The Swanage Railway Trust

On Train Catering

No Report.
 

Station Buffets

Birds Nest Buffet

Figures for September are well above those predicted. This poses the old question of what will be the future of the static station buffets when the platform is reinstated for passenger use – customer numbers have increased and the space required to accommodate them has decreased. It is now very difficult to accommodate for staff to work in the accommodation provided. Would it be appropriate to look in the short term at the Tea Kiosk project again – with a view to building something in the 2007 shutdown, please.

Norden Nest

This is still proving to be a lucrative asset to the Station buffets. We have had a number of party bookings this month. As from 1st November the Norden nest will only be open when trains are running. The Steps adjacent to the Norden Nest are progressing with tanks to John Drew and his volunteers.

Breast Cancer Campaign

I would like to thank all the staff and volunteers who bought a pink cake, wore pink and donated to this very worthy cause. We raised £194.35.

Penny Jones
Station Buffets Manager.
 

Retail

Number of customers in September who completed purchases in the Swanage shop: 5756

Estimated net profit for 2006 based on income & expenditure (Less above charges): £77,532.00

Member’s discounts 2006: £1,835.71

November shop opening times are: Monday to Friday 11.00am to 3.00pm, weekends 10.00am to.

Trading figures look good for October especially with ‘the possibility of record takings for the ‘Thomas’ week.

Three volunteers have been co-opted to help in the shop and are currently being trained.

Ralph Smith
Shop Manager
 

Operations

Following on from last months report the coal conveyor was repaired in time to load coal for the service on the 21st. This was achieved by James Cox, Ron Roberts and Graham Froud working until the early hours of the 21st and then starting again before 08:00, the locomotive left shed at 09:40 with a bunker full of coal.
Despite requesting a second coal conveyor earlier this year there is still no sign of this job being done, the conveyor we have will not last next season.

During the month a locomotive and driver has been supplied for the Permanent Way dept. in conjunction with the works at Ponderosa Crossing. These movements have been made between service trains.

Our summer guest locomotive (6412) returned to the West Somerset Railway on 26th September after another successful visit. If this locomotive is available I would like to hire it again for next year.

THOMAS arrived from the Midland Railway Centre on 19th October, this locomotive is a Midland Railway 3F (47327) it is fresh from an overhaul and apart from problems with the injectors it is proving a strong locomotive.

THOMAS failed with the 11:10 ex Norden at Woodyhyde with injector problems, 80078 went forward from Harmans Cross to rescue the failed train and 33 108 went to Harmans Cross to collect 80078’s train. THOMAS was repaired in time to double head the 14:30 and 15:50 departures with 80078

Problems occurred at Harmans Cross on 25th & 26th October when the FPL on No 8 point failed, delays on both days were 10-15 minutes the problem being corrected by S&T.

Steve Dyer
Operations Manager
 

Locomotive, Carriage and Wagon

Locomotives

• 80078 – Available for traffic
• 6695 – In Loco shed, big ends removed. Both require re-metaling and machining. Vacuum pump also removed, various defects are being attended to.
• 80104 - Available for traffic.
• 30053 - Work continues at Gambles, Portland.
• D6515 – Ongoing contract body repairs in Goods Shed.
• 33108 – Available for traffic.
• D8188 - Available for traffic.
• 08436 – Available for traffic
• D3591 – No further progress because 6695 is now in the loco shed
• 108 DMU – In traffic.
• 117 DMBS – Overhauled gearbox fitted. Available for traffic.

Carriages

• 4945 – partially fitted with Campbell Electrical system, coach currently in use to provide 2 x 5 car sets for “Thomas”. I plan to continue this work next week and thence forward.
• 35464 - Overhaul completed at Rampart, being painted next week. This vehicle was found to be in a very good structural condition when Paul and his staff stripped it for corrosion repairs. I negotiated with Paul for some interior work, outside the scope of the original estimate, at no additional cost, so that it can enter service immediately. When this coach returns to Swanage, it is next in line for electrical update and new batteries.

Wagons

• 1248 PMV – Body rebuild ongoing by C & W volunteers.

James Cox
LCW Manager
 

Permanent Way and Civil Engineering

Pondarosa Bank work on the down side is now complete and the spoil will be moved after daily running.

We have completed the current programme of sleeper changing in the Nursery Bride area.

Work in progress

• Shimming rail ends Corfe to Norden

• Lifting, packing and slewing Pondarosa – Wilderness and three panels either side of Br 25.

• Empty Ash Wagon

• Line Inspections

• Re-sleepering work at Afflington

• Tony Trood – jacking and packing at Corfe

• Tom and Norman – gates for School Crossing

• John Bull – Painting mileposts and manufacturing signs

• Dennis Gregory – progressing plans for the work at Br 17. We have estimates for the hardwood required (including machinery and spacers.

Tony Andrews
PW Manager
 

Signal & Telegraph and Telecom

General

The current maintenance schedule is up to date.

Good progress is being made in tackling the list out outstanding Repairs and Replacement work.

