‘One Last Push’: The Ecclesbourne Valley Railway REALLY Needs Your Support

After a busy weekend, the line has returned to rebuilding mode today. Reproduced below is Martin Miller's report for thoday's activities:

Dear all

A day where the planned activities seemed to attract a form of lethargy that did not spoil the day but caused a lot of waiting about! Not included was today's Group Drive a Diesel Day where the two participants that made it enjoyed themselves immensely but we had one very late cancellation for family reasons and one delayed in Libya.

Sleepers arrived late morning and were loaded to the Lowmac and Sturgeon with 20 concrete put to ground for future use in Duffield Tunnel. Equally a planned fuel delivery arrived just in time before part of its delivery to be put into the Class 20 would have involved chasing it down the line. The 1030 scheduled relocation and servicing of our portable toilets took place after 1700 hrs. Against this sloth, an order placed for fence materials with Lester Lowe arrived almost before the phone was put down - there's service (or hunger).

We welcomed Jack from Queen Elizabeth Grammar School at Ashbourne for a week's work experience and contractors finished off their work at Derby Road 3 ( or Old Lane) bridge funded by Network Rail.

The Group Drive a Diesel Day spent the morning on Hydra until it showed a reluctance to change direction then moved their attentions to D8001. The group then tripped the Lowmac and Flatrol, loaded with sleepers, to Shottle and an empty Rudd ( a steel sided open wagon) was returned to Wirksworth and placed in the Wash Green dock to await a stone delivery tomorrow morning for use on the Duffield platform project.

The Booking Hall welcomed a few visitors and Catering was in action to feed our guests.

Martin
Meanwhile, we have updated our gallery, please take a look here: http://wyvernrail-plc.fotopic.net/c1864575_1.html

This view is of particular interest as it shows how we are strengthening and raising the branch platform at Duffield:



The URL is: http://wyvernrail-plc.fotopic.net/p65766568.html

Neil

 

S T O P P R E S S

Another 30 sleepers changed today taking us to a point where less than one mile of track remains to be resleepered.

Meanwhile, the first coping stones for Duffield platform will be going-on in the next couple of days.

Keep watching and please continue to look at www.one-last-push.org for updates.

Neil

 

Just a quick update since last week:

We have changed another 121 sleepers, leaving a 'mere' 728 to go!

We have welcomed two foreign delegations to the line - expect a press release shortly.

More images of the rebuilding of Duffield platform here: http://wyvernrail-plc.fotopic.net/c1864575_1.html

Kind regards,

Neil

 

Good evening.

Plenty to report since last week. Once again, we have exhausted all local supplies of softwood sleepers and if some don’t turn-up soon, we’ll be sending out raiding parties to local gardens.

Meanwhile, next week we are starting a re-lay of track in Duffield Tunnel. Now, this isn’t exactly Woodhead: you really could lob a rock from one end to the other but it is officially defined as a tunnel. The track inside has suffered from wasting and so the decision has been taken to replace the whole formation with a section on concrete sleepers. Despite the tunnel’s short length, the exercise will be pretty difficult as the roof height is pretty low, so we don’t have a great deal of room for manoeuvre.

Duffield platform continues to be rebuilt and approximately one third of its length has been raised. Take a look here: http://wyvernrail-plc.fotopic.net/c1864575_1.html for the latest images.

We have just published a press release announcing two study visits to the line, one by a South Korean delegation and the other by an MSc course for Turkish students through Birmingham University. The press release can be read here: http://wyvernrail-press-releases.blogspot.com/2010/07/from-seoul-to-bosporus-mytesttrackcom.html.

Steam will be in operation at Wirksworth for the next three weeks! Our season of full weekend events kicks-off this Saturday with a classic bus and rail gala. Details can be found here http://www.e-v-r.com/busgala10.htm and we hope to give newly-restored locomotive ‘Brian Harrison’ (a.k.a. Ferrybridge No.3) an airing on some passenger services in advance of the following weeks. Please beware that this will be the first public outing and so the locomotive cannot be guaranteed operational. Mind you, there’ll be a few crossed fingers…

The next two weeks will see both Brian / Ferrybridge operating in conjunction with visiting locomotive Bellerophon (star of BBC TV’s ‘Cranford’). We will have details up on our website next week, but please put the weekends 31st July / 1st August and 7th / 8th August in your diaries.

