed out it was spring apply and pressure release on the parking brake. No, said the fitter, the brakes came off the wheels. At this point I realised that it hadn't sunk in that the parking brake had no connection with the service brakes (those big lumps pressing on the treads) so took him though a few of the loco's features.

I headed north up to a firm that had rolled some steel strips for me. I suspect they'd been ready for a week or two but as no-one had contacted me to let me know I wouldn't just show up, would I? I rang them and yes, they were sat waiting. Back home in the afternoon I finished off some drawings and got the enquiries out to the profilers. Tuesday and first thing I set off south through Derby. I had a pump and injectors to get overhauled and a load of castings to collect. I came away from one supplier with a calendar. This particlar one featured young ladies whose minimalist clothing did not cover the upper or lower regions and who were generally posed (I only took a quick look through out of politeness to the generous supplier giving it to me) chest forward and legs apart. I've got to admit that the quality of the printing and reproduction was first class but I was taken aback that such a calendar was still marketted. Perhaps as a nod to current social mores, the supplier said that the 'other pile' next to which mine came, was 'of men' but whether these were quite so unreserved in their exposure I chose not to ask.

Anyway, back north with the van loaded; I had the quotes from the two profilers. After the last enquiry, I had given 'feedback' to the less competitive one as I knew their boss appreciated knowing price levels he was up against. After that one I had been assured by their sales guy that he'd amended laser timings and profit margins. It was somewhat disconcerting therefore that their prices came in at more than double my other tenderer - actually less competitive than last time. Maybe he adjusted them the wrong way.

I popped over to Wirksworth on Wednesday to check over Charlie. The air induction hose rubs against the oil pressure switch and had broken a wire crimp causing the engine to cut out. Not only that, it was low on transmission oil but the warning light hadn't come on. I'd taken a small amount of oil but insufficient to bring the level up, but when the engine was cranked the warning light came on but went out when the engine fired. Methinks the feed is in the wrong place: a return visit is called for. The other thing on Wednesday was that the compressor for the W&L loco arrived. I'd arranged it for Wednesday as I knew I shouldn't need to be anywhere else, but as I was on my own when the 10ton lorry rolled up outside the Briddon Country Pile I did wonder why I hadn't set it up for the workshops. He was quite capable of unloading it (tail-lift and pallet truck) but I wasn't sure that I could then lift it up into the van, just me and Andrew. So I backed the van up to the truck and we rolled it from one to the other, and later on I took it down to the shed.

Thursday had me on a round robin dropping off parts to customers, carriers and subcontractors. Friday and after sorting out some emails it was off firstly to Stoke and then Wigan. The latter was to collect 150 pallisade fencing pales from an ebay purchase. Andrew had set it up and asked me to collect. The pales - just under 2.4m long - will go diagonally across the van and took two of us (me and the vendor) about 20 minutes to load, and a rather ungainly couple of piles they made. I strapped them in and set off home, and disliking the thought of the M60 around Manchester on a Friday afternoon, came down to Knutsford, Macclesfield and Buxton. The van incidentally, having purged itself of Texaco, had reached Wigan at 53.2 mpg, but with the extra load and climbing on the return leg, dropped to 50.4 by the time I got home.

Saturday and Andy H arrived and first job was to empty the van of fencing. The pales it transpired had not stayed still in transit and had ended up pushing hard on the near side sliding door such that it was out of the vehicle line. I think it took us longer to unload and stash them than it had to get them in. We're still awaiting the go-ahead from the railway to resume fencing works, incidentally, but should have plenty to go at when we get it. That finished, AndyH resumed work on the south end floodlights then relocated to the north end and installed a floodlight at the corner of the building that makes life much easier taking things out to the vehicles on a dark winters eve. There are two switches for this one flodlight. The original idea was that one switch put it on continuously, but the other would trigger it through a timer such that you could lock up and drive away knowing that in a minute or two it would go off. Sadly I have no timer relay to hand so that remains an aspiration.

For myself, in between assisting AndyH, I was measuring up bits of the compressor with a view to updating my installation drawing, which was prepared 20 years ago as a rough guide. The new compressor base was removed and put over on the fabrication bench ready for Andrew to weld it up, together with the front and rear vac pipe fabs for alteration. We also had a visitor in the shape of our favourite Ecclesbourne Valley director who probably wanted to tell us the news that his former PR-based Austerity 'The Duke' had been steamed for the first time this century - but it had been out when I'd called on Wednesday so I already knew.

Andrew himself was away again and delayed on Sunday by being 'on call' and I stuck to some paperwork in the morning and didn't go down until the afternoon. When he did arrive we organised a bonfire but welding was delayed by the batteries in his welding helmet going flat. As I haven't taken much in the way of pictures this week I am indebted to Stuart G who sent me a photo (above) of one of today's Santa trains starting out southwards from Darley Dale and passing our yard.

It is now well over eighteen months since the managment of Peak Rail passed into the hands of Mark Sealey when Jackie Statham died. Now this week we hear that Claire Statham, Jackie's daughter and for many years the 'Commercial Manager' (or some such title) under Jackie, has also died, aged 50. Claire left the railway's employ not long after her mother's demise and brought down the curtain on the 'Statham Era'. She has now 'left the building'. So that's it. Sorry it's a bit short and rather scattergun compared to usual. Hopefuly something more positive to show next week. See ya then.