With the Families priority being Donkey Paddocks, Food Shops, Temporary shelters and peddle cars are unlikely to get Little Toot Steaming again so if someone was interest in taking it on please contact us. Also Have say 7 ton of rail some sleepers and fishplates, a Caboose which has just had new tyres fitted, needs patching on framing and new panels, to go with it. Eight years ago today Ted passed away slowly and painfully due to 10% error and I see from recent newspaper articles the Hospital is still having decimal point errors but then, I suppose they always will, occasionally.
The door gates on A81 are in operation and have started on gates for A82. The wheelchair carriage B48 started making strange wheel noises, swapped out the prototype anti-squeal wheel sets with those off A82. Took prototype wheel sets back to Ikon Loco Works, they modified the axle shoulder & spacer bushes to clamp inner race of bearing correctly also added roll pins to prevent axles turning. Have cleared a bit more space in Roundhouse, with moving the saw bench outside. Little Toot's boiler ticket has now expired and next one due is for a ten year survey, maybe some time before it runs again. Obtain a fridge on trade me to store welding rods in, but was better than our station fridge so station fridge will end up as insulated hot box for welding rods. Anita has been doing a bit of fencing in the front goat paddock making some more small animal pen areas. The Restaurant has had a repaint and the carpark tar seal has been patched up where pipeline went underneath.
Have trial the prototype gate for carriage doorways, seems O.K. will carry on and make rest for carriage A81. Peter had the Baldwin underframe powder coated as lot easier to get into nooks & crannies with electrostatic system. Anita is thinking of getting rid of some of the Aviaries but the Vet has talked her into taking on 6 more Pheasants in the meantime. Ash has finally got his cast off and seems to be O.K.
Needed to get Little Toot out of the workshop so can get carriages or railmotor in to be worked on. Peter has been giving us a hand to sort through gear in Round house, Wayne has taken the Austin 7 engine bits, the stone machinery & patterns have been taken away to be sold, odd steel bits and pieces which might be good for something sold for scrap including old hydraulic bits from 04 tamper. Odd items donated to the Pioneer Village, other items to be put up for sale on trade me such as old wheel press. The old boiler and high sider wagon have been moved outside, covered with tarps so Little Toot could be moved into Round House. The trackset at bottom of budgie paddock path has been lifted out for sludge ballast to be dug out then put back with fresh ballast improving drainage thus reducing corrosion of rails. Anita has been doing a bit of fencing putting in a gate, patching up cages and making mulch for animal cages. Ash has been jumping fences again and Vet has left cast on for another month. Wayne is busy with Pizza shop but has managed to finish digging to get carpark lights permanently wired to restaurant. Might be some time before we run Little Toot again as Roundhouse not suitably set up to use as running shed yet.
Mercedes 'Ted's Great granddaughter' dropped in to open a few presents on her 2nd Birthday. Ash is running & jumping about trying to break another leg still with the cast on. New Safety Assessor gave us a big to do list & what if scenarios which was a bit overwhelming, thought we should just close up after current bookings. Julie made a start on things, getting the Fire Brigade in, who confirmed they could unload passengers from a carriage stuck on the viaduct. If say had a break down and was unable to manually push a carriage clear of the viaduct. Have trial fitted a mirror to Railmotor, put more Notices up, booked electrician to Test & Tag leads and slowly working our way through list.
Last week wind and rain caused a tree to fall partly over track. Peter gave us a hand getting it down and cleaned up before weekend train running. Tar sealing of carpark extension has been delayed due to drainage problems. Seems when the council contractor put in new sewage main this mucked up our drainage causing water to flow under main entrance driveway. Our contractor extending carpark had to dig out an extra 750mm of high plasticity clay and put in extra fill and may still have to redo soft spots. Council contractor has installed new drainage beside driveway but still to sort out crumbling driveway and other damaged tar sealed areas. Have got the fence up along the retaining wall. Ash the jumping goat jumps one to many fences and breaks leg, vet has put a cast on should mend in 6 weeks.
The Carpark extension is in place, still to be tarsealed and fencing to go up. Have been given a young sheep to add to the animal park. Peter has machined up the parts for the valve gear on 5A engine. Have finished off greasing the bolts / studs in pylon 4 which had started on the previous year.
Have arranged for a contractor to complete the retaining wall for extending carpark, as Wayne is busy with his Pizza Shop. Have completed greasing 72 bolts / studs in pylon 6 of Upper Tee tree Viaduct estimate this to be about 10% of bolts in bridge.
Went into Hospital for an Angiogram, all was O.K. so should be right for steaming this Saturday. Have closed the coffee shack and in the meantime Wayne has moved in, he is also taking over a Pizza shop in Torbay. The pipe for sewage main is in and the contractors are currently pulling the next section in under Gledstane Road. May not have any koura but had a turtle visit creek under Upper Tee Tree Viaduct. Peter is waiting for drawings to continue with the Baldwin loco, in meantime has started on finishing off a Stuart Turner 5A engine Ted had started in 70's.
Ran the Tribute train on 5th Jan taking the new wheelchair carriage but probably shouldn't have as ended up quite busy at the time and the normal passenger service was struggle to cope with just 1 carriage. Peter has been giving us a hand with a burst of track work greasing joints and now starting on a batch of bolts for the No. 3 bridge. Council contactors have started on sewage main to go down the boundary of the property. With a large directional drilling machine setup on other side of road to put in the pilot hole. The concrete mixer repaired to do the turntable is being used to do the retaining wall. This was a hand operated mixer Ted had obtained many years ago and used to build the first house in Manurewa.
