Aln Valley Railway

Longhoughton Goods Yard - BS, DMS, DT, TS, KSW, MH, AH, KM (oh and a load of NwR, FastLine and Hydrex bods!), tidying access road and yard; moving materials; laying out sidings; cleaning the Mk 1 roof; rubbing down Mk 1 sides; sweeping glass shards out the Mk 2s; covering window apatures on Mk 2s; check over rail crane; , Baz and Dave arrived and informed the NwR SAC that we would be on site, then made a start at working through the fuel system on the Atlas RRV. Dave T, Tom, Kay, Mark and Alistair modified the tie down straps for the tarps. Some “donations” were accepted from FastLine. Kay then sat about trying to soak up the water from inside the mark 2s assisted by Dave T. Tom undertook some more painting in the staff coach. Baz, Dave, Mark and Alistair continued with the check over of the Atlas’s fuel, air and hydraulic systems, topped up with £25 worth of garage bought red diesel (my money!) and some fresh hydraulic and fired it back up and Baz used it to move some more rail up to go back onto road 2 assisted by Dave, Mark and Alistair. At end of the “shift” the spin on fuel filter was removed, and a replacement obtained via Hydrex. An errant fuel line has been removed for a replacement to be made up too.

Longhoughton Goods Yard - BS, DMS, DT, TMS, KSW, NB, tidying access road and yard; moving materials; laying out sidings; cleaning the Mk 1 roof; rubbing down Mk 1 sides; sweeping glass shards out the Mk 2s; covering window apatures on Mk 2s; check over rail crane; , Dave and Baz dug out some more of the formation for siding by hand then started up the Atlas. This was used to lift over some sleepers and rail. Some more earth was then dug out. After an early dinner, it was apparent the Atlas had developed hiccups – on checking the fuel priming pump filter it appeared the fuel was contaminated. The glass bowl was removed and cleaned up, and the fuel tank was drained and the main fuel pump was checked. While the machine was stopped, the opportunity was taken to check other items and more points have been greased up, the brake fluid reservoirs have been topped up. We managed to get it running again, but attention will need to be given to the fuel system once new parts are obtained. The machine was then used to move more track materials around ready for continuation of work on siding 2. Tom undertook some painting in Northumbria Rail’s Mark 1. The others were working on the restoration on the Mark 2 TSO. The road trailers and the mobile plant were moved round to give a bit of space ready for the arrival of track materials from Alnmouth. No trains today with the ECML being in total possession between Heaton and Tweedmouth, no NwR bods as they were at Alnmouth taking up the “coal yard” sidings.

Longhoughton Goods Yard - BS, DMS, DT, TMS, KSW, MH, KM, NB, tidying access road and yard; moving materials; laying out sidings; cleaning the Mk 1 roof; rubbing down Mk 1 sides; sweeping glass shards out the Mk 2s; covering window apatures on Mk 2s; check over rail crane; , Dave and Baz unloaded some more “acquired” tools. 37.995, the tractor was then used to assist in pulling the Atlas out of the hole, and they were parked up to give working room. A start was made on fitting the new hoses for the bucket ram but for some reason these weren’t an exact match, joined by Tom and Mark one new hose was fitted (hopefully without irreparable damage to the threads in the ram) and the old hose was refitted. After realising the valve was still closed the ram works fine and gives a useable bucket. After dinner an attempt was made at lifting one of the track panels – with out success, it could just take the weight but would not lift, and the hoist arm was almost at full height. So instead it was driven back up the yard and used to dig out the course of road 2. Tom undertook some painting in Northumbria Rail’s Mark 1. Kenny did some more work on the van body. The others were working on the restoration on the Mark 2 TSO. No trains today with the ECML being in total possession between Heaton and Tweedmouth, no NwR bods as they were at Alnmouth taking down the OHL in the “coal yard”.

Longhoughton Goods Yard - BS, DMS, KM, KSW, NB, DT, IC, tidying access road and yard; moving materials; laying out sidings; cleaning the Mk 1 roof; rubbing down Mk 1 sides; sweeping glass shards out the Mk 2s; covering window apatures on Mk 2s; check over rail crane; , Baz and Dave unloaded some track materials obtained via Trackwork. The revised alignment of road 2 was measured and markers put in to aid with re-construction. Materials were checked and lifting markers put on to the rails. Joined by Ian the Atlas was started up and moved to the centre of the yard to give a large working area – the bucket, ram, and associated pieces were laid out and with a bit of jiggling were fitted. The bucket ram is not yet operable but Baz was able to improvise to use the Atlas to move some of the material from the road 2 area. Ian and Dave S moved Quip 2 (98702) from road 2 onto road 1 using the associated cross tracking bars. It is planned (once the OTPPG give the green light) to swap the good front door off Quip 1 (98706) and use the current glass as a template for replacement. Kenny was affixing new roofing felt to the grounded van body. Kay, Neil and Dave T were continuing with the restoration of the Mark 2 TSO. At the end of shift the Atlas’s air tank was drained (hardly any water this time!) and a few hoses were detached to enable us to get an idea of what is required for the bucket ram.

Longhoughton Goods Yard - BS, DMS, DT, TS, KSW, MH, tidying access road and yard; moving materials; laying out sidings; cleaning the Mk 1 roof; rubbing down Mk 1 sides; sweeping glass shards out the Mk 2s; covering window apatures on Mk 2s; check over rail crane, Baz and Dave had a quick look at the Atlas 1302 and checked oil levels, etc. Also had a look at the “”new”" Permaquip, removing the stowage panel parts from the rear. Tom (and Dave T, Kay and Mark) arrived and it was agreed to start the Atlas with Baz, as a certified plant operator and trainer in the hot seat. There were no problems and mark and dave s attached the scrap grab so it could be moved to storage. Kay and Dave T continued with work in the Mk 2s. The Atlas was parked up again so Dave S and Mark could clean out the cab, with redundant wiring being removed, and glass shards from the broken window swept out. Baz used 37.995 to begin moving earth from the line of road 2, while Tom moved the carriage spares. After dinner Mark and Dave had a look at the Permaquip connecting a set of batteries and tried cranking - the batteries were a bit low, so the charger/starter was used to give a boost and after a few coughs and spluuters to clear its throat the VW engine was running and idling without issue. 37.995 ran into problems with the front bucket (which has been iffy for a while) eventually giving up and the ram ripped through the mount. The Atlas was restarted and the larger bucket for this, and the associated ram were lifted over to storage. The permaquip was then lifted slightly to ensure it was sitting on rail. Not a great deal of progress on the trackwork of roads 1 & 2; which had been the plan, but at least we know the two new arrivals are in working order.