I Spy with my little eye

                                                            I-spy with my little eye.

Here is a digest of some recent activity at the museum that I have personally noticed, although much more was done out of sight and in lockdown.  Thanks go to all of those who contributed in the list below - literally too many for me to accurately record individual actions, but be assured that “every little helps”. if your project or activity is not mentioned, then a little request, bring it to my attention for inclusion in Chappel News and next time around it can feature in more detail.

 

Front field car parking is improved with a new surfacing we hope resists water ingress and guarantees car park capacity during periods of inclement weather.

 Visitor Reception Centre has recently received some redecoration; some rearrangement of staff work stations, a staff protection screen has been installed.

 Hand sanitiser stations are being installed around the site and social distancing measures in hand for public safety.

 Painting footbridge handrails.

 Works in progress for refurbishment of the Platform 2 café. Refurbishment involving new flooring and counter arrangements.

New Disabled toilet on Platform 2 in service.

 Clearance of weeds and detritus from Platform 2 surfaces, this being required as the café needs an outdoor seating area. New plants placed in planters.

 Unsightly chain linking fencing has been removed from Platform 2 South and along the mainline.

 Team Wednesday’s 27 panels of black plastic picket fencing have been installed from the level Crossing down to the running shed location.

 Repainting in many areas, Crossing gates, signal posts, Goods Shed ramp as well as Viaduct pub, works are in progress at the Cattle Dock.

 Running shed roof panels attached and concreting of east-side walkways in progress.

 Appraisal of vehicles stored on South sidings started as part of longer term planning.

 Platform 3 and North Box have been enhanced by the attachment of signal and Telegraph cables to cable trays.

 Exterior clean of Mark 1 coaches, including the neglected “Network Rail facing – west sides”. Clearance of rust and top level rain channels.

 Action to sort, tidy and relocate Signal and Telegraph stores

 Restacking stores - better storage within containers.

 Painting of South Sidings ground frame, Platform barrows, heritage lamppost.

 Team Wednesday workshop tools and materials upgrade.

 Continued attention to museum administration archive

 

Miniature Railway

Thompson Green station buildings, internal fit out continues, a realistic booking office is now in place and period panelling placed in the interior. Externally Water Column bases are being built, alongside the ballasted track that now extends from the Locomotive Container, past a part painted Signal box, through the station to within sight of Spring Gardens Road.

 

In the workshop

 

Locomotive 69621

“The N7” (which of course is shorthand to railway people) Shunted from south sidings, after freeing seized parts, to reside over locomotive pit for inspection and first removal of fittings.

For more general appeal, layman understanding and labour and fundraising, could usefully be described as the “East London Suburban tank locomotive”? Publically announced decision to start restoration works.

 

Great Western “TOAD” Brake Van

To ensure safe operation work is proceeding on its running gear so to be an effective braking vehicle. A train consisting of stock capable of social distancing stock, that is itself, an open wagon, and a compartment coach.

 

Diesel Railcar Class 101 trailer

This is the best example of an original railcar; it had been previously retrofitted with tungsten lighting and retains its original Formica panels. Welding repairs have been taking place to the structure, replacement door thresholds made an added. To further enhance originality, removal of automatic warning system has taken place; this modification also simplifies wiring, and removes some liability of 60 year old electrical wiring. When repainting restarts it shall be out-shopped in Rail Blue livery to match its Power car.

 

Model Railway rooms

Attention has been given to the layouts in the public exhibition room Halstead has gained many more buildings and is being worked on at pace. 

Other examples of detail that have recently occurred include; provision of micro-lighting within model buildings, adding to the authenticity of night-time running. A Permanent Way possession is taking place on the dockside connection, to avoid derailments! Even small scale track needs attention to gradient and geometry.

Phil Ainsley

16 07 20

Elephants and Eggs

The new family trail leaflet includes photos of an egg transit label and an elephant – here is a little bit more detail about why railways had an association with those items.

 Displayed on the museum’s cattle dock there is a photo showing the loading of the Chipperfield Circus elephants 1961. Incidentally the goods conveyance “Rate Book” in the booking office there is evidence of how much actually cost per mile to transport elephants, and indeed many other wild animal; that’s something always highlighted in during guided tours.

 Illustrated below is a herd of elephants proceeding along Crouch Street Colchester, on this occasion this was a visit from “Buffalo Bill's Wild West show” in September 1903.

Three trains were required to transport the circus which comprised 800 performers Sioux Indians, Plains Cowboys, Russian Cossacks and 500 horses which climaxed in a demonstration of horsemanship and shooting role playing an attack on the Deadwood Stage (coach).

