Ecclesbourne Valley Railway

We are all set for our inaugural diesel weekend of 2018:

• D832 and 08704 are here at Wirksworth and ready to go.
• 33103's repaint is done.
• 31206 is ready to run
• The train bar is stocked and the station buffet at Wirksworth is ready and waiting
• East Midlands Trains have been warned that the Matlock service is likely to be a wee bit busy!

Full details here: https://www.e-v-r.com/dieselweekend/

Smartphone timetable here: http://www.trains2wirksworth.co.uk/ (Select 'Next running day' for the timetable)

A couple of snaps from today:





And a handy pub guide for Wirksworth:

 

Much to our surprise, takings at the Diesel Weekend exceeded those in 2017 despite the snow. D832 will be running this coming weekend, 4 return trips each day.

 

Well done! I really enjoyed my visit on Saturday in spite of the cold.

 

Good to here it. I was in the area but it was so cold that I only stopped briefly in a lay-by near Shottle to take a picture and my hands froze!

 

One week on from the Diesel Weekend and what a difference in the weather

D832 "Onslaught" at Hazelwood

 

Fantastic news to read about! I'll have to get up there for the next big event. Hopefully without snow!

 

All I can add is that the dining car project is well down the list.

 

A busy week in Wirksworth Station Yard with three coaches going out for tyre turning and coming back in again. Two more coaches are the subject of intense activity in the shed. A surprise arrival was class 31 No 31601 which turned up on Thursday, "for its summer holidays". Many of the visitors to the Diesel gala commented how much the ride on the track had improved. This is the result of an enormous amount of work by Mike Fairburn and the track gang.

We have been going through our stocks of PW material and it looks like we have some surplus items which may be of use, especially to smaller railways planning to lay sidings. Some time ago we took out a single slip in Wirksworth Yard; the components are worn but ought to give satisfactory service in a storage siding; in effect, two 7 1/2 crossings plus two pairs of switches which are the equivalent of B switches, i.e. parts for two turnouts. We can supply some worn rails for making closures, check and plain chairs fishplates and small components to make up the kit of parts. There is also a quantity of worn Midland rail in 30ft lengths. All sold "as seen". We would be looking for something more than scrap value, but a lot less than the merchants price. It should be possible to put together one perhaps two twenty ton loads each containing enough steel work to create one short siding.

 

Class 73 No.210 Selhirst is being unloaded in Wirkwsworth Yard this morning.

 

One vital, but unobtrusive preparation for the high season has been the installation of a new 2" water supply. This has produced a dramatic increase in pressure all over the site and crucially, faster cistern refills in the ladies toilets.

Down the line, the midweek gang have been clearing drains, which is vital to preserve the stability of the earthworks. At MP 137 1/4 a long lost crossdrain was found and cleared, and a large trackside lagoon dried up. A mini digger has been purchased to speed up this work with the aid of one very large and several smaller donations.

However an early job for the digger is likely to be the digging of foundations for Shottle Signal Box. The aim is to dig down through the embankment to field level and then build the foundations up to formation level with "concrete lego blocks" which were recovered last year. The cabin will sit on steel legs with timber cladding. EVRA have agreed to cover the cost of restoring the cabin and craning it into place.

The new bracket signal for Shottle is starting to take shape; like the two posts already erected it will be a new fabrication.

Restoration of the two brake coaches in the maintenance facility is well advanced, the first should be ready by early June. Meanwhile a Gresley Buffet has arrived for a contract overhaul/restoration; this is one of the vandalised coaches from the NYMR.

 

Good to hear progression within the box Tim, ps make sure you put in a drain from downstairs under the box out the bank if the base is going down into the bank, when When we did Consall we overlooked this ,it’s been a bane since as the locking room is forever damp being lower than the bank

Glad to see Mick’s steel legs being used again, how midland cabins should always have been done in the first place in my opinion.

 

WyvernRail plc - The Ecclesbourne Valley Railway
· 13 hrs ·


BREAKING NEWS: W&M railbus E79960 arrives at Wirksworth for Multiple Memories this weekend - www.e-v-r.com/multiplememories

 

A fine sunny day on r**** w****** avoidance duty

 

Some good loadings, but it was funny how few ladies were about. I wonder what they were all doing?

 

Probably getting ready to watch the cup final

 

Jinty has just been unloaded

 

3F tank No. 47406 has arrived for the summer; special offer this weekend, accompanied children travel free.

Meanwhile Dan Smith and the rest of the carriage team have been busy with M34625:

"With all the lining complete along with the vinyls on BSK 34625 (these wouldve been hand painted similar to the lining but due to time restraints we had to unfortunately opt for the vinyl option) the bodywork has been cleaned down with tack cloths ready for varnish, should be able to varnish the whole body tomorrow in Epifanes high gloss clear coat. The flooring contractors have layed the new linoleum to the corridor, vestibules and compartment floors with Shitaki faced marmo...leum, they have also welded the seams in the lino to stop water ingress during cleaning and sealed the edges with silicon. The compartment sliding doors have now all been varnished in their final coat ready for fitting on Saturday. We should be ready to leave the shed early next week for final fitting work and cleaning of the coach ready for the following Tuesday for the first Afternoon Tea service. https://www.e-v-r.com/dining/ "

See more

 

Some quality workmanship there. Well done to all

 

Looks very smart. Did BR really paint the numbers? I assumed they were transfers just like the logo by that date.