Chappel news is published on the eve of intensive
train operations this weekend March 14 / 15 2020, EARM Steam Gala –
featuring
visiting locomotive GWR 5526.
Seen here on
DRIVEX duty Friday 13th March.
Photo by Richard Swain
While the government have given another start signal to
HS2, a major railway project - our own smaller infrastructure efforts are
bearing fruit. This edition of Chappel news reports on maintenance and infrastructure
in these areas, even during the winter, much work has been undertaken. Only now
in March are ground conditions suitable in resuming work on the new running
shed.
The new shoots of mini rail are now becoming more apparent,
after much foundation work, track has been laid and test movements have been taking
place. Re certification of staff must follow before commencing public running, but
the loco shed, track, crossing, signal box and Thompson Green station buildings
are, in the main, all in place pending fitting out. Once settled into operation,
the mini rail can look forward in future years to ongoing further expansion.
It won’t be long before happy riders are seen on this
expanding railway, a benefit to be enjoyed by our younger visitors especially.
You may have heard the expression “The Orange Army”. This
often describes when many rail workers dressed in bright hi visibility Orange
clothing, undertake infrastructure projects. A prime example often noted in the
media, are some very long 52 hour possessions that can only take place over the
Christmas and Boxing Day period. In our own
small way, museum members also worked in a possession alongside the network
rail line on January 9th. Storm Ciara was inconveniently timed to arrive
the same day – but this was such a rare
opportunity (being the only day known trains would not be operating), so our
very own “orange army” set to work regardless.
Potentially members of the real “Orange Army” , recently
attended professional rail safety training courses based at EARM and so are
highlighted in this newsletter. It endorses our educational aims to have such
courses based at Chappel.
After Christmas 18 members enjoyed the trip to the
Bluebell Railway led by our guides Nick Proud and John Smith to the Atlantic
Project workshop. The photo shows most people visiting on that day on the
Platform at Sheffield Park at the end of the day.
This is an example of volunteers being valued, the trip
bringing many together socially those who are supporting the museum during the year.
Activity has been most ably supported by Martin Gibbons working as our
Volunteer Co-ordinator, the use of “What’s
App” certainly proving its worth in driving up the visibility of volunteering opportunities,
and directing effort where and when
required.
Regarding pace and content, the amount of activity in
both volunteering and public events attendance is significantly higher in
recent months. It appears Catherine Harrison’s marketing messages are driving home,
through the web, mailshots and attractive good publicity.
Festive
times
Christmas may have come and gone but many jobs are unseen
and undertaken without a lot of credit. Special thanks therefore should go to Margaret
Nutbeem who now retires from seasonal duties. More years than most of us can remember, she has
been arranging in conjunction with retail in more recent times, provision of
presents, storing, and wrapping gifts. After those efforts, long days on her
feet presenting to the children. In her time Margaret has also been known to stitch
together Father Christmas outfits (or both large and small proportions) for
those who in the past have served in this capacity.
Jon Nutbeem assisted by “Mummy Christmas” Maureen
Knapnett, have suggested they will continue to assist in festive arrangements
going forward. New volunteers for Festive activities would be welcomed, giving
a period of notice may help if you feel for a change at that time of year the
opportunity to meet and greet families.
Purchase of War
Department (WD) diesel
The museum
has now purchased the WD locomotive that has been on long time loan, this is a
very useful locomotive as it has both air and vacuum braking. For some time
there has been some concern should be 04 diesel shunter fail there would be no
significantly useful motive power available. Rather than spend on transport
back to Derbyshire, monies have been diverted to a purchase. It’s appearance at the moment it is
grubby and not particularly attractive, however with time and effort it will be
a very useful addition to the fleet.
It’s history
has been researched by Isaac Ferneyhough, this locomotive has been almost
continuous use since 1945, its notable to be one of the first diesels employed on
British metals. Built for the Ministry of Supply it was used by the Ministry of
Defence and also the various military establishments and dockyards, seen in its time to be shunting
nuclear weapons!
It is
capable of operating Henrietta, VGA wagon and Mark 2 coaches, more detailed
information will be available in the next SVS.
