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Latest News: Archive
June 2008
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Latest News: Archive
June 2008
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101 695 enters service 1st June 2008. Photo: James Steward |
The first car of the MNR's Class 101 DMU 101 695 entered service on Sunday. After a successful test run to Kimberley Park the previous evening, the MNR's Traction and Rolling Stock Engineer Chris Cheney took charge of the unit for the Sunday service covering 66 miles.
101 695 has been under restoration for several years, with Chris Cheney carrying out overhaul of the engine and exhauster components with help from other volunteers. One half of the unit requires further work and should be in service in the next few weeks to form up the first green 2-car DMU to run on the Mid-Norfolk Railway.
At present the DMU represents the changeover years of the 1960s with one car in BR green and 51503 car from L836 unit in BR blue/grey livery.
By Terry Mann.
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2nd June 2008. Photo: Terry Mann |
A delay during autumn 2007 to obtain budgetary approval for rewind of the traction motor (in February 2008) resulted in little work being done until the repaired motor returned to site in March. Unfortunately due to illness 'The Horace Team' have not been at full strength until quite recently. However, Vic and Bob refitted the motor in early April and the new safety circuit control panel has been made using electronics, relays and contactors provided by members. This panel was tested off the crane but has now been fitted and tested satisfactorily.
We are pleased to report the crane has today been successfully test run, by being driven down the yard past the signal box and performed an engineering test lift of moving an 'A' Frame a few meters out of the access path and then lifting a much heavier pile of rails after returning to the station yard. This is its first real movement and load lift in many a long year.
We are now planning to finish off the battery charging and engine warning light systems, and will then review the rebuilt crane and its operation with a few test lifts and adjustments, before deciding how best to go forward.
By Trevor Brackpool, Owen Stratford, Simon Addington and Paul Mobbs.
We spent today in Dereham yard. The aim was to do some work with the crane, but a flat battery stalled that idea until after lunch. We dug away some soil in the morning from where it was not wanted and after the crane was going, we loaded four bundles of sleepers onto the flatrol. The rest of the day was spent moving rails. The rails for Hoe were loaded onto the tench and the checkrails placed ready for cutting to length. We then cleared some of the rails down the yard where the third siding will be laid.
Our next batch of sleepers to change is down at Wymondham, near our boundary with Network Rail. Having made a start last week, we dug out the remaining 47 sleepers today, getting drenched in the pouring rain in the process.
This Saturday was spent finishing off the clearance of the spoil that was created when we dug out the base of the pit road track extension back in September last year. Although the JCB took care of most of the removal of the piles of earth it was necessary to dig a trench beside the track to form a clear boundary between the yard and the track ready for the ballast. This took most of the day to do, even with help of approx half a dozen of the loco / operating staff.
The P Way crew had an early start today. We took out a works train to Wymondham to deliver the sleepers for renewal up at the junction. It is a good hour's run when you have to open all of the crossing gates yourself and so we had an 8:00 start to ensure that the staff was returned to Dereham for the first passenger run. Once at Wymondham, a possession was taken of the line up to the junction (we have to interact with the Network Rail signalman). There was only a small crew of four today and so we were a little short staffed. We unloaded the train and then reloaded the 64 sleepers onto several trips on an insulated trolley, laying them out on site. We then set about changing them, completing 34 by the end of the day.
Today saw Barry, Trevor and Owen in the yard. We were going to be tidying up components again, but the crane had a problem with starting, traced back to a dud battery. We put it on to charge and used the time to cut the check rails for Hoe to length. Once the crane was started andshunted into position, we completed 90% of the remaining rails that needed moving out of the way of number 3 siding's new alignment. All were sorted and stacked up in groups of similar components. We put everything to bed for the night in the nick of time as a torrential thunder storm descended over the yard!
PW spent the day with a small gang. We attacked the cutting sides at Whinburgh with brush cutters, clearing back the regrowth north of Whinburgh Road bridge (1690).
By Matt Goodrum and Gary Hall.
A surprisingly good turnout of volunteers led to a shortage of working brush cutters and mowers. While the main body of the team proceeded to site using the equipment available to cut back the vegetation, those left made a start on riddling contaminated ballast near Neatherd Road, and new volunteer Andy ably repaired two more of our older mowers for future use.
We had a fairly reasonable turnout today, being blessed with 9 volunteers. We began by installing a pedestrian gate into the orchard adjacent to the main gate. As numbers increased, two spent a good part of the day installing two large planks on to the locking room wall of the signal box. We had 4 working in the railway carriage on the island platform, apparently two of which were new recruits, one being Eileen's daughter and the other being Mike's son. The rest cut down a tree and strimmed between the rails. It is amazing how fast the weeds grow, in some areas reaching 3 feet if not more. We all had a good time and put in a good day.