151 – Chasewater Railway Museum Bits & Pieces from Chasewater News Dec 1992 – Part 1

Editorial – Nigel Canning

Many thanks to all the people who have helped with the magazine this year either by providing articles of historical or technical interest, or by helping to create the news on our railway.   Both of these forms of contribution make the magazine easier to produce and as a result it has increased in size slightly.

Towards the end of 1991 certain people predicted that we could be running trains to the causeway by the end of 1992.  As you will see in this magazine they then proceeded to prove their point by relaying all the necessary track which now awaits a visit by the Railway Inspector.  This is a magnificent achievement which shows just what can be done.

Will Santa Specials be running across the causeway to Norton Bog in 1993??  Wait and see, or even better, come and make sure!!

Locomotive News

No.4 Asbestos – Following rectification of a large number of minor faults this loco will now be used on the Santa Specials on December 13^th and will hopefully remain in traffic throughout next year.

No.5 Sentinel – Having run all year, this loco has now been taken out of service for its major boiler examination.  All steam fittings have been removed and the firebox separated from the boiler shell.  Over the winter various outstanding repairs and modifications will be carried out, and the loco repainted before re-entering service early next year.

No.2 Lion – Progress on this loco has continued with the casting of a complete new set of firebars.  The saddle tank has been bolted into place, the cast iron chimney cap fitted and new injector steam pipes and fittings made.  It is hoped that the loco will be seam tested early next year.

S100 – Work has continued on machining of the hornguides of this loco!!!!!!

Fowler – This loco has recently had a much needed service carried out and has remained in regular use on the Sunday works train to Norton.

DL7 – The cylinder heads for the main engine and for the donkey engine have now been re-worked, but due to a burned out piston revealed during cleaning of the bores, new pistons, rings and cylinder liners may now be required.  This means that the loco is unlikely to re-enter service very quickly.

No.21 Diesel

The spare engine has been rebuilt ready for re-fitting into the loco as soon as the crane is available.  As the radiator has rotted through beyond repair a complete new core will have to be found and fitted.

Smith Rodley Crane

This vehicle has remained out of use pending its annual inspection by the insurance company.

Permanent Way News – Arthur Edwards

Track laying on the extension has now come to a stop as we have finally got to the top of the causeway bank and are awaiting news of how and when the causeway will be repaired.  That doesn’t stop us from jacking and packing all the rail joints and so forth back towards Brownhills West.

The causeway, Dec 1992. Pic – D.M.Bathurst

During the run up to us finishing the track laying you probably heard that I had a slight accident with the dumper truck.  Since then it has been re-commissioned as ‘Dunk-an’ or ‘General Belgrano’ equipped with rubber ring and outboard propeller.

Well it happened like this.  I had had the bucket filled by the JCB and taken the load to the edge of the causeway for dumping.  When I started the hydraulic lifting mechanism, the load transferred from all four wheels to the front two.  I heard a crack-k-k and it started to slide down the bank.  No way was I going to stop it, the thing had been in neutral but as it went down it went into first gear and the sound was CHUG CHUG CHUG GLUG GLUG.  ‘Oh dear’, or words to that effect were said, and there was I, hands over my head trying to keep my ears warm, screaming at Ian for help, but he couldn’t hear me.  When he came over he did what everyone else did – laugh!  At the time I couldn’t see the funny side of it, but I can now.

There was nothing else for it but to get a hawser to pull it out, and who had to get in the water to attach it?  Yes – yours truly!  I kept looking round for Jeremy Beadle, and I’m sure that if we had a video of it we’d have got £250 for it being shown.

Full gratitude to Ken Dyde for taking time out from doing other things which were probably more important to strip down the dumper and get rid of the water – cheers Ken!