Inspections

Level Crossing inspections photographic record is complete and a list of defects has been issued. The Risk Assessment of all crossings will be carried out shortly.

Equipment

We have acquired a 32 Lever A3 Westinghouse Frame from the Mid Hants Railway which appears to have originated from Brockenhurst “A” box and might be the last A3 frame to have been made by Westinghouse.. Some items are missing such as the shaft, flat bar and the fixing nuts and bolts. The frame can be used in the new Corfe Castle Signal Box when required. Some refurbishment work will be required on the frame.

Corfe Castle Down Starter Signal

Since the footbridge has been erected a problem has arisen whereby the Guard of the down train is having a problem sighting the Off Down Starter Signal in order to give the signal to the Driver to proceed.

A Platform Off Signal Indicator will be placed between the site of the old signal box and the waiting shelter. The Indicator is currently being refurbished and should be ready for use within the next few months.

Motala

Network rail have finally given written approval to their satisfaction of the work that was carried out on the boundary. This approval has now been forwarded to the HMRI for their approval of the work.

Faults

No faults reported during the steam gala, the system worked very well.

Dave Cobb
S&T Manager

Internal Telephone System & Cable Network

Our test calls show that the system is performing well. There was a fault report that the phone at Cow Pat crossing was out of order. Rigormortis had set into the dial, which has been replaced. A fallen branch brought down a wire adjacent to the Swanage outer home signal. Fortunately it is carrying spare circuits, but it has been replaced for future use.

The aerial cables at Pondarosa were successfully lowered to the ground and tucked out of the way whilst the landslip work was under way. They seem to have survived unscathed and can now go back up.

We are making good progress with the Harmans Cross Concentrator. There were several BR modifications that had to be removed to get it back to its original state, and it is now cabled up and the power supply connected. The key and lamp unit has been re painted and overhauled, and now needs to be re connected to the base unit. Once this is done we can stand back and switch on, then start connecting circuits to it.

Business Communications Manager & BT Lines

All seems to be well with no fault reports.

Terry Otter
Telecom Manager
 

Stations

Swanage

Station Platform: The Ramp used for wheelchairs has now had the repair work done on it and also a repaint.

I am picking new destination Boards for Swanage Station on the 17/10. These should be in place in at the station soon.

Picnic Area: There has been no more vandalism in the Picnic Area since my last report.

Station Toilets: There has been some vandalism Ladies Toilets on the 13th Oct. There has been no vandalism in the Gents Toilets.

Harman’s Cross

During October work has concentrated on making sure the station is looking her best for the forthcoming Thomas events with the gardens and general painting being our focus. Work also continues on the repainting and refurbishment of the station lamp posts, which are now all in SR Buckingham green. Only some of the lamp tops have yet to be painted and refurbished.

Planned work for the forthcoming month includes the replacement of the up platform access path drainage pipe. This will require many hands to complete the job so there will be plea to all volunteers for help during the work phase.

Although mentioned every month in the Weekly Traffic Notice about NOT stapling notices to the timber parts of our station it was noted that the Thomas event notices were stapled. An agreement has been reached where our team will provide some temporary notice boards for such events which notices can be stapled to.

I will be asking Tony Andrews for help in destroying a build up of moss on the up platform access path which is starting to become very slippery, by the use of chemicals. Also the team will start the investigation into the dropped up platform surface which is causing a possible trip hazard against the platform edging stones close to the up platform shelter.

Corfe Castle

Nothing much to report. One issue has been a roof leak in Corfe ‘Box following heavy rains in September. We have been up on the flat roof and didn’t find an obvious problem, so we treated two previous repairs with a coat of bituminous paint to make sure they were properly sealed, and await news when next it rains heavily!
The only other thing to report is that I am going to discuss the boundary between the Railway and the coalyard (again) with Dorset CC shortly.

Norden

Buffet Steps: The new steps at the station end of Norden Buffet would have been finished in time for Thomas week if the weather last week end had been drier. As it is, they will be finished during the last week end of October.

General Clearing: Clearing has started along the fence line on the far side of the siding.

Access path: Water collects in puddles on the path from the car park, between the abutments and foot of platform. Remedial work has been attempted digging a drainage channel linked to the present drains and filling it with gravel. This has improved the situation on a temporary basis. Peter Sills has told me that the access path from the car park is being covered with tarmac in the near future, up to the concrete pad at the foot of the platform slope. This should allow the water to drain away properly.

Station Platform: Water also collects on the platform during heavy rain and has to be swept of. The drainage holes in the concrete will need checking on a regular basis during the winter and the whole platform monitored to see how bad the situation is. The worst place is by the down end of the booking hut where a large puddle collects, caused possibly by the gabions pressing down on the tarmac. This will need investigation during wet conditions to determine the extent of the problem and see how to best remedy it.

Booking Office: The gutter over booking office door leaks. Eric has been shown what to do and assures me that he can easily mend it.

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Photographs

All photographs on this page by and copyright Andrew P.M. Wright,
Swanage Railway official photographer