Museum Events
Events at the museum are increasing in range quality and
quantity. Good publicity material and an established web and marketing mailshot
make the events run. This was well demonstrated by the first event in the
February half term, Steff a children’s entertainer performed with her two
cheeky monkeys “Nonsense and Mischief”, and this entertained a good number of
195 visitors.
So much more activity is planned, and live reporting via
social media will keep you up to date with events more ably than can be covered
by an e-mail circulation.
As a matter of record the Winter Beer Festival ran
successfully, a number of Escape Room sessions.
As this Chappel News is circulated the “Steam Gala”
featuring Great Western Prairie (2-6-2T) Tank is set to star in the intensive
train operation over two days.
The value of modern communications is increasingly being
filled with Facebook and WhatsApp applications these were featured in the last
issue of Chappel news. Making Chappel
news distribution by way of email may be becoming an anachronism, so thoughts
are being considered to make this a member’s only web publication and deleting
event content.
Railway
engineering training at Chappel
In the media Network Rail engineering people are often
described as an “Orange army”, where maintenance and project work is done for
the rail industry. To do this people need to demonstrate both the knowledge
about their work and their competency and practical works.
Recently the museum played host to both a six week NVQ
Level 2 course in Railway Engineering and a PTS course in the Bryant (B1)
building. Led by Kevin Charlesworth the training content is delivered which is
approved by Network Rail, Kevin himself is self-employed ( K-Rail-Tech-Ltd)
working in partnership with National Skills Solutions that also arrange access
to the Sentinel safety system developed by Network Rail. After some twenty years in the railway
industry starting with Virgin Trains – but in the topsy turvey world of
franchising is now history.
Potential employees have been recruited in the Essex area
often as referrals from job centre there is also a gateway for anyone
interested in teen filliping their trackwork skills
Topics include working on Flat bottom and Bullhead rail
Photo shows the range of subjects is covered in the six
week period at Chappel.
This work is safety critical - which means candidates
must know and understand certain subjects, this is known as underpinning
knowledge. Also required is the practical skill to undertake tasks, they must
be able to show by observation, that the correct procedures have been followed.
Kevin assesses the candidates on both theory and practical to ensure the safety
aspects are fully compliant.
In our own museum operations, in a small way do
complementary works, I think it a cautionary tale should be told. As the museum
doesn’t have a professional leader, you must think for yourself and if you find
yourself thinking, I need help advice or feel it’s beyond your physical
capability - STOP – and ask!
The nature of contracting work means that the workers
would have to move for the job so it's something of a nomadic existence, we
wish the course participants well in their future careers, which may have
started on the museum’s premises.
In the restoration shed Feb 2020
Workshop notes
TB308 Third
Brake coach now has glazed windows, is
externally and at a casual glance nearly complete. It needs provision of
springs and completing brake rigging, but that is back of the queue of works. Complex
joinery is now hidden by the final external base painted wooden panels, but the
picture shows some of this work earlier on in the woodshop. So for now this
work is paused to undertake works on these vehicles in the shed:
BR 20 Ton
Brake B951771 Brake Van 1951: on Road 1
in the Restoration Shed, its rotten external cladding taken off, which were bad
enough, but now exposing poor condition of the supporting frame. Kevin Watson therefore
is to progress on the frame using his carpentry skills to scarf joint and other
techniques to build a solid base.
On the Diesel
railbus Rob Varletta has produced a superb paint and varnish application and
the finished result is a joy to see. I don’t know what’s on his spreadsheet as
his next job, put putting on the shine and refurbishing buildings and exhibits
is so very welcome.
Also
receiving attention after a long period of extensive use are the museum’s
coaching stock which our customers use a lot more than ourselves, therefore of
more significance for a visitor. First to be attended to in detail, was the BR
Mark 1 Brake Composite (BCK) coach. Faults
to be put right included sticking sliding doors, difficult to open windows,
various missing panels and worn step thresholds and poor finishes.
It is recognised that regular cleaning will
help improve experiences, and Sally Wagland has offered to lead a gang of washers
and brushers – if you can lend a hand you’d be welcome, details are to be added
to Volunteering what’s App posts.
