60’s Weekend
Many thanks to all of those who supported 60’s weekend, which was another successful event with comparable takings to last year. D5310 and 5580 both performed well, with the 26 providing some quality entertainment in the dark on the late campers train after the music on concert on Saturday 28th. Paul Williams’s photo below shows the loco back at Llangollen with the crew being congratulated on their efforts by Mav Mitchell.
The highlight was undoubtedly Iain Ross’s superb weathering job applied to 7822 again. I make no apology for providing a Sepia tint photo of her running into Glyndyfrdwy on Sunday 29th July.
And here’s 5580 at work on the same day. The 2P00 headcode is not a joke – this was a Skipton-Carlisle diagram that often produced a 31 vice DMU back in the day!
6940 Repaired
We are pleased to report that the 37 was successfully repaired on 27th July, the fault was traced to another cracked fuel pipe which was replaced. The loco then started perfectly and moved under its own power. The repair sadly came too late to change the timetable for 60s weekend but it hopefully won’t be long before she’s out and about again – see below! Well done to Pete, Paul, Mav and Co for their efforts with this. We already practice a BR-based examination and maintenance scheme, but further preventative checks will be performed on all fuel lines to check for cracks and hopefully prevent further issues. We are also investigating whether vibrations from the fuel pump are exacerbating this issue.
Classic Transport Weekend
Come to the Railway to see some superb vintage buses and cars on 25th and 26th August. The event should see one diesel loco out each day along with steam and railcar. The roster is TBC but proposed is D5310 on Saturday and 5580 on Sunday, with a possibility of 6940 working with it to prove fuel system repairs, subject to FTR, crew availability and LR approval. An update will follow as soon as this is confirmed and a timetable is available.
September Running and Diesel Day
Our final 4 trip running day of the year is Saturday 16th September and should see 6940 in use (subject to issues outlined above).
Planning is now underway for our September 22nd Diesel Day – the last diesel running date of 2012 at the LR. More news will be available soon. D1566 will not be taking part following withdrawal due to power unit water leaks and return of the batteries to 47703 at Wensleydale last weekend. Happily, 47703 is now a working loco again and we would like to again thank Paul Warren and Harry Needle for loaning us 703’s cells.
Best wishes
Tez Pickthall