Finally, please take a look at our website www-e-v-r.com, while you can get daily news updates at our blog: http://wyvernrail.blogspot.com/.

Kind regards,
Neil

 

Great progress Neil.

Just a quick question though, are you planning to add another track panel to the southern platform headshunt at Duffield when existing works are complete? From the photos it looks like just one panel at the moment which is fine for a shunter or small tank but should you get a tender engine in for a visit it would be too short?

Cheers and all the best.
Dave

 

Hi Dave,

I am assured that the headshunt is long enough for a tender engine. So saying, we do have a bit of room for growth if ciurcumstances dictate.

Kind regards,

Neil

 

That's great news. Must be a trick of the camera!

All the best from a wet and windy Sheffield

Dave

 

Good evening.

A quick update which I shall follow-up on tomorrow. Please take a look at our Fotopic site http://wyvernrail-plc.fotopic.net/c1864575_1.html where I have just uploaded 16 photographs.

The majority show the work that has taken place in Duffield Tunnel where we have replaced severely wasted rails (obviously been on the ale a bit too much) with a brand-new section on concrete sleepers.. The extra picture is of Bellerophon that arrived at Wirksworth this evening in preparation for our Steam gala this weekend.

More details here: http://www.e-v-r.com/steamgala10.htm and I shall update the image captions shortly.

Kind regards,

Neil

 

Good evening.

I have reproduced the report from our blog below as it describes just what a weekend we havd had:

Dear all

I have run out of superlatives! Another record day with the highest daily take of all time on our Railway, straining, but not breaking, all our resources. The steam service to Idridgehay was strengthened to three coaches and was full on every trip. The Saloon was a winner again with Steward Craft serving appreciative crowds at the suitably enhanced fare. The Met-Cams worked turn and turn about with the steam service admirably co-coordinated by the Wash Green Ground Frame team and today's special mention is of Robin Lee who masterminded the movements in the Yard involving walking several miles through the day.

The narrow gauge team of Rod and Mary reported good trade with the participants able to take photos of the Class 20 towering above the train and the various comings and goings of the steam engines as they took on coal and water.

No3 was popular again on the Ravenstor service with Iris filling in during the watering periods. The Booking Hall was double personed throughout the day and the car park was ably managed by our own team aided by a Youth Offending Team. The Buffet Car also achieved record takings and finally closed at around 1630 being devoid of any stock whatsoever - no waste there then!

It was good to see the LMSCA, Patriot Society and EVRA shop all providing an extra appeal to our visitors.

I can only express my gratitude once again to all who participated including the visiting train crews. I suspect that the photographs that will gradually emerge will be fascinating and show the line in a whole new light.

I hope we have the energy to deliver it all again next weekend together with the events planned for Wednesday.

Martin
Enough said!

Neil Ferguson-Lee

 

I see Neil hasnt updated this for a while... Here are my own photographs, the latest from the bank holiday weekend. http://christopher.photoblog.co.uk/c1827494.html.
More to follow of the Home Fleet gala on the 18th/19th of September.
Chris

 

Not sure where he's gone. I PM'd him a few weeks ago offering to help with the trackwork etc but didn't get a reply, so the CVR have the dubious benefit of my assistance now.

 

Oh. Well if you come up to Wirksworth, you will be made most welcome. Im actualy covering the booking hall this sunday. I havent seen Neil for a while either, he doesnt seem to come to the railway as much these days, I think he is busy with work.

 

Plenty of goings on today. Pictures are here http://christopher.photoblog.co.uk/c1827494.html and include the subject of much of our efforts Duffield station and platform. Also included are photographs of the 108 DMU, the Met Cam DMU centre car and the second andrew barclay Henry Ellison being dismantled for restoration in the shed at Wirksworth.