Saturday Gang Report January-April 2015

Hello everyone. Apologies for the radio silence over recent months, but a lot has happened since the start of the year. First of all, we must goodbye to our previous blogger, and Saturday Gang founder, David Hunter. Having spent 9 years working on the Kent and East Sussex Railway, David has moved on to focus on his professional life, and we all wish him well in his travels.

The start of the year is always a varied time for the Saturday Gang. The reduced winter service and pressure of exam season makes it an occasionally quiet time, yet it is almost immediately followed by a spike in progress as Easter approaches. With that in mind, let's take a look at what's been happening with some of our regular locomotives.

Locomotives:

Hunslet Austerity 0-6-0T 25 'Northiam'- Our unofficial main overhaul continues. Since the start of the year, the loco's chimney has received some attention, including new holes drilled to secure it; the chimney has since been returned to storage. We also returned our attention to the tanks, drilling out the bolt holes inside. After removing the foundation ring at the end of 2014, we have since received it back from the works, along with new side plates ready to install. This job is expected to be completed imminently, and it is our hope that 25 is closer to the end of its overhaul than the beginning.

GWR 5600 Class 0-6-2T 6619-  Our newest loco has just finished its ticket, and so the first part of the year has been dedicated to stripping it down. We've seen to it that the firebox is clean, the boiler has been washed out, and the blast pipe and all valves in the cab have been removed. The loco is currently residing on a siding, visible to passengers bound for Tenterden.

Manning Wardle O Class 0-6-0T 14 'Charwelton'- This loco suffered the misfortune of a frozen water tank this winter, quite a rare occurrence on an operational loco! It is currently undergoing maintenance, and we have had to clear the faulty sanders, remove the fusible plugs, and conduct some general inspection. As of the end of April, it remains in the shed.

LB&SCR A1X Class (Terrier) 0-6-0T 32670 'Bodiam'- There are few problems to report with this loco, apart from a buildup of rust on the underside. The addressing of this problem can be seen in the March Report.

WD USA Class 0-6-0T 65 'Maunsell'- The railway's current workhorse remains in service. But the Saturday Gang have made some small contributions to it, such as the addition of a new warning sign to the cab, regarding the loading gauge. Also, one of our volunteers gave its smokebox door a new coat of apexior in April.

GWR 1600 Class 0-6-0PT 1638- The resident pannier tank remains out of service. Some work has been done on the smokebox ring recently.

Videos:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xp1JhBh5Y4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0ypFk_3i20
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnT3SeXYVe4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_7VLBy3SO8

That's all for this Saturday Gang Blog entry. We anticipate the next entry towards the end of August. In the meantime, be sure to like us on Facebook and subscribe to our YouTube channel, SaturdayGangVideos. Until next time!

https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Kent-and-East-Sussex-Railways-Saturday-Gang/346493445395124?fref=ts

https://www.youtube.com/user/SaturdayGangVideos