Continued Work During Line Closure

Ian loading the ballast wagon at East Tanfield .....

Usual Work Again

Ronnie making more firebar formers

Usual Jobs

Dave making a vac relief valve spindle

Down the Line

With no trains running today, the opportunity was taken to work on Cochrane and No.6, but I don't have any photos.   Many more volunteers were working about the line, which we can show .....

The youth team continue to remove ballast
from around the point at Causey
(photo courtesy of Angela)

Impressions of a Volunteer

This photo montage of his first impressions of Tanfield Railway is by Ken Elliott, who has worked with us as a volunteer since 2011.

No Trains Tomorrow

Andrews House tea room and shop, as well as Marley Hill shed area, will be open to the public tomorrow, but the line will be closed to permit rail changes near Boyd's crossing.   Passenger trains will next run on 18 March (Mothering Sunday).

Rounding off the Week

Fastening the 109 to 95 lb rail south of Boyd's

Trackwork, in the Main

Continuing from yesterday .....

Angela and John plating yesterday's panels

Only Trackwork .....

..... because noone else was in today.

Placing the first replacement panel .....

Mainly Trackwork Again

We removed the remaining 75 lb/yd FB panels at Boyd's crossing today.   Tomorrow we should be able to start laying the replacement 109 lb/yd FB panels.

Chris, Bill, Ian and Sarah unfastening today's first panel

Mainly Trackwork

The railway is now closed for nearly four weeks, to enable us to do some track replacement and upgrade projects.   At the same time, the opportunity will be taken to do some loco work.

Running repairs - Jim and Dave attending to the miller, and Ian charging the crane battery:

A Varied Day

James checking No.6's water level, guided by Sarah

Tomorrow's Trains

No.6 will haul trains on round trips from Andrews House station at 11 am, 12.30, 2 and 3.30 pm.

This will be the last day of passenger service until Sunday 18 March, to allow nearly four weeks of line closure for sections of track to be replaced.

Friday

Cochrane being " blown down" , that is the boiler drained under pressure. This will allow maintenance to be carried out during the closure of the passenger service trains.

From the Beginning

Phases of Tanfield Railway operations since 1971 :
1.  Steaming in the shed yard
2.  Public footplate trips in the shed yard
3.  Passengers in the glass carriage in the shed yard
4.  Passenger trains between Marley Hill station and Bowes Bridge loop
5.  Passenger trains between Marley Hill and Sunniside stations
6.  Passenger trains from Andrews House to Sunniside and Causey Arch
7.  Passenger trains from Andrews House to Sunniside and East Tanfield
8.  East Tanfield to Sunniside?
9.  Marley Hill to Byermoor?

Do you know the dates, stock, locos and people involved in these phases?

What, who, where and when?

Thursday's preparations for the closure

Angela and Henry slinging crossing timbers

Historical Team Work 3

Track replacement north of Boyd's Crossing in 2010

More Wednesday Work

Loading the last panel

Wednesday's Work

Start the day with a toolbox talk, then start to load the last wagon.
Ken, Bill, Angela and Henry, myself driving the crane.

Historical Team Work 2

Track replacement north of Terrace Junction in 2010

Monday and Tuesday

Monday, Malcolm, Phil and Malcolm start stripping
the hiab from the grampus wagon in preparation 
for transporting competed 30ft panels

Historical Team Work 1

Track replacement at Sunniside Station in 2010

Yesterday

How others see us - some shots of yesterday's events thanks to Stu Armstrong (who retains copyright):

No.6 passes the box

Loco Preparation +

Phil the fireman cleaning No.6

Causey Maintenance

DCC Charlotte supervising volunteers erecting a new gate
at Causey South footpath crossing

Tomorrow's Trains

Sunday is freight train day at Tanfield.   Cochrane and No.6 will be out, together with some shunting in the yard using diesel locos.

A Cold Day

Vic catches up on the local news after loading more of
the 30' rails (last two panels to be made on Sunday)

Various Again

Through the goodwill of Baric Systems Ltd and the auspices of Neil Morgan, we have received redundant machine tools which should be very useful to us, including .....

Sawmaster band saw

Various

This morning, we interviewed three candidates for the EHSI bursary post, to start in April.   We also double checked the number of 30' AD panels required for the Boyd's crossing relaying - twenty are required, so we need to assemble another two.

Some views from this afternoon .....

Bill cleaning AD fixings

Similar Work

In the workshop .....

Brian at work on the Harrison lathe

Usual Work

In the workshop ......

Jim working on an automatic vacuum drain valve
(to drain condensate)

Heritage Skills on TV

Engineering Heritage Skills Initiative (EHSI) at Stanegate Restorations (Haltwhistle) and Beamish Museum will feature on BBC2 at 6.30 pm today, Monday 6 February 2012, in the first of a fifteen part series "Britain's Heritage Heroes", showing weekdays for three weeks.

Today's Train

No.6 will haul carriages 1, 2 and 3 on round trips from Andrews House station at 11 am, 12.30, 2 and 3.30 pm.

Mark firing No.6

General Work Again

Angela preparing to steam ......

General Work

Ronnie painting the web site

..... Completed

The section of rail replacement north of Boyd's crossing has been completed, so the line is again intact.

Geoff unfastening fishplates

TR Blog

This TR blog has existed for 7 months and has reached another minor milestone - 5000 page views per month in January 2012.

If you have any comments, complaints or suggestions, please email