Update 20th May 2013

May

Very wet at KSE on Saturday (18th), but a bit better yesterday. As a result, much of the work was of the undercover variety with progress continuing on TSO 4249 & Gresley TTO 60505 - a selection of photos have been added to our Facebook page. 

A mixture of sunshine and showers yesterday (15th). Our Railway Inspector, Steve Turner, called in for a couple of hours to see how we have been getting on following his last visit some 2 years or so ago. The volunteers were busy with routine trackwork and further repairs inside TSO 4249.

A pretty wet weekend (11th / 12th) at KSE. In between the showers yesterday, the volunteers were busy building a fence around the Ground Frame which controls the crossover. Work also continued inside TSO 4249, with repainting the 'Planet' and servicing the Peckett in readiness for the next operating day.

A fairly quiet working day yesterday (8th) with many volunteers understandably having a rest after the weekend. However, work continued on Gresley TTO 60505 and TSO 4249. The April draw for the monthly 200 Club has taken place - the winning numbers are:

1st. 30 John Q. Smith

2nd.66 Brian Wood

3rd. 64 Keith Hand 

A very busy and very successful Bank Holiday weekend (4th - 6th) at KSE - another 'first' for the project in that this was the first occasion that we have operated public passenger trains ourselves on 3 consecutive days. We operated over 3 days at the '150' of course, but that was with assistance from a number of colleagues associated with other railways. Many thanks to the several hundered visitors who came to support us - we were finally rewarded with some warm sunshine yesterday afternoon - some photos of the weekend have been added to our Facebook page.

A real mix of weather this weekend - cold, wet and windy today (28th). Yesterday saw more progress on the crossover, whilst today it was essentially indoor jobs with work continuing on Gresley TTO 60505 and a repaint of the Planet diesel.

More progress yesterday (24th) with volunteers busy working on the Ground Frame-operated mechanism controlling the crossover, the fireplace in the Station Master's Office and Gresley TTO 60505 - further photos have been added to the appropriate albums on the KSE Station and Gresley Coaches pages.

On Saturday, we took our Sales Stand to the annual Newton Aycliffe Model Railway Show - an excellent and very succesful day - many thanks to John and his team for all their hard work in putting on the event and raising money for charity. At KSE, work continued on the track, Mark 1 coaches, Gresley TTO, Class 108 DMU and Class 37 674. We are now busy getting ready for our next operating days over the May Bank Holiday weekend. 

A very windy and quite wet day at KSE today (17th). However, during the dry spells, the volunteers were busy outside repairing one of the site boundary walls and checking over some of the S&T installations. Inside the building, work continued on both the Station Master's Office and Gresley TTO 60505 - Glenys & Stephen arrived from Cliburn in mid-afternoon with another 4 seats for the vehicle, so we now have 18 of the 26 double seats completed and inside the coach.

The BBC has recently published a nice article relating to our new Shed Appeal which can be found here. Donations to the appeal can be made (i) online via our Online Shop which is accessesed through the SRC Shop page of this website, (ii) by cheque made payable to 'Stainmore Railway Company Ltd' and sent to Kirkby Stephen East Station, South Road, Kirkby Stephen, Cumbria, CA17 4LA or (iii) in person at the East Station at weekends. Please support this key project if you can - donations of any size would be hugely appreciated -THANK YOU. Further details can also be found on our Facebook page.

Wet and windy for most of the time at KSE this weekend (13th / 14th). During the dry spell on Saturday morning, work was underway to repair a section of fencing, but the rest of the weekend was spent undercover working on the Class 108 DMU, Gresley TTO 60505, the Peckett and some components for J94 68009. 

Some sunshine for the volunteers at KSE today (10th). Work continued on the track, Gresley TTO 60505 and some items for the Station Master's Office.

At last, the chance to have a more relaxed weekend at KSE. Volunteers were busy with Gresley TTO 60505 (a photo has been added to the album on the Gresley Coaches page), TSO 4249, Class 37 674, vegetation clearance and painting the fencing. In addition, there was also some First Aid training taking place for a number of the regular volunteers. Finally, the March draw for the monthly '200 Club' has taken place - the winning numbers are:

1st. 47 Trevor Thomas

2nd. 38 Ken Ball

3rd. 3 David Rayner

Yesterday (3rd) saw more progress on Gresley TTO 60505 and the volunteers also took advantage of the somewhat better weather to work outside on vegetation clearance. We have now launched an appeal to raise £80,000 for a Maintenance Shed & Worksop. The initial target is to raise £40,000 which should be sufficient to purchase and erect the main frame. To keep the cost to a minimum, we intend to do as much of the work ourselves as possible. Further details of this exciting project and information on how to help support the scheme can be found on our Facebook page.  

This weekend (30th / 31st March) saw a very successful 15th Annual Classic Commercial Vehicle Rally with record takings at KSE despite the cold and snow. Very many thanks to the Eden Classic Vehicle Group for all their hard work in organising the event, to the exhibitors, to all of our volunteers who put in so much time and effort at KSE and to all the visitors who came and supported the Rally despite the weather.