For the
record the link to this is https://chat.whatsapp.com/EckCyFusHk9HBLtrXStg74
for the administrators to link your phone to the group.
Many postings
are quick fire and throw away, a message is private to the group and its
lifespan is limited to 30 days. However it’s useful to show photos and it can
support distribution of documents
Metro
Cammell_ Diesel Multiple Unit DTCL 56358
Both Michael
Bradley and Matthew Cornell took up a significant part of the challenge with
other members assisting, on the refurbishment of the Driving trailer of the DMU.
For some years this unit has looked rather sad, especially as the roof
exhibited peeling paint. Michael started with clearing debris and applying
paint of an area of about 54 square metres at height – well done!
Permanent Way (PWay) Maintenance
Delivery has taken place to 250 railway sleepers, the
easy part is being delivery; much more effort will be required to use them! To
continue operation the P Way needs maintenance and with this delivery is the
intention to keep in business and tackle a back log of works.
Photo Peter Martin
First priority is the passenger carrying running lines,
where a lead given by Michael Sanders has been leading some spot re-sleepering.
Future work to consider planning is the replacement of
the “back road” To do this will need large gangs of volunteers firstly to build
new track panels, then a sufficiently long gap in events to arrange an
engineering possession for replacement. There’s always an opportunity to join an outside gym at the
museum.
Beautify Chappel and Wakes Colne
Station
It is noted
that both general platform is not at its best standard and, for some time concern has also been
noted that station canopy needs repair. Wakes Colne Parish Council have
suggested setting up a “Station Adopters Group “to improve the appearance and
ambience of the station. Following up on their recent success of provision of
LED lighting in the footway to the station. Three people have already been
recruited, but the hope is to engage six or seven local residents to help certainly
the museum would be very appreciative of that initiative.
Greater
Anglia it is confirmed has a maintenance liability for the canopy. It is to be
hoped that the two concerns can be addressed in the near future.
Wakes
Colne parish council is also asking for local people co-opted to serve their
community. It is a speculation, but if any members in the vicinity of the
museum wish to be considered, this could result in champion’s rostering better
relations between the museum and the council.
Mini rail (MR2) progress
Progression
on this project there has advanced to some really obvious signs - track work
laid from Thompson Green station back to a container which is used as the
motive power and carriage shed.
Team Wednesday
are in the process of fitting out the station building and building a ballast wagon,
which will be used on subsequent extensions. A photograph illustrates some new helpers;
this project is generating much interest and attracting new volunteers.
Thompson
Green station is now awaiting delivery and installation of its platform awning,
constructed by an outside contractor, built with increased wind-loadings in
mind, and possibly having to deal with a lot of extra rainfall as well...
A request to
purchase a new minirail diesel locomotive is now with the trustee, two extra
passenger carrying coaches are on order, in addition to the two already on
site.
MR2 will be a
very significant customer improvement this year. Some powered movements have
taken place already on the track, but we're not in public service yet. Track
has to be packed and settled, staff re- certificated and further necessary
checks in place before public running takes place, but Easter does seem likely.
Pictured inside
the MR2 Loco container, we see Rod Terry our volunteer electrician at work
installing lighting. Rod is kept busy by the various new buildings on site and
load balancing and maintenance elsewhere about site.
Items from the
collection: The B12 locomotive model
In the last edition of SVS (167 page 20) there is an article
about the long-term display of the B12 locomotive in the Heritage Centre.
Recently Clive Rey the donator visited and was able to give some further
background about it’s exhibition here. Here is Ray’s story:
Clive, the donator,
and his model in the Heritage Centre
Clive was collecting a 5 inch gauge LNER V1 from”
Stationroadsteam” (a second hand model dealer) when he saw a tired, but grand
looking, B12 locomotive originally in apple green livery. The loco had been worked hard, evidenced by a
blanked off boiler tube, but it did run albeit there was a seep on the
boiler. There was something however that
appealed.
Clive’s family have a splendid framed print of Walton on the
Naze station (by a local Walton artist Steve Duddy). My father was born in a
railway cottage which was also in the painting and he progressed to be the
local engine driver. The two locos in
the painting are a B12 and an N7 - so this became reason number to one -to buy
it.