Wayne has put the new panels on Animal Food Shed / Signal Box and has now started on a retaining wall to extend the carpark. Was going to patch pot holes in carpark but needed the trailer which needed a W.O.F. and ended up making a new axle. Have got the W.O.F. but still to paint the axle. Have upgraded the computer box to Windows XP getting rid of the Vista crap, turns on quickly now, wheel works on mouse, old programs run, still to sort E mail account details. The Coffee Shack is operational for instant coffee, tea, cold drinks and ice creams and will possibly be open for lunch period when the ABRUZZO Ristorante is not open.
The piping is in to the Workshop soak hole still to dig trench to connect to workshop pit. Julie has finally empty the Animal Food Shed / Signal Box and Wayne has started on replacing the side panels. I welded in some extra channel at Goat butt height as last time replaced a panel goats broke it within a week. Wayne has completed Coffee Shack floor and has started moving equipment in. Have started getting Little Toot ready for annual boiler inspection.
The new anti-squeal wheels are back under A82 with roll pins to prevent axles turning, still getting rail squeal from Railmotor wheels on 50ft radius curves. Have been donated another Goat "Ash" who is causing some problems at moment as very agile and easily jumps all our fences. With the ground being so wet and soft have drilled a hole under concrete pad in front of Workshop to the drain soak hole, allowing water to get out. Used a 2" auger Ted had made some time ago for this particular purpose. Have had a few more pedal cars repaired, to be operation for the special we currently have running with Kidspot.
Wet wet and more rain, Has been a poor start to the new season with the grounds being very wet requiring a portion to be closed off. Little Toot was back together for the first days running minus an air reservoir and with a patch of concrete in smokebox. Have since replaced the cones in LH injector. Peter's making progress on Baldwin Loco with wheels cast and nearly fully machined. Sunday a week back had a big burst of soapy suds come down the creek about 4pm. If too wet to wash your car on the grass try to capture the worst of suds with some old towels or go to wash world. If washing something (building) try to capture worst of run of and poor down waste water (toilet) instead of allowing to run directly to storm water and out to sea. We have native fish and eels living in that water.
Little Toot has her water tanks off and coal bunker out, to touch up the internal paint work. Anita has been patching up the pedal cars. Selwyn Chambers our Safety assessor suddenly passed away last month in the middle of re-looking at our Safety Case. Wayne dropped his idea of having a Pizza Shop so drew up a plan for a double garage & Office but then a couple of houses beside railway came up for sale but asking price more than expected so now looking at lifting or extending Julie's Bach. Wayne's making progress with 3 lamp posts up, power on to the Coffee Shack and Toilet, completing the toilet. Have been cutting down or trimming some of the old man Tea Tree close to the track. Have fenced of the tunnel entrance track to try and keep chickens out, as kicking ballast into drains. Getting rid of the old borer ridden wardrobe & plan draw out of roundhouse, rescued some old railway blue prints still inside.
Wayne arranged to get some Lamp Posts made and has install the first one for the Carpark. Has also added a Veranda Roof to Coffee Shack to keep rain off window which was leaking. Had some casting to build a Power Hacksaw to a design from the 1965 Model Engineer mag, Peter obtained a suitable gearbox and motor and has got operational and is using to cut parts for the Baldwin loco. Have had annual staff meeting, Track has been inspected this time pulling some bolts out of the No.3 Bridge, a draft update to Safety Case & System has been sent to Auditor. Anita is to be the General Manager and Scott is to be the Engineering Manager looking after Maintenance also details re completed Wheelchair Carriage.
Humphrey moved in last week to keep Eyore company. The patched up playground plane is looking a bit tidier with a repaint. Found the axles spinning on the new wheels as greased the end swivel bushes when installed into A82. Will have to add a lug to axle end caps in mean time mainly running A81. Wayne has started running a power cable from Coffee Shack to toilet. Went to the EMEX show, Model Engineers had Peter's Traction Engine on display which he has up for sale, requires some money to buy materials to build the Baldwin Loco.
Ikon Loco Works have supplied the 2nd set of Wheels which have been put into carriage A82. These are based on the model engineers design with the wheels spinning independently on the axle and should reduce rail squeal on the tight curves. Peter has started building 5" gauge model of narrow gauge Baldwin loco used in the first world war to run at the Winter Creek Railway. Someone let the guinea pigs get mixed up and we have a lot of baby guinea pigs at the moment.
Wheel chair carriage B48 has been fitted with eye brackets to secure wheel chair and latch to hold up seat. No 3 Bridge is nearly 20 years old now and on inspection of bolts found zinc coating at end of life with bolts starting to rust. Have started to pull bolts and grease with open gear lubricant. The playground plane had the tail broken off, so this is now No. 1 maintenance project just need to unbury woodworking tools in Roundhouse. Wayne's making progress with his house fitting a colour steel roof.
Ran the Tribute train on 5th Jan, Ted use to tell people our train was a similar size to ones used in the first World War. Came across a DVD War Trains Volume 1 at 'The Warehouse' last chapter has actual footage of these, bit larger though 600mm gauge. Wayne obtained a 2nd hand window for Coffee Shack about 100mm too long. Managed to pull it all apart cut it down and put back together and install. Me, Peter and Frank did a Sunday trip out to G.V.R. to have another go at making drop pit more serviceable. Loosened up 2 more rusted solid bottom pins, only 5 more to go.
Little Toot passed annual boiler inspection, Wayne has been held up on getting Coffee Shack finished due to not finding a suitable serving window within his budget, in meantime has thrown together a storage shed behind Round house which we plan to put the wooden patterns in and then borer bomb them. Found time to go out to G.V.R.'s Kids Train Day, very busy 3 trains running.
The new carriage B48 has arrived, rides well, could do with something to lock wheelchairs in place but overall quite satisfactory.