March

Very, very cold weekend at KSE with the main access via the A66 and the Nateby Road both shut due to the snow, so little work was undertaken - many thanks to the few hardy local volunteers who were on site. Yesterday, some volunteers made the 5-6 hour round trip from the north east via Corbridge, Carlisle and Penrith to make deliveries for next weekend's event. Let's all hope that the forecast for more severe weather from Good Friday turns out to be wrong!

A raw, freezing cold day at KSE yesterday (20th) with light snow for most of the time. Much of the work was undercover - there was further progress with the flooring and seats in Gresley TTO 60505, some more components for Class 31 410 were painted and preparations continued for the Easter Rally. We have ordered some warmer weather, but it does not look too promising!

The last 5 days have seen a hive of activity at KSE culminating in a number of our 'Safety Critical' trainees taking their formal exams on Saturday. We are delighted to report that we now have 2 more fully qualified Firemen, another 6 Guards and 2 Responsible Officers. Well done to you all and many thanks to those responsible for doing the training and to Martyn & Alan - our two independent external accessors. On Saturday, 5 more upholstered 'bucket seats' arrived for the Gresley TTO and work is well underway to fit these. It is now only two weeks to the Classic Commercial Vehicle Rally, so next weekend will see a major effort to get as much of the site ready as possible. Finally, on Saturday, we took a Sales Stand to the Annual 'ScoutRail' Model Railway Show at Settle - many thanks to Dave Burrows for the invite and for putting on the usual excellent event.

Another freezing cold weekend (9th / 10th) at KSE with snow flurries most of the time. Yesterday saw a number of our volunteers undertake their theory exams in readiness for the 'Safety Critical' practical exams that they will be going through shortly - we hope to have some good news in the next week or so. Work also continued on TSO 4249, some more of the corkcoid flooring was laid in Gresley TTO 60505 and preparations are now well underway for the Classic Commercial Vehicle Rally at Easter.

Freezing cold at KSE today (6th) - however, good progress continued with the TSO and the trackwork. In addition, further training of the group of new 'Safety Critical Staff' was taking place.

With Easter getting ever closer, work continues in preparation for the Eden Classic Vehicle Rally and our first operating weekend of the season. Saturday / Sunday (2nd / 3rd) saw more progress on TSO 4249, Class 37 674, the Planet and with the trackwork - ballasting and the crossover. 

The February draw for the monthly '200 Club' has taken place - the winning numbers are:

1st. 64 Keith Hind

2nd. 33 Maggie Yates

3rd. 5 Mike Thompson

February

A gloriously sunny day greeted the volunteers yesterday (27th). Work continued on the crossover (now nearing completion), ballasting the bay siding, the Guards compartment of BSK 35200 and Gresley TTO 60505 - the latter having the latest batch of 'bucket' seats fitted in the saloon as can be seen from the photos added to the album on the Gresley coaches page. We also learned that, following the recent visit from Eden District Council to inspect the Food Hygiene standards in our Gresley Buffet Car, we have been awarded a '5' - the highest mark possible - so well done to all who were involved in developing the relevant procedures, producing the necessary paperwork etc.

This weekend (23rd / 24th) has seen the remaining seats and the luggage racks fited in TSO 4249. In addition, there has been further progress with both upgrading the crossover and the work on Class 37 674. Today (24th), the latest batch of seats arrived for Gresley TTO 60505 and we have been busy with Personal Track Safety 'refreshers' for our volunteers and with training a number of Guards for the forthcoming operating season.

A busy day at KSE today (20th) despite the cold. The first batch of 'bucket' seats were finally moved into position and screwed down to the floor in Gresley TTO 60505, work continued on the crossover and ballasting the bay siding, the Guard's window was replaced in the BSK following the welding repairs to the bodywork and there was more progress with repainting Class 31 410. In addition, just for good measure, we also had some filming taking place on the site during the morning.

It was almost 'spring-like' today at KSE and we hosted a visit by Vince Cable MP - the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation & Skills. The weekend (16th / 17th) saw a new brick arch fitted in the Peckett, more progress on the Class 20 & 37 and most of the replacement seats we collected from Scotland fitted in TSO 4249 which now looks almost complete once more.

This week has seen two of our volunteers up in Scotland collecting all the components we need to return TSO 4249 to traffic. The first port of call was the Caledonian Railway at Brechin followed by the Scottish Railway Preservation Society at Boness - many thanks to Tommy, Steve, Mike & Jim at Brechin and Ian & Stuart at Boness for typical Scottish hospitality and all their help with the various bits and pieces. Whilst in Scotland, we also visited Glasgow to obtain the cement for the new brick arch in the Peckett. Work continued at KSE yesterday (13th) and the first batch of new seats for Gresley TTO 60505 have been fitted with their pedestals - a photo has been added to the album on the Gresley coaches page.