The locomotive number 61566 is
significant, as it was on the families framed print, so it was applied to the
locomotive model to match!
It was possible that my
grandfather may have driven a B12 so that’s reason number two. A third reason
was more emotional. B12 locomotives were
used pulling World War 2 ambulance trains to take casualties from D-Day. My father was a casualty, losing his leg on
13th June, so he ended up in a hospital at Malvern Worcestershire; transport
would have been by a hospital train.
(Ed’s note – LNER Ambulance trains ran with B12s to Braintree
for onward transfer to the White Court hospital at Black Notley)
After being in store at my home for few years, I had the
loco refurbished and was advised that, whereas it could run in my garden, it
would not pass a steam test without work on the boiler.
When I collected the loco and saw the quality of the paint
finish, I decided it should not be steamed.
I felt the model should be on display were people, particularly
children, could enjoy it, hence its loan to the museum.
The night the railway changed --
20/21 the January 2020.
Two
photographs illustrate very modernisation of Greater Anglia’s fleet. Darren Johnson's photograph of the last 156
unit coming off the Sudbury branch at Marks Tey and departing for Colchester was
taken late at night 23.46. This is the only through service to Colchester
during the day. If you haven't already it might be a good idea to experience
the Stadler three cars, (Class 755 Bi-mode Multiple Unit or “BMU”) for yourself
on the branch. These superb units are quiet and very comfortable, albeit there
are some teething troubles to resolve. Three cars are the largest acceptable on
the Sudbury line. The following morning sees the passage of a new train
past Chappel Main Signal Box.
The status of
future changes and the possibility of re-instating a through service to
Colchester Town are currently unknown; however industry insiders can speculate
on interesting possible development. Could ae diesel engine generating
electricity, be replaced by a battery replacement? Detail of his speculation is
detailed here:
On the Great
Eastern mainline 12 car mainline class 745 units are now coming into service,
replacing the Class 90 locomotive and Mark 3 coaching stock sets. Goodbye
slam-door stock and hallo to easy access for all. Design has plusses and
minuses, some say new trains have hard seats, but they are cleaner and easy to
access. You also may reflect advances in design from our resident slam door and
compartment coaches.
While
considering new initiatives another development is proposed for a small part of
the Great Eastern Main Line - will be the use of former Thameslink 319 units on
a working from Thames Gateway port to Liverpool Street delivering parcels. To
do this and overcome the electrified section to the port - they'll be fitted
with diesel MAN engines. The market is to cater for just-in-time deliveries, parcels
and small loads, using roll cages placed in the former passenger accommodation.
They will then run at line speed into London, surely a very welcome
reintroduction of parcels traffic to the railway - I hope this initiative
succeeds
Real time trains – As always there is a new way to enjoy
your railway hobby and should you want to check on the status of live train
running. While general public enquiries can be made by Network Rail and Greater
Anglia web sites – detailed train running can be seen trains advancing in real
time across the railway netwok. https://traksy.uk/live
An example screenshot showing the Sudbury line, due to
the fairly simple signalling arrangements on the branch, this application can’t
unfortunately report arrival and departures from Chappel station, that’s not
normally an issue for a track circuited main line. It’s a very useful “app”
when travelling to check the status of interconnecting trains.
THE MUSEUM
THRO’ A LENS
Often the museum is a back drop for photo charters, group
visits made requests to film on site. On recent enquiry from students saw Sam
And Dexter visiting from West Suffolk College working on their Creative n=module for the Winter term.
SITE
ADMINISTRATION NOTES
New Internal Telephone extension numbers around site
VISITOR RECEPTION 200 and 201
PLATFORM 2 CAFÉ (ex-Jam Tartz / change in
trading name) 246
CURATOR in Storage Building 500
MODEL RAILWAY ROOMS 256
NORTH MESS 333
SOUTH MESS (TW) 208
Group photo
– Signalling course January 25th 2020
A note from your editor
Chappel
News 79 is now re-published in an experimental Blogger format, I hope you like it
Phil Ainsley
Newsletter editor
01 05 20
01 05 20
To unsubscribe or provide content you can e-mail news@earm.co.uk
\