 As a contrast from large objects –  small objects carried by rail include distribution of eggs. This was a commodity often carried by passenger trains in the guard’s compartment, as were live chicks. Eggs were one of the products promoted Great Eastern Railway – for it had prepared a demonstration train to boost the local farming economy and help more self-sufficiency and no doubt a prospect of greater railway profits.

 Found in a hundred year old magazine ( in the Museum Archive -Railway Magazine July 1920) was a description of such a train. After the upheaval of the First World War an ambulance train ( shown in the Heritage Centre on a roll-up display panel) was converted into a “Poultry and  Small Stock Demonstration train”. This was partly because the quantities of poultry and eggs imported to Great Britain were disrupted one of the principal sources had been reportedly cut off by the Revolution in Russia.

 

Three cars were used for demonstrations, plus a dining car for the use of demonstrators in lecturers, and a composite brake van exhibited a collection of livestock and the latest approved agricultural appliances. 

Experts were on hand to give further guidance and information regarding poultry, bees, rabbits, goats, cheese making, bottling and canning in fruits, and allotment gardening. A tour of East Anglia followed calling at many local stations including St Botolph’s Colchester, Sudbury, Clacton, Chelmsford, Braintree and Bishops Stortford together with another 29 others.

Phil Ainsley 26 06 20 

For returning families - a new activity Family Trial.

When families return to visit the museum, they will now have the opportunity to follow a new EARM activity Family Trail. This welcome addition has been produced to self- guide visitors; it is a co-operation between Catherine Harrison the museum’s Marketing Manager, and commercial design illustration photography from Sarah Hayes. 

Catherine is seen here displaying the leaflet in front of this year’s marketing notices in front of a re-vamped Chappel arrival display board. Of course due to the pandemic  most events have been cancelled, but not to be dismayed – this Family Trail has been produced to assist in the first phase of reopening, that is static viewing of the museum. 

Its design is a double sided pictorial diagram, folded into 16 panels; items of interest are highlighted by nine number destinations. It is intended to be an optional extra offered to visitors so engaging whole family. It challenges younger visitors to LOOK, FIND and DO with added FACTS being shown. Actions suggested are taking selfies and to operate signal levers in the original signal box.

The pictorial design is in very a effective child sketch style, interspersed with photographs. It brings to attention some of the smaller features around site which often people overlook.

Being a design that is family and child orientated, there are many references of animals; cats, mice, elephants and rabbits are featured. It asks about telling the time, and where you might buy sweets? If the trail is followed and tick boxes completed – there’s a treat for a child and a hot drink offered for adults by way of a voucher for Platform 2 café.

Visitors will be encouraged to talk to “engineer”, in reality anyone with a reasonable grasp of railway technology can reply – you don’t need a B Tech qualification or a degree to answer a question, so don’t be shy folks. One of our strong points, if not unique selling points is that we do ask people to look inside our Restoration Shed, in this way we share our interest with visitors.

Our commercial partner in this production is Sara Hayes; the link below takes you to her web site.

http://www.thepublicartcompany.co.uk/portfolio/world-war-two-trails/

This link highlights the local World War Trail, a walking trail describing the importance of Wakes Colne as a location in the defence of the realm. It can also be seen in the first photograph on the left hand side of our signboard. Sara has been working with local authorities in Essex publicising the advantages of walking and pointing out local history.

Initially the leaflet has a print run of 1000, the insert photo shows a portion of it – but get hold a real copy to enjoy its full content. In time it can be reviewed and experience will tell us how to develop it, so congratulations again to Catherine and Sara on producing what could be a best seller.

21 06 20

Slave traders, the felling of a statue, and steam railways !

There has been much recent controversy about Edward Colston; he was a slave trader whose statue was torn down in Bristol recently. I propose that there may be a link, based on historical significance, to steam railways. 

It’s a bit contentious, a little bit of time travel, but what you think?

Debate on both sides has been fairly heated what is relevant, history or today’s concerns. Historical people or subjects have been then judged on the standards applying today in the 21st century. What’s more the “conversation” or “debate” about the statues felling has continued on Twitter, or other electronic and unattributed electronic means.  Surely it's a matter of relative rights and wrongs when considering historical events.

So what’s the steam railway connection?  

It’s similar in the sense that burning coal the fossil fuel powering an industrial revolution is nowadays considered a bad thing, as is slave trading. You may be aware that there have been two months of generated electricity without coal. 

Judging Steam railways as outdated, coal as a dirty and unfavourable fuel is using 21st century standards. In a historical perspective coal was right; it would seem that even slave traders boosted trade, and made some charitable donations.

Railways were built to transport coal, now that’s not necessary. However coal is still needed to meet the demand for both the steel industry and heritage railways. We should try not to import supplies, that’s not very green, perhaps there is a need to open a drift coal mine in the forest of Dean, a preserved coal mine ?

You may ask what the relevance this is to the museum?

Steam railways may be an anachronism, but it's one that some of us enjoys, learn skills, socialise and present events for the enjoyment of our visitors. A museum can contrast the past with the present- maybe you can then project your mind into the future guided by the past. Slave Traders to modern icons, steam railways to clean fuels.

Edward Colston’s statue is being fished out of the docks and to be placed in the excellent Bristol Museum, so museums have a purpose, as indeed does our steam railway.

Volunteer Coronavirus Working arrangements_1_issued 17 05 20

               
                  Volunteer Coronavirus Working arrangements_No.1_issued 17 05 20


This document is issued by Peter Robinson on behalf of the Trustees setting out the first guidance to volunteers who feel able to restart operations at the museum.

Fundraising by Essex Lottery and direct on-line donations.

THE ESSEX LOTTERY fundraising for good causes.

The East Anglian Railway Museum has joined the Essex Lottery's list of good causes and we are appealing to you to buy as many tickets as you feel able to and support our much valued museum and restoration work.  You could win cash prizes up to £25,000 in the weekly draw so please go to: www.essexlottery.co.uk and search 'Railway Museum' to buy your tickets.  Good Luck!

 

Coronavirus or not, and can continue with this forever if we choose to. Take up was swift at launch, but the fundraising should continue.  Friends and supporters, encouraging them to buy as many lottery tickets as they feel able to and support the museum.

                                     Another method of support is Direct on-line donations

If you prefer not to gamble then in parallel a direct fund raising method to the museum is also available. Cash donations   are eligible for Gift Aid and a 25% boost from government. These are available online in various donation amounts £1 / £10 /£20 / and £50 units are promoted on the earm.co.uk web site. These payment transactions are then processed by through museum’s Merlin till system

If you can share this on social media channels that wopuld help get more support - this will only work if museum members get on board and mobilise themselves into action. Please spread the word.

Jubilee’s Cambridgeshire hide-away, and its Vintage coach partner

Jubilee’s Cambridgeshire hide-away, and its Vintage coach partner

 

Jubilee was one of the four locomotives in steam forming part of the Steam Gala line up,  it may be our smallest is but arguably our longest serving locomotive. Its movement was watched for the first time at Chappel, by its former owner Gerald Flueuss. Contact was made by Jack Cavie, who was researching photographs of the locomotive in service. Found by the powers of the ‘net, Gerald’s contact details were found so an invitation was made and accepted. Accompanied by his friend Tony Keeble travelled from East Sussex, to our Steam Gala day on March 15^th.

“Jubilee” was ordered by Edward Lloyd's in 1936, delivered and named in 1937 which was the silver jubilee (25th Anniversary) year of King George V. it was employed on a short length of standard gauge sidings between the Southern Railway branch to Sheerness and the Kemsley Paper works in Kent which at this time was the major newsprint paper manufacturer in the country. This loco’s duties included shunting paper bales and newsprint rolls, the product of the paper works. As originally built it also had sliding glass doors on the cab and smoke stack spark arresting equipment – a precaution required working with so much paper nearby, these have now been removed. It served all its working life at that singular location until the end of steam traction in 1970. It was said that the former driver was almost in tears, and said the boiler was “tight as a drum “– look after it -   as it was sold into preservation. Bought for £400 by Gerald, it was taken to the self-styled “South Cambridgeshire Steam Centre” at New Buildings Farm, Great Chishill.

At that location Agricultural contractor, and steam traction engine enthusiast Robert Drage, tried to set up a public steam museum. Being in a rural location, planning rules and opposition led to the abandonment of that plan.  As a result Gerald decided to sell up in 1976; it was a result of the intervention of Reg Robinson that this locomotive came to Chappel in October 1976, together with the components of No.11 in its unassembled state.

 

 

Gerald then developed his other interests, notabally  more closely associated with design and calligraphy – with specialist knowledge of the Edward Johnston – or London Transport’s typescript. His steam passion was directed to painting , as a talented artist, depicting steam in its last grimy, but atmospheric years of British steam, much as David Shepherd did.

Jubilee is drawn here in oils with the sliding doors on the side which was its original feature Ridham Dock

A train consist at New buildings Farm showing Jubilee hauling vintage 6 wheeler MS&L Coach 946 of 1888.

Jubilee had subsequent modifications in preservation included adding vacuum train brakes to make it safely compatible with passenger trains. For many years was the most regular use locomotive here at Chappel. It has now spent 44 years in preservation, so has spent more time in preservation than in industry.

Jubilee at the moment has the longest boiler certificate to towards the end of this year, therefore likely to be used in the smaller events after the colour of the van this outbreak is lifted

Also visiting that day was Tony Keeble who is a vintage carriage restorer and now a Trustee working for the Great Central Rolling stock Trust. Tony was born into a family of railway people over three generations and employed lastly at Cambridge on railway commercial works. He purchased a Great Central six wheeler coach. (MS&L 946 of 1888). .  This has local connections – Taken to Takeley for a while it also on it’s transport  away from Manningtree  (Former Camping Coach CC15 where it was purchased for £50) – got stuck in Halstead, which over the years has happened to many stock transfers! This coach has subsequently been restored over a 15 year period at the Ruddington base of the GCR(North) group.

I recommend a read of the group’s web site – and an account about vintage carriage restoration that has relevance to us at EARM too

https://gcr-rollingstocktrust.co.uk/

https://gcr-rollingstocktrust.co.uk.gridhosted.co.uk/our-projects/vehicles/m-s-l-no-946/

There is a download link to a pdf detailing the 15 year restoration scheme ( ) and I have to be a bit jealous – a photo of a Simplex locomotive propelling this vintage coach.  

 

 

 

Tony Keeble (L) and Gerald Fleuss (R) pictured in the General Waiting room, both enjoyed a ride in our Vintage stock, for coaches Number 553 & 19 where in service on the day, so we now know a little more of our own history

 

 

 

 

 

Wickham Bishops, it’s a magical model layout

Wickham Bishops, it’s a magical model layout.

Model of  a Waggon and Maschinenbau diesel railbus E99963 working on the Witham to Maldon branch line

Located on the former Witham to Maldon branch line, Wickham Bishops was one of two intermediate stations  located in the River Blackwater valley, one of the stations serving a village that was rather distant - about a mile and a half mile away up a steep hill. Always likely to be a lonely spot as a result, a single platform served passengers in the locality for 116 years. Unusually the platform was accessed after first crossing a railway track, this being a siding serving the station and nearby water mill. 

Its significance for the museum is high, as the Waggon and Maschinenbau diesel railbus worked rail services from 1958 to its closure in 1964.

Trumping that - there is also national significance in as the adjacent wooden trestle bridge is the sole survivor in this country of that type of structure.  While Wickham Bishops is small in stature, monster bridges were instrumental in the development of railways, especially transcontinental railways in North America. It was the engineer’s “daring do attitude" that got early railway built, using available materials to build relatively quickly and cheaply, as did the original  Maldon, Witham and Braintree railway. 

Len Wilkinson a local resident, railway author, and talented model maker, constructed his model which is 18 feet long and was housed in his garage at home in the village. It has been since donated by his family to the museum.

Len Wilkinson demonstrating his layout at home 

Pictured here we see Len viewing the layout; the trestle was faithfully recorded by Len who was a Draughtsman and Senior Designer at Marconi who obviously had an eye for detail. The structure is modelled in EM gauge the real thing was originally 130 yards long, but an embankment was placed in the middle section as an aid to reducing vibrations. Only light locomotives like F5 and J15 steam engines and Class 15 diesels where allowed on the branch as a result. Today 21 spans are still extant, a photo shows the span easily reached by from a footpath,  it is also a reminder of hot summers for in 2015 water had retreated to just a muddy pool in places

A scheduled Ancient Monument, the Wickham Bishops trestle seen in 2015 with a very dry river bed

Len's attention to detail included taking measurements himself of the trestle and all structures modelled, made to EM 1:76 scale. His published book "The Witham to Maldon Railway" A pictorial history shows his scaled drawings of the Trestle bridge 

Because of their diminutive properties, railbuses seemed to match a small country branch line, stories about being push started by passengers and staff on occasion, unscheduled stops to drop off passengers, being decorated for a honeymooning couple complete with trailing tin cans, all have a “Titfield Thunderbolt” comedic quality to them. Recreation of such things are in theory still possible, but most likely precluded for 21^st century regulations put a stop to such antics. (As a playful speculation - maybe if required by a non-passenger carrying, filming opportunity)?

David Reeve is pictured here enjoying a viewing, and hearing a story about the line

In its time the branch conveyed Jams, tinned fruit and vegetables from Goldhanger Fruit farms, Agricultural machinery from Bentalls at Heybridge, Sugar Beet, Wheat , Potatoes and Brewers grains, all of which is now completely absent from the modern railway. It’s a reflection of country railway that we are trying to show at Chappel; to speculate perhaps some more agricultural props could illustrate this link?

Len’s model is marvellous, which is a link to his other interest as “Marco the Mystic”, an amateur magician. I muse if he was trying to cast a spell and re-create the scene of yesterday; in a way the museum can help him continue in that quest. An illustration has been sourced from our archives, in a British Railways staff magazine also show the station and “bus”.

The museum is grateful for the donation of this layout, it shows the skill and dedication to the study of the trestle and railway line by construction of this model . It is to be hoped it conveys the tranquil and special atmosphere of this location.