A busy weekend (9th / 10th) despite the sleet and snow today. Yesterday morning, (9th) saw our good friend, Rob Murray, arrive with colleagues from Ipswich with the LNER Wickham Trolley which is in full working order - it has been placed in the 'Darlington' trainshed so that further work can be undertaken on it. Late in the afternoon, the first batch of 'bucket' seats for Gresley TTO 60505 arrived from the upholsterer - some photos have been added to the album on the Gresley coaches page. Further progress was also made on the trackwork and Class 37 674.

The last two days (6th / 7th), we have had a visit from our good friend, Brian Thomson of the SRPS, who has been busy working with Phil on the welding repairs required to the bodywork of TSO 4249 and BSK 35200 - excellent progress has been made. Elsewhere, there has been further work on the track (upgrading the crossover) and the Planet.

Plenty of visitors at KSE this weekend (2nd / 3rd) especially yesterday with many out to see A4 60009 'Union of South Africa' at work on the WCML and S&C. The volunteers were busy with winter maintenance and, over the next 10 days or so, we hope to be able to report substantial progress with a number of projects. Finally, the January draw for the monthly '200 Club' has taken place - the winning numbers are:

1st. 61 Howard Mills

2nd. 60 John Warner

3rd. 72 Mrs Sheila Humphreys-Jones

January

A cold, wet and windy day at KSE today (30th). However, good progress was made on a number of projects including the trackwork (ballasting the bay siding and upgrading the crossover), the Planet, Gresley TTO 60505, Class 31 410 and preparations to renew the brick arch in the Peckett. Finally, we have some good news and some bad news: the good news is that our Planning Application for the two Signal Boxes and Maintenance / Restoration facility has been approved by Eden District Council. The bad news is that with great sadness, we must report the passing early this morning of one of our 'Founding Fathers' - Stainmore Railwayman Brian Cowin. Brian was a Director of SRC for many years from its formation in summer 2000 and we owe him a great debt of gratitude for all his hard work on our behalf during this time. We send our deepest sympathy to his wife, Marjorie, who was by his side for so many years - a full tribute to Brian will appear in the next edition of the Newsletter.

This weekend (26th / 27th) has seen the volunteers busy with a stock-take in the shop in preparation for the coming season. In addition, further work has taken place in Gresley TTO 60505 and we hope to take delivery of the first batch of upholstered 'bucket seats' for the vehicle in the next week or so.

Another very cold day at KSE today (23rd) with a good six or seven inches of snow still on the ground. The first job this morning involved shovelling a large quantity of snow so that we could get the doors open and bring the equipment needed for the days work out on to the platform! There was good progress on the bodywork of Class 37 674, the trackwork on the crossover and with preparing TSO 4249 and BSK 35200 for the 2013 operating season.

A freezing cold and snowy weekend (19th / 20th) at KSE, but we managed to open the station to visitors on both days as usual. Some small jobs were undertaken yesterday on both the Planet & Peckett. Today we were working outside and made good progress with the welding repairs on Class 37 674 - some photos of the latter have been added to our Facebook page. 

A busy day yesterday (16th) at KSE despite the very cold weather. One of our regular contractors was on site working with the volunteers to fit the last new section of the Gable End at the eastern end of the 'Darlington' trainshed - this work is now complete. In addition, a number of our volunteers were busy painting a portion of the inside of the trainshed roof - this job has almost reached the point where we need to wait for the warmer weather so as to be able to apply the top coats of maroon and cream gloss -  a selection of photos have been added to the appropriate album on the KSE Station page. Outside, there was also more progress with the trackwork on the crossover.

Freezing cold at KSE over the weekend (12th / 13th) with some snow this afternoon (13th) just for good measure! Undeterred, the volunteers turned out as usual and, outside the building, good progress was made with sorting out the seats and other internal fittings for TSO 4249, the trackwork on the crossover and Class 37 674. Inside the building, the mini project to reorganise the volunteers Mess Room was completed. This coming week (weather permitting), we hope to finish the work on the Gable End so that the scaffolding can be dismantled. 

A cold but gloriously sunny day at KSE today (9th), so the volunteers took the opportunity to work outside. Good progress was made with ballasting the remaining section of the bay siding and the first stage of modifications to upgrade the crossover from the loading / unloading road to the passenger-carrying line commenced. Glynis Manning, our Heritage Skills Trainee involved in upholstering the 'bucket' seats for Gresley TTO 60505, has now started to put a record of her 3 month placement online - her blog can be found here.

A Happy New Year to you all.

A mild and dry weekend (5th / 6th) for the volunteers. With a Loadhaul operating, we were able to take the first steps towards reorganising the site so that ultimately we will have space for our much-needed restoration / maintenance facility alongside the southern boundary of the station yard. Inside the building, all the remaining Christmas decorations were removed, the reorganisation of the shop was completed and further progress was made with the saloon of Gresley TTO 60505. 

All 'Latest News' prior to 1st January 2013 can now be found on the News Archive page